Google has helped create the most detailed map yet of the connections within the human brain. It reveals a staggering amount of detail, including patterns of connections between neurons, as well as what may be a new kind of neuron.<\/p>\n
The brain map<\/a>, which is freely available online<\/a>, includes 50,000 cells, all rendered in three dimensions. They are joined together by hundreds of millions of spidery tendrils, forming 130 million connections called synapses. The data set measures 1.4 petabytes, roughly 700 times the storage capacity of an average modern computer.<\/p>\n The data set is so large that the researchers haven\u2019t studied it in detail, says Viren Jain<\/a> at Google Research in Mountain View, California. He compares it to the human genome<\/a>, which is still being explored 20 years after the first drafts were published.<\/p>\n It is the first time we have seen the real structure of such a large piece of the human brain, says Catherine Dulac<\/a> at Harvard University, who wasn\u2019t involved in the work. \u201cThere\u2019s something just a little emotional about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another awesome story from @m_c_marshall<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/e7ZADcXCSp<\/a><\/p>\n I love this detail – mapping an entire human brain would need a dataset about a million times larger, comparable to the amount of digital content generated in a year by the planet Earth<\/p>\n — Jacob Aron (@jjaron) June 7, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n