In a world first, Harvard biologists worked with Google to diagram a cubic millimeter of human cerebral cortex at the subcellular level, paving the way for the next generation of brain science.

In 2014, a woman undergoing surgery for epilepsy had a tiny chunk of her cerebral cortex removed. This cubic millimeter of tissue has allowed Harvard and Google researchers to produce the most detailed wiring diagram of the human brain that the world has ever seen.

Biologists and machine-learning experts spent 10 years building an interactive map of the brain tissue, which contains approximately 57,000 cells and 150 million synapses. It shows cells that wrap around themselves, pairs of cells that seem mirrored, and egg-shaped “objects” that, according to the research, defy categorization. This mind-blowingly complex diagram is expected to help drive forward scientific research, from understanding human neural circuits to potential treatments for disorders.

  • its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    221·
    3 months ago

    That’s not true at all. Essentially every time you have heard of any disease linked to a gene its because of the Human genome project. 23 and me, that is also thanks to HGP. Lots of cancer research has also been done, identifying markers for cancer.

    You might not be aware of it, but has been vital for anyone genetic advancement.