~mystic_fish
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The brain that shook the scientific world..
Before removing the brain, Harvey had pumped the preservative formalin into it. Most of the brain was cut into 240 fine sections and embedded in an impervious but transparent material called celoidin that allows microscopic examination. Much of the brain ended up in Harvey's living room in Wichita, Kansas, in two jars in a box labelled "Costa Cider".
Even though some has been used for research, much of the organ survives: weighed down by the responsibility of looking after the brain of the world's most famous scientist, Harvey took the remaining pieces to Dr Elliot Krauss, chief pathologist at Princeton Hospital, in 1996.
Now, for the first time in half a century, Einstein's brain is whole again. Photographs taken by Harvey immediately after the brain was removed reveal its dimensions because they had been calibrated with a grid. A computer-controlled laser modelling process known as stereolithography enabled Lythgoe to make a precise life-size model, exactly as it was inside Einstein's skull.
The replica, created for a television documentary, vividly backs an idea put forward by Dr Sandra Witelson of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, one of the few scientists to study Einstein brain tissue, says Lythgoe.
Normally the parietal cortex of the brain is divided by a deep groove. But this valley was bridged in Einstein's brain, merging two regions and increasing the number of connections. Lythgoe notes that the latest studies have linked this area with mathematical skills and those around it with visuospatial processing. "Now this anatomical feature makes sense," he says. "It is obvious, now that we know it."
Another piece of evidence showing that Einstein's brain was wired differently from other people's came from studies that Professor Marian Diamond of the University of California, Berkeley, reported in the journal Experimental Neurology.
Previous research had found that rats placed in a highly stimulating environment had more of the glial cells that surround and support neurons, the nerve cells in the brain that process and transmit information. Similar work has been performed with cats and monkeys, and this seems to be a key indicator of how a more developed brain has larger nerve cells, with more connections between them.
Even though some has been used for research, much of the organ survives: weighed down by the responsibility of looking after the brain of the world's most famous scientist, Harvey took the remaining pieces to Dr Elliot Krauss, chief pathologist at Princeton Hospital, in 1996.
Now, for the first time in half a century, Einstein's brain is whole again. Photographs taken by Harvey immediately after the brain was removed reveal its dimensions because they had been calibrated with a grid. A computer-controlled laser modelling process known as stereolithography enabled Lythgoe to make a precise life-size model, exactly as it was inside Einstein's skull.
The replica, created for a television documentary, vividly backs an idea put forward by Dr Sandra Witelson of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, one of the few scientists to study Einstein brain tissue, says Lythgoe.
Normally the parietal cortex of the brain is divided by a deep groove. But this valley was bridged in Einstein's brain, merging two regions and increasing the number of connections. Lythgoe notes that the latest studies have linked this area with mathematical skills and those around it with visuospatial processing. "Now this anatomical feature makes sense," he says. "It is obvious, now that we know it."
Another piece of evidence showing that Einstein's brain was wired differently from other people's came from studies that Professor Marian Diamond of the University of California, Berkeley, reported in the journal Experimental Neurology.
Previous research had found that rats placed in a highly stimulating environment had more of the glial cells that surround and support neurons, the nerve cells in the brain that process and transmit information. Similar work has been performed with cats and monkeys, and this seems to be a key indicator of how a more developed brain has larger nerve cells, with more connections between them.
Diamond says she discovered that - compared with "normal" male human brains - Einstein's brain had more glial cells per neuron in one area, which, says Lythgoe, is connected with maths and visuospatial processing.
The brain that shook the scientific world weighed only 1230 grams, less than the average adult male brain (about 1400 grams). Einstein's cerebral cortex was thinner than that of five control brains, but the density of neurons in his brain was greater, according to a study by Dr Britt Anderson of the University of Alabama reported in the journal Neuroscience Letters.
But Lythgoe says that despite the efforts of scientists and philosophers, no one has yet explained the true nature of genius in the human mind or the secret of Einstein's astonishing creativity.
source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/Science/The-matter-between-Einsteins-ears/2005/01/14/1105582722494.html
The brain that shook the scientific world weighed only 1230 grams, less than the average adult male brain (about 1400 grams). Einstein's cerebral cortex was thinner than that of five control brains, but the density of neurons in his brain was greater, according to a study by Dr Britt Anderson of the University of Alabama reported in the journal Neuroscience Letters.
But Lythgoe says that despite the efforts of scientists and philosophers, no one has yet explained the true nature of genius in the human mind or the secret of Einstein's astonishing creativity.
source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/Science/The-matter-between-Einsteins-ears/2005/01/14/1105582722494.html
"no one has yet explained the true nature of genius in the human mind or the secret of Einstein's astonishing creativity."
..obviously both hemispheres of Einstein's brain must have been equally acute..'as was discovered, both sides were actually bridged, greatly increasing the number of connections and synapses. 'so will another Einstein ever be born?' I wonder if there's a genetic or hereditary link involved. Still so much we don't know of the creative, analytical genius that was Einstein...
..obviously both hemispheres of Einstein's brain must have been equally acute..'as was discovered, both sides were actually bridged, greatly increasing the number of connections and synapses. 'so will another Einstein ever be born?' I wonder if there's a genetic or hereditary link involved. Still so much we don't know of the creative, analytical genius that was Einstein...
"still a hard to define aspect that doesn't relate to a person's intelligence or experience so where does it come from?"
well, my guess would be the often under-rated skills of 'emotional intelligence.' Leaders who naturally understand or have that real intuitive sense of human nature. What motivates, what drives, what makes people loyal and trustworthy of you and your company, for the long haul. Yet leaders who arn't pushovers and hold true to their own beliefs and values which most likely got them where they are in the first place. i think some people are just born with a higher degree of emotional intelligence and some have to work much harder, and yet some may never get it; and simply ride on the coat-tails of their own technical savvy. IMO, good leaders have the ability to inspire both loyalty and support. Also fairness (considering both sides of an issue) and then of course, there's empathy. Certainly an awareness of what's going on around them. A real good question, though..'human nature not exactly a hard science..lol =)
Bill Gates often comes to mind, when i think of a well-balanced leader. i saw him in a few tv interviews. Very interesting to listen to, you tend to hold onto his every word. Highly intelligent, highly intuitive to not only the people who work by his side, but to his own creative, innovative ideas for the future. He definately has those great people skills on his side, as well. (interesting to note: later on in his career, he said it wasn't how much his employees actually knew, but it was their own creativity and initiative that was to be valued the most. You can teach the technical, but much harder the other stuff.) Something to that effect. Now Donald Trump definately knows his business as well; and definatley knows what he likes and doesn't like, but often comes across as abrasive. Yet for many reasons, i've always admired the Donald. He must be doing something right! His passions are certainly high and you have to admire his big confidence..'certainly more positives then negatives. Not a CEO, but then there's the great Martin Luther King; now this was a person who could really move the masses.. 🙂
well, my guess would be the often under-rated skills of 'emotional intelligence.' Leaders who naturally understand or have that real intuitive sense of human nature. What motivates, what drives, what makes people loyal and trustworthy of you and your company, for the long haul. Yet leaders who arn't pushovers and hold true to their own beliefs and values which most likely got them where they are in the first place. i think some people are just born with a higher degree of emotional intelligence and some have to work much harder, and yet some may never get it; and simply ride on the coat-tails of their own technical savvy. IMO, good leaders have the ability to inspire both loyalty and support. Also fairness (considering both sides of an issue) and then of course, there's empathy. Certainly an awareness of what's going on around them. A real good question, though..'human nature not exactly a hard science..lol =)
Bill Gates often comes to mind, when i think of a well-balanced leader. i saw him in a few tv interviews. Very interesting to listen to, you tend to hold onto his every word. Highly intelligent, highly intuitive to not only the people who work by his side, but to his own creative, innovative ideas for the future. He definately has those great people skills on his side, as well. (interesting to note: later on in his career, he said it wasn't how much his employees actually knew, but it was their own creativity and initiative that was to be valued the most. You can teach the technical, but much harder the other stuff.) Something to that effect. Now Donald Trump definately knows his business as well; and definatley knows what he likes and doesn't like, but often comes across as abrasive. Yet for many reasons, i've always admired the Donald. He must be doing something right! His passions are certainly high and you have to admire his big confidence..'certainly more positives then negatives. Not a CEO, but then there's the great Martin Luther King; now this was a person who could really move the masses.. 🙂
yeah, that could very well be primegen (although he seems pretty fair, up-front and inspirational, and i've heard no employee complaints)...'but i'm guessing only the insiders working directly for him would honestly know for sure..*but it's fun to speculate. =)
oh okay, i never knew that..'only what i've seen of him in the media the last couple of years. You're right though, great leaders do need to be open, trustworthy and dignified, expecting the questions and scrutiny every once in while. If you truly have nothing to hide, there shouldn't be a problem. I hope he has learned and grown since then..
...come to think of it, i did post a topic a long while back about *GATES* or *OPRAH* for President..LOL* ! oh, my bad! 😉
'OMG!! ..hey, i just checked out the aqua board, you did vote me for DXP president!! LOL ..Double WOW!! ,,you are too kind, THANKYOU so much Primegen!! 😉
This is pretty interesting - Einstein's brain - whole again!
I wish folks do more research on that and find out some unusual truth, I think it also depends on genes.
I wish folks do more research on that and find out some unusual truth, I think it also depends on genes.
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January 15, 2005
The brain of a genius reveals some, but not all, of the qualities that made him special, writes Roger Highfield.
The bizarre story of Albert Einstein's brain has taken a new twist: half a century after it was sliced into 240 pieces, a team has created a life-size replica which it believes could shed new light on one of the greatest scientific minds.
This year, scientists are commemorating the 50th anniversary of Einstein's death and the 100th anniversary of his intellectual flowering. In 1905, his then 26-year-old brain helped to redraw our understanding of energy, matter, motion, time and space.
Dr Mark Lythgoe of University College, London, and Icon Films have marked the milestones by reconstructing the great man's brain. "When I examined it, I felt as if I had climbed to the top of a mountain and enjoyed a view - one of intellectual creativity - that has never been seen before," says Lythgoe.
His work, which shows the unusual features of Einstein's brain in regions linked with mathematical ability, is the culmination of a saga that began in April 1955, when Einstein's brain was removed during his autopsy by the pathologist Dr Thomas Harvey without the initial permission of Einstein's family.
Months before his death, the scientist wrote to his biographer, Carl Seelig, saying that he liked the idea of donating his body to science. But he did not leave any explicit instructions because he feared the gesture would appear theatrical.
The removal of Einstein's brain was Harvey's initiative. He did not know the feelings of the family on the matter. When I asked him a few years ago, he told me: "I just knew we had permission to do an autopsy and I assumed that we were going to study the brain."
The family only got to know of the removal from a newspaper the next day, after one of Harvey's colleagues had spoken to a reporter. Even Otto Nathan, the executor of Einstein's literary estate who witnessed the dissection of his friend's body, had not realised what was going on. It was he who contacted Harvey and gave his retrospective approval. Harvey said it was "just a misunderstanding".