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Level A1 – BeginnerCEFR A1
2 min
69 words
- Researchers find special brain cells in mice.
- These cells help navigation and knowing location.
- They are in the retrosplenial cortex.
- Darwin called the skill dead reckoning.
- The cells act like a subconscious GPS.
- There are two unique neuron types.
- Both types are found in mice and rats.
- One type is slightly larger in rats.
- People with Alzheimer’s have trouble finding home.
- Scientists now check human brains for these cells.
Difficult words
- researcher — A person who studies and finds new facts.Researchers
- navigation — The skill of moving and finding places.
- retrosplenial cortex — A part of the brain near the back.
- dead reckoning — A way to find location without maps.
- subconscious — Mental activity that people do not notice.
- neuron — A cell in the brain that sends signals.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you use a GPS to find places?
- Do you get lost in a new place?
- Do you know someone who forgets the way home?
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