New iPad app showcases images of Einstein’s brain
The brains of geniuses have always captured the imagination of scientists. Theories exist speculating that there are certain differences in the neuroanatomy of gifted people, differences that might help us understand the inner workings of grey matter and to discover new ways of enhancing brain power. This is why Princeton Hospital pathologist Thomas Harvey removed Einstein’s brain after his death in 1955 during autopsy without having proper authorization. The tissue was then sliced into 200 cubes and slivers and preserved in formaldehyde. He proceeded to analyze the samples by weighing and dissecting them further.
A new iPad app offers a sneak peek into Albert Einstein’s brain to everybody who is interested. The software is called NMHMC Harvey and provides inquisitive minds with 350 slides that showcase different slices of the physicist’s brain. Users of the app will be able to get a very detailed look, similar to what they would get if they would be in a neurobiology lab using a microscope.
The app was designed by Steve Landers of the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Chicago and is particularly aimed at scientists and medical students who want to acquire a better understanding of the anatomic structures found in Einstein’s brain.
"I can't wait to find out what they'll discover. I'd like to think Einstein would have been excited."
The app will help researchers identify more quickly the areas with dense neuron bundles and compare them to those found in normal individuals. However there have been certain difficulties with identifying which part of the brain each slice belongs to, because when the tissue was preserved, MRI technology did not exist yet. The app classifies the slides into brain regions, but a precise anatomical model hasn’t been assembled yet.
By Radu
Source: New iPad app shows inner workings of Einstein's brain | Internet & Media - CNET News
