In order to understand something, it helps to observe it up close and study its inner workings. This is no less true for the brain, whether it is the brain of a mouse, that of a whale, or the squishy brain inside our own skulls. It defines after all us as a person; containing our personality and all our desires and dreams. There are also many injuries, disorders and illnesses that affect the brain, many of which we understand as poorly as the basics of how memories are stored and thoughts are formed. Much of this is due to how complicated the brain is to study in a controlled fashion.
Recently a breakthrough was made in the form of a detailed map of the cells and synapses in a segment of a human brain sample. This collaboration between Harvard and Google resulted in the most detailed look at human brain tissue so so far, contained in a mere 1.4 petabytes of data. Far from a full brain map, this particular effort involved only a cubic millimeter of the human temporal cortex, containing 57,000 cells, 230 millimeters of blood vessels and 150 million synapses.
Ultimately the goal is to create a full map of a human brain like this, with each synapse and other structures detailed. If we can pull it off, the implications could be mind-bending.
Neurogenesis
In the beginning, there exist just a few newly formed neurons, gradually specializing from more generic cells in the developing embryo into the variety of cells that make up the human brain. Studying the development of this early state into the child and adult mapping human brain where
