Uploaded June 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
A human brain embedded in paraffin is sliced using a microtome.
Researchers have for the first time built a 3D model of a human brain showing structural detail down to the cellular level. This ultra high-resolution atlas, dubbed “BigBrain,” aims to show the architecture of the brain at various levels — from the cortex’s layers and columns to its microcircuits and cells.A team of researchers from Germany and Canada began with the donated brain of a 65-year-old woman and embedded it in paraffin. They made more than 7,400 slices of the brain using a specialized slicer called a microtome. Each slice was just 20 microns thick —smaller than one strand of human hair. They then mounted the slices on slides and stained them so cellular structures were visible.
Read the full story at: discovermagazine.com/mind/groundbreaking-brain-atlas-maps-whole-brain-at-cellular-level
—
Video copyright Forschungszentrum Jülich
—
ABOUT DISCOVER:
Discover is your source for science that matters, makes sense and is a lot of fun, too.
Visit us at: discovermagazine.com
FOLLOW US:
Facebook: facebook.com/DiscoverMag
Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoverMag
Instagram: instagram.com/discover.magazine
SUPPORT US:
Subscribe to Discover: bit.ly/34seAFT
Sign up for our newsletter: discovermagazine.com/newsletter-signup
My Science Shop: myscienceshop.com
STAY CURIOUS!
A human brain embedded in paraffin is sliced using a microtome.
Researchers have for the first time built a 3D model of a human brain showing structural detail down to the cellular level. This ultra high-resolution atlas, dubbed “BigBrain,” aims to show the architecture of the brain at various levels — from the cortex’s layers and columns to its microcircuits and cells.A team of researchers from Germany and Canada began with the donated brain of a 65-year-old woman and embedded it in paraffin. They made more than 7,400 slices of the brain using a specialized slicer called a microtome. Each slice was just 20 microns thick —smaller than one strand of human hair. They then mounted the slices on slides and stained them so cellular structures were visible.
Read the full story at: discovermagazine.com/mind/groundbreaking-brain-atlas-maps-whole-brain-at-cellular-level
—
Video copyright Forschungszentrum Jülich
—
ABOUT DISCOVER:
Discover is your source for science that matters, makes sense and is a lot of fun, too.
Visit us at: discovermagazine.com
FOLLOW US:
Facebook: facebook.com/DiscoverMag
Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoverMag
Instagram: instagram.com/discover.magazine
SUPPORT US:
Subscribe to Discover: bit.ly/34seAFT
Sign up for our newsletter: discovermagazine.com/newsletter-signup
My Science Shop: myscienceshop.com
STAY CURIOUS!
