The student connected the final section of tissue to the electrical sensor.  She pulled her hands from the protective gloves and walked back to the terminal on the far side of the room.  She clicked the button that started the test.  The lights dimmed and a single spark flew across the tissue.  On screen, characters started to appear H … E … L … L … O … ?  Her heart skipped a beat – she now had the chance to talk to one of the most eminent minds of the last century.

The Wellcome Collection is hosting an exhibition in London that will look at the subject of brains.   It includes artwork, images, video and samples of brains including Albert Einstein, Charles Babbage and William Burke.  The exhibition runs from 29 March to 17 June 2012.  See the press release here: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/press/press-releases/brains-the-mind-as-matter.aspx Exhibition preview here: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/brains.aspx

James.