Technology reveals the beauty of the brain

Neuroscience has come a long way since the word "brain" was first used in 3500 B.C. Back then, the heart was still believed to contain both the mind and the soul, with the brain relegated to the ranks of less vital organs. Over the millennia, the brain has gained recognition for its crucial role in keeping us alive and allowing us to act as intelligent, conscious beings. Over the last hundred years, neuroscience has been revolutionized by the advent of powerful imaging technologies that allow researchers to look at the real-time brain activity of living people--to literally "see" what thoughts look like and to map out what is normal and abnormal. The Human Brain Bookwritten by Rita Carter, gives us a remarkable view of the brain, in pictures and words. The following slides show a sampling of the many extraordinary brain images the book contains.