In all bilaterally symmetrical animals, from humans down to simple worms, nerves cross from one side of the body to the opposite side of the brain. Geometry may explain why.
• The nervous system is interconnected: the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.
• There is a neural cross-wiring that connects the right and left sides of the body.
• Evolution has kept this device, perhaps for a benefit, but biologists don't know what it is.
• Mathematical approach to the problem shows that cross wiring is topologically the easiest way to avoid errors.
• The mapping of three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane in the brain explains the interconnection of the nervous system.
• Geometric features arise due to changes in the geometry of the perceived world.
• To maintain non-overlapping connections, the brain would need to constantly flip the axis of its body maps.
• There is little biological research on this subject, but the scientific method can help solve perennial biological puzzles.