If you ask the question: “Which genius can you name?”, then Albert Einstein, rest assured, will be in the top ten, or even the top five or even the top three. Although the great scientist owes his place in the public consciousness more to famous photography than to a subtle understanding of the theory of relativity. However, the scientific and, more broadly, cultural significance of his works cannot be overestimated. And here another question arises: what made Einstein Einstein? Many researchers believe that genius lies in the special structure of the brain. That is, the brain of a genius will differ in the location of the grooves and convolutions and other anatomical details from the brain of an ordinary person.
Generally speaking, it is not easy to verify this assumption, but Einstein allowed specialists to literally delve into his brain. After the physicist's death in 1955, pathologist Thomas Harvey prepared the contents of the genius's skull for scientific research: the brain was cut into 240 blocks, each of which was packed in a special resin, after which about 2,000 sections were made from such blocks for microscopy. Some of the sections were sent to eighteen scientists, but over the past decades, most of the samples were lost; only those that Harvey kept for himself were fully preserved.
Nevertheless, brain research has borne some fruit. Neuroscientists who have held Einstein's brain in their hands have noted a high density of neurons in certain areas and a high number of glial cells. In 2009, scientists from the University of Florida (USA) published a paper in which they reported that at the macro level, the brain of a genius has some interesting features: for example, the pattern of grooves and protrusions of the parietal lobe of the cortex was quite unusual. However, the work was based on too little photographic material, which the authors received after the death of Thomas Harvey in 2007.
In 2010, the pathologist’s heirs handed over other photographs of Einstein’s brain to researchers. No one except the owner had ever seen these photographs, so there was quite a lot of interest in them. In addition, scientists had a “guide” to the physicist’s brain, compiled by Thomas Harvey: he indicated which block was cut from which part of the brain, as well as which block these or other microsections were made from.
Researchers compared Einstein's brain with eighty-five other people's brains and again concluded that the brain of a genius (at least this genius) was significantly different. In terms of mass, it did not differ much from the statistical average - 1,230 g. However, in the parietal, temporal and frontal lobes there were areas where the nervous tissue was laid in a special way due to its own excess. In Einstein, for example, areas that control facial expressions and tongue movements were enlarged. According to the authors of the work, the scientist’s motor cortex could perform functions that were not particularly characteristic of it, that is, it could also engage in abstract thinking. This is indirectly supported by the confession of the physicist himself, who claimed that mental work for him is similar to physical activity, rather than to the manipulation of words. In addition, Einstein had enlarged areas responsible for the perception of signals from the sensory organs, as well as areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with planning, concentration and perseverance in achieving the intended goal.
And yet, the most interesting thing here is the assumption about the motor cortex, which performed work that was not typical for it. One way or another, the original hypothesis that the brain of a genius should have some differences was completely confirmed. However, a whole series of questions then arise. Firstly, we cannot say with certainty that these differences really have anything to do with genius - here, alas, more sophisticated experiments are required and preferably with some living “Einstein”. Secondly, even if these differences are indeed related to genius, it is not very clear whether every genius has them or whether they are individual differences. To resolve this question, it is necessary to compare the brains of several physicists, preferably great ones. Well, one last thing: I would like to know what came first - the brain or the theory of relativity? That is, Einstein became a brilliant physicist thanks to an inherited brain, or was his brain formed under the influence of the environment, including due to intensive studies of physics? The questions are, to put it mildly, difficult, and you can be sure that scientists will not leave Einstein’s brain alone for a long time.
Albert Einstein died in Princeton on April 18, 1955. His dying wish was a modest funeral without wide publicity - and that’s what happened. The scientist's body was cremated, and at the funeral, which was attended by only 12 people, his ashes were scattered to the wind. However, the scientist was cremated... not all of him. His brain is presumably still preserved in formaldehyde, available for research.
The scientist's brain was removed by Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who performed Einstein's autopsy at Princeton Hospital. At that time, it seemed to the doctor that it was self-evident that the brain of the great scientist should be studied - moreover, he was sure that the scientist himself had so bequeathed it. The fact that his actions were later identified as theft was a shock to him.
Harvey photographed the brain from every possible angle and then carefully cut it into 240 small pieces, each of which was packaged in a jar of formaldehyde or colloidal film.
When the fact of hiding Einstein's brain became known, Harvey was asked to return it to a relative, but he categorically refused. Almost immediately this was followed by dismissal, and later by divorce from his wife. Harvey's life was completely destroyed - until the end of his days he worked as an ordinary worker at a factory, only in his old age giving an interview for a documentary film dedicated to his “theft.” Later, after the fact, Einstein’s relatives gave permission to study the scientist’s brain.
The first study of Einstein's brain occurred in 1984 - 29 years after the scientist's death. Then a group of scientists published in the journal Experimental Neurology two areas of Einstein's brain (9 and 39 Brodmann areas) with similar areas of the control group. The scientists' conclusion was that the ratio of neuroglial cells to neurons was higher in Einstein than in others.
This study was so criticized that no one took its results seriously. Among the main arguments were that the control group consisted of only 11 people, which is too small for comparison, and moreover, they were all significantly younger than Einstein at the time of his death.
15 years later, these errors were taken into account and an article published in the medical journal “The Lancet” reported on a study of a larger group of people whose average age was exactly 57 years old - it was with them that the scientist’s brain was compared. Researchers then identified special areas of the brain responsible for mathematics abilities, and noted that they were larger than the rest, and the scientist’s brain itself was 15% wider than the average brain.
In between these studies, there was another, in 1996, which found that the total weight of Einstein's brain (1230 g) was slightly less than the average adult male brain (1400 g), but countered by the fact that Einstein's neuron density was much higher. and much more than usual. Apparently, the researchers suggest, this provided the scientist with a much larger and more intense connection between neurons and, accordingly, better brain activity.
Harvey himself kept the photographs and Einstein's brain with him all this time until his death. He passed away in 2007, after which his family donated all this data to the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Springs. Although Harvey has repeatedly stated that he collaborated with other scientists studying Einstein's brain, no documentation of these experiments has been found.
Later, in 2012, anthropologist Dean Falk examined Einstein's brain using photographs. She discovered that the scientist had a highly developed part that is generally considered to be developed in left-handed musicians. Actually, the fact that Einstein played the violin is not a secret.
She also discovered an additional gyrus in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is thought to be responsible for memory and the ability to plan ahead. Einstein's corpus callosum, according to Dean Falk's report, is also different from most people - it is much thicker, which could mean that the communication of information between the two hemispheres of the scientist's brain was more intense.
Terence Hines, a psychologist at a university in New York, considers all this research a waste of time. He is confident that each person's brain is so individual that even if you find another person with exactly the same characteristics, this will not mean that this person will be a genius. He argues that it is simply impossible to identify genius by the physical measurement of the brain.
Was Einstein a genius because his brain was special, or was his brain special because he was a genius? This question still remains open.
The scientist attracted public attention because Einstein was considered one of the most brilliant thinkers of the 20th century. Features of Einstein's brain have been used to support various ideas about the correlation between brain neuroanatomy and genius. Scientific studies have shown that the areas of Einstein's brain responsible for speech and language are reduced, while the areas responsible for processing numerical and spatial information are enlarged. Other studies have found an increase in the number of neuroglial cells.
Retrieving and Preserving Einstein's Brain
On April 17, 1955, a 76-year-old physicist was admitted to Princeton Hospital complaining of chest pain. The next morning, Einstein died from massive hemorrhage after a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Einstein's brain was removed and preserved Thomas Harvey(eng. Thomas Stoltz Harvey), a pathologist who performed an autopsy on the scientist's body. Harvey hoped that cytoarchitecture would provide useful information. He injected a 10% formalin solution through the internal carotid artery, and subsequently stored the intact brain in a 10% formalin solution. Harvey photographed the brain from various angles and then cut it into approximately 240 blocks. He packed the resulting segments into a colloidal film. Apparently, he was fired from Princeton Hospital shortly after he refused to donate his organs.
Scientific study of the structure of the brain
Work 1984
The first scientific work on Einstein's brain was carried out by Mariana Diamond, Amold Scheibel, Greene Murphy and Thomas Harvey and published in the journal Experimental Neuroscience in 1984. The work compared the 9th and 39th Brodmann fields from both hemispheres of the brain. The result of the work was the conclusion that the ratio of the number of neuroglial cells to neurons in Einstein, in the 39th field of the left hemisphere, exceeds the average level of the control group.
The study was criticized by S.S. Kantha of the Osaka Institute of Biological Sciences, and Terence Hines(eng. Terence Hines) from Pace University. A limitation of this study is that the comparison used samples from the cerebral cortex of only 11 people, who were on average 12 years younger than Einstein on the day of his death. The exact number of neurons and neuroglial cells was not counted; instead, their ratios are given. At the same time, too small areas of the brain were studied. These factors do not allow us to draw a general conclusion.
Work 1996
The second scientific work was published in 1996. According to it, Einstein's brain weighs 1230 g, which is less than the average weight of the brain of an ordinary adult male at this age, which is 1400 g. The same work found that in Einstein's cerebral cortex the density of neurons is much higher than the average values.
Work 1999
The last article was published in the medical journal The Lancet in June 1999. It compared Einstein's brain with brain samples from people whose average age was 57 years old. Areas of the scientist’s brain were identified that were large in size and responsible for mathematics abilities. It also turned out that Einstein's brain is 15 percent wider than average.
Ethical dilemma
The issue of obtaining permission to autopsy a scientist is shrouded in fog. Ronald Clarke's 1970 biography of Einstein reports: "...he insisted that his brain be used for scientific research and his body cremated."
Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, admitted: "I just knew we had permission to do an autopsy, I also thought we were going to study the brain." However, recent research suggests that this is not true and the brain was removed and stored without the permission of both Einstein himself and his close relatives.
The scientist's son, Hans Albert Einstein, agreed to have the brain removed after the fact. He insisted that his father's brain should be used only for scientific research, with subsequent publication of the results in the most famous scientific journals.
Incredible facts
In the entire human history of the existence of brilliant people, no one is probably more clearly associated with genius than Albert Einstein. He destroyed and then changed our understanding of time as such. He explained the principle of gravity and how it affects celestial bodies and their satellites. He created the initially frightening symbiosis between matter and energy, deducing the most famous equation in history: E = MC2. His iconic popular image is disheveled hair and tongue hanging out– firmly cemented in the public consciousness. We often use in speech something like “Of course, he is smart, but he is far from Einstein,” since for all people intelligence and Einstein are interchangeable things.
But how smart was he really? Has he ever taken an IQ test? Were there any structural differences in Einstein's brain that made him different from other people? Was he anatomically larger? Or did he simply use his brain more than anyone else? How did his brain manage to create such a huge number of ingenious things? These and many other questions intrigued people for many years, so much so that after his death, his brain was literally cut into small pieces, which went to scientific laboratories around the world as scientists wanted to understand why it was different from the rest.
They were even ready to commit sacrilege (Einstein was cremated, and it is not entirely clear who gave permission to preserve, let alone study, his brain) in order to find out how the most famous physicist of all times was able to see so many things, not understandable to the average person.
Now let's take a close look at the brain of the great scientist, literally and figuratively.
What happened to Einstein's brain?
Albert Einstein's body was cremated after his death. After the autopsy, his brain was removed (or stolen, depending on your point of view) by Princeton Hospital pathologist Thomas Harvey. Harvey hoped to uncover the secret of the scientist's genius by dismembering the great physicist's brain into 200 pieces, which he sent to leading scientists around the world. Towards the end of his life, Harvey, who had never been able to unlock the secret of Einstein's brain, returned the brain to Princeton Hospital, giving it to another pathologist who did essentially the same work.
Was Einstein's brain different from other people's brains?
The scientist's brain was of medium size. However, Dr. Sandra Witelson, a postdoctoral researcher at McMaster University in Canada, discovered that the physicist had almost no lateral sulcus, which divides the parietal lobe into two compartments. As a result, the scientist's parietal lobe was 15 percent larger than that of an average man of the same age. The parietal lobe is responsible for human mathematical abilities, spatial thinking and three-dimensional visualization. However, it remains unclear how his brain worked to determine whether it was indeed his brain that made him a genius.
What is the connection between the brain and the genius abilities of a physicist?
Scientists have shown that the size of certain parts of the brain, such as the cortex and parietal lobe, in particular, is a better predictor of intelligence than the size of the entire brain. However, studying the brain comes with many challenges, and scientists are still trying to understand exactly how intelligence and genius can be correlated and studied. Although there are many theories as to what makes a person smart, not to mention numerous standardized IQ tests and psychometric assessments of a person's language memory and other skills, many scientists believe that identifying who is a genius in these ways is unrealistic. Many people believe that the difference between high intelligence and genius is the presence of creativity, which allows a person's brain to produce something previously unimaginable.
