Einstein’s Brain Reveals Clues to Genius

Newly uncovered photographs of Einstein’s brain, published Nov. 16 in the journal Brain, suggest that extraordinary folding patterns in several regions of his brain may help explain his genius. At Princeton Hospital, a pathologist named Thomas Harvey removed Einstein’s brain—the brain that had given the world such revolutionary thoughts as the theory of relativity and an understanding of the speed of light. D.C. Falk’s team began analyzing Eintsein’s brain photos in 2011. They found that, overall, Eintsein’s brain had much more complicated folding across the cerebral cortex, which is the gray matter on the surface of the brain responsible for conscious thought. In general, thicker gray matter is tied to higher IQs. The jury is out on whether Einstein’s brain was extraordinary from birth or whether years of pondering physics made it special. “He was born with a very good brain, and he had the kinds of experiences that allowed him to develop the potential he had,” Falk said.