the biologists havemoved into this minefield,and some of them have found that there are realdifferences between the brains of men and women.But being different,they
point outhurriedly,is not the same as being better or worse.
There is,however,adefinite structural variation between the male and female brain.The differenceis in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual
processes一the link between the two halves of thebrain.
The two halves arelinked by a trunk line of between 200 and 300 million nerves,the corpuscallosum.Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women
is always larger andprobably richer in nerve fibres than it is in men.This is the first time that astructural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and
it must have somesignificance.The question is"What?",and,if this difference exists,arethere others?Research shows that present-day women think differently and behave
differently frommen.Are some of these differences biological and inborn,a result ofevolution?We tend to think that is the influence of society that produces these
differences.Butcould we be wrong?
Research showed thatthese two halves of the brain had different functions,and that the corpuscallosum enabled them to work together. For most people,the left half is used
for word-handling,analytical and logical activities;the right half works on pictures,patterns andforms.We need both halves working together. And the better the
connections,the moreharmoniously the two halves work.And,according to research findings,women havethe better connections.
But it isn't allthat easy to explain the actual differences between skills of men and women onthis basis.In schools throughout the world girls tend to be better than boys
at"languagesubjects" and boys better at maths and physics.If these differencescorrespond with the differences in the hemispheric trunk line,there is anunalterable distinction
between the sexes.
We shan't know for awhile,partly because we don't know of any precise relationship betweenabilities in school subjects and the functioning of the two halves of the
brain,and we cannotunderstand how the two halves interact via the corpus callosum.But thisstriking difference must have some effect and,because the difference is in the
parts of the braininvolved in intellect,we should be looking for differences in
intellectualprocessing. According to thepassage it is commonly believed that brain differences are caused by socialfactors.
A.Right
B.Wrong
C.Not mentioned