What are mini brains? - Madeline Lancaster
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This pencil-eraser-sized mass of cells is something called a brain organoid. It’s a collection of lab-grown neurons and other brain tissue that scientists can use to learn about full-grown human brains. And it can be grown from a sample of your skin cells. Why would we need such a thing? Neuroscientists face a challenge: shielded by our thick skulls and swaddled in layers of protective tissue, the human brain is extremely difficult to observe in action. For centuries, scientists have tried to understand them using autopsies, animal models, and, in recent years, imaging techniques. We’ve learned a lot through all these methods, but they have limitations. Conditions like Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia, and the effect on the human brain of diseases like Zika, continue to hide beyond our view, and our understanding. Enter brain organoids, which function l...
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This pencil-eraser-sized mass of cells is something called a brain organoid. It’s a collection of lab-grown neurons and other brain tissue that scientists can use to learn about full-grown human brains. And it can be grown from a sample of your skin cells. Why would we need such a thing? Neuroscientists face a challenge: shielded by our thick skulls and swaddled in layers of protective tissue, the human brain is extremely difficult to observe in action. For centuries, scientists have tried to understand them using autopsies, animal models, and, in recent years, imaging techniques. We’ve learned a lot through all these methods, but they have limitations. Conditions like Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia, and the effect on the human brain of diseases like Zika, continue to hide beyond our view, and our understanding. Enter brain organoids, which function l...
