How does the brain work?

The main one is the hippocampus, hidden inside the temporal lobe. It helps turn what you lived today into lasting memory. Memories then spread across several areas of the cortex, and the frontal lobe helps you retrieve them when you need them.

There is no single part. The amygdala reacts quickly to fear and danger, the cingulate gyrus and insula help you feel and notice emotions, and the frontal lobe helps control your reaction. Together these are called the limbic system.

The cerebellum, which sits below and behind the brain. It receives information from the inner ear, the eyes and the muscles and adjusts your body all the time so you don’t fall.

No. It is a myth. Brain scans show we use practically the whole brain over the course of a day. Not every area works at the same time, but there is no "switched-off" part waiting to be used.

In an adult, about 1.3 to 1.4 kg (around 3 lb), roughly 2% of body weight. Even so, it uses about 20% of the energy the body uses at rest.

Each side controls the opposite side of the body: the left moves the right hand, and the right moves the left hand. In most people, language sits more on the left side. The idea of "left-brained" (logical) and "right-brained" (creative) people is a myth: both sides work together, connected by the corpus callosum.

The brainstem, mainly its lowest part, called the medulla. It does this by itself, on autopilot, even while you sleep.

The hypothalamus. It is small, but it takes in signals from the body and from daylight to tell you when it is time to eat, drink water or sleep. It works together with the brainstem and thalamus on the sleep–wake cycle.

The occipital lobe, at the back of the head. The eyes catch the light, and that is where the brain builds the image you see.