Name: How to look inside the brain
Uploaded: 2012-05-17T15:01:29Z
Duration: 4 min 42 s
Description: There have been remarkable advances in understanding the brain, but how do you actually study the neurons inside it? Using gorgeous imagery, neuroscientist and TED Fellow Carl Schoonover shows the tools that let us see inside our brains.

There have been remarkable advances in understanding the brain, but how do you actually study the neurons inside it? Using gorgeous imagery, neuroscientist and TED Fellow Carl Schoonover shows the tools that let us see inside our brains.

How to look inside the brain

Understanding the brain’s inner workings was impossible until chemical stains, like the Golgi stain, revealed the intricate wiring inside. Modern neuroscience now uses natural proteins from jellyfish and antibodies to make individual neurons glow in vivid colors, unlocking new views of brain circuits. These breakthroughs rely on solutions nature developed over millions of years, repurposed to advance human knowledge.

Nature’s Own Tools Illuminate the Secrets of the Brain

*Portraits of the Mind*

TED Fellows

biotech

neuroscience

science

technology

brain

cognitive science

engineering

biology

medical research

biomimicry

human body

TED Stage Talk

Carl Schoonover: How to look inside the brain