News early this morning broke courtesy of a study in the journal Nature, where researchers finally discovered how brains intrinsically can navigate the body, by using what they call a "3-D neural compass". The study conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel investigated the Egyptian fruit bat and revealed a toroidal shaped grouping of neural cells within the brain that helped the bats differentiate their orientation and the place in a 3-dimensional field.
"Navigation requires a sense of direction ('compass'), which in mammals is thought to be provided by head-direction cells, neurons that discharge when the animal's head points to a specific azimuth" lead researcher of the study, Arseny Finkelstein says. "We predict that conjunctive 3-D head-direction cells might be found also in non-flying mammals that move in complex 3-D environments or that orient their head up/down, such as squirrels, cats, dolphins and primates."
But as amazing the discovery made by Finkelstein and his colleagues is, in other news related to brains, researchers at the University of Texas, Austin are taking the spotlight - and not for what you think they would.
Wednesday, Dec. 3, the university confirmed that over 100 brains, including one believed to be that of clock-tower sniper Charles Whitman from the 1996 murder of 16 individuals, are missing from the collection curated by the department of psychology. And what may simply be a prank is turning into a national fiasco.
"We think somebody may have taken the brains, but we don't know at all for sure" co-curators of the collection, Professor Tim Schallert and Professor Lawrence Cormack say. "It's entirely possible word got around among undergraduates and people started swiping them for living rooms or Halloween pranks."
Austin State Hospital transferred the brains to the university over 28 years ago, under a "temporary possession" agreement. But while some were stored in Schallert's lab and in public facilities, others were stored in the basement from where they have mysteriously disappeared.
While the university's agreement with the Austin State Hospital stipulated that all data attributed to the donors of the brains be removed upon transfer, Schallert believes that not only was Whitman's brain likely part of the collection, but that it may be amongst the ones stolen as well.
"As researchers and teachers, we understand the potential scientific value of all of our holdings and take our roles as stewards of them very seriously" university officials said in a statement released to the press where they claimed that they would investigate the circumstances surrounding the collection since it arrived nearly 30 years ago."We are committed to treating the brain specimens with respect and are disheartened to learn that some of them may be unaccounted for."
