Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
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Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#2The interactive visualization is pretty great. Try zooming in on the slices and then scrolling up or down through the layers. Also try zooming in on the 3D model. Notice how hovering over any part of a neuron highlights all parts of that neuron:
http://h01-dot-neuroglancer-demo.appspot.com/#!gs://h01-rele...
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#3For some people, this is all you need (sorry, couldn’t resist)!
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#4> cut the sample into around 5,000 slices — each just 34 nanometres thick — that could be imaged using electron microscopes.
Does anyone have any insight into how this is done without damaging the sample?
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#51.4 PB/mm^3 (petabytes per millimeter cubed)×1260 cm^3 (cubic centimeters, large human brain) = 1.76×10^21 bytes = 1.76 ZB (zetabytes)
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#6> cut the sample into around 5,000 slices — each just 34 nanometres thick — that could be imaged using electron microscopes. Does anyone have any insight into how this is done without damaging the sample?
Using a Microtome (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microtome).
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#71.4 PB/mm^3 (petabytes per millimeter cubed)×1260 cm^3 (cubic centimeters, large human brain) = 1.76×10^21 bytes = 1.76 ZB (zetabytes)
wow
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#8> cut the sample into around 5,000 slices — each just 34 nanometres thick — that could be imaged using electron microscopes. Does anyone have any insight into how this is done without damaging the sample?
The sample is stained (to make thigns visible), then embedded in a resin, then cut with a very sharp diamond knife and the slices are captured by the tape reel.
Paper: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.29.446289v4 See Figure 1.
The ATUM is described in more detail here https://www.eden-instruments.com/en/ex-situ-equipments/rmc-e...
and there's a bunch of nice photos and explanations here https://www.wormatlas.org/EMmethods/ATUM.htm
TL;DR this project is reaping all the benefits of the 21st century.
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#9The interactive visualization is pretty great. Try zooming in on the slices and then scrolling up or down through the layers. Also try zooming in on the 3D model. Notice how hovering over any part of a neuron highlights all parts of that neuron: http://h01-dot-neuroglancer-demo.appspot.com/#!gs://h01-rele...
My god. That is stunning.
To think that’s one single millimeter of our brain and look at all those connections.
Now I understand why crows can be so smart walnut sized brain be damned.
What an amazing thing brains are.
Possibly the most complex things in the universe.
Is it complex enough to understand itself though? Is that logically even possible?
Re: Cubic millimetre of brain mapped at nanoscale resolution
#10Is there a name for the somewhat uncomfortable feeling caused by seeing something like this? I wish I could better describe it. I just somehow feel a bit strange being presented with microscopic images of brain matter. Is that normal?