This article will answer “Where Einstein’s Brain is Being Kept?” It will also discuss how it reached there, what was uncovered with his autopsy, what was his IQ, and some unknown facts about his life. In the end, the article will answer some frequently asked questions.
Where Einstein’s Brain is Being Kept?
In 2010, all of the holdings related to Albert Einstein’s brain were transferred to the National Museum of Health and Medicine. This also included 14 photographs of the whole picture of the brain and was revealed to the public.
Einstein did not want his brain to be studied. However, while performing an autopsy on his brain Princeton pathologist Thomas Harvey, removed his brain and studied it for years without permission.
Thomas Stoltz Harvey (October 10, 1912 – April 5, 2007) was an American pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Albert Einstein in 1955. The reason given was that they wanted to unlock several secrets of Einstein’s mind.
Einstein’s brain was in the normal human range and weighed about 1,230 grams. His brain was sectioned and preserved into 170 pieces in a lab, which was at the University of Pennsylvania. This whole process took about three months. These 170 sections were further sliced in microscopic slivers, mounted onto slides, and stained.
There were 12 sets of slides created with hundreds of slides in each set. Harvey kept around two complete sets for his own research study and the rest was distributed to the leading pathologists of the time.
There was no permission to do this study from Einstein’s family, however, after learning that this would not be for public display, but rather just for scientific studies, the family gave a green signal and the study was continued. It was in 2010 when his brain was shifted to a museum.
Studies of Einstein’s brain didn’t occur for more than 3 years after his death. It was in 1985, that some aspects of his studies were revealed, this showed that two parts of Einstein’s brain contained an unusually large number of non-neuronal cells, called glia for every nerve-transmitting cell in the brain.
Studies in the later decade showed that his brain lacked a furrow normally seen in the parietal lobe. The scientists during that period linked the missing furrow to Einstein’s enhanced ability to think in three dimensions, as well as to his mathematical skills.
A recent study by Florida State University evolutionary anthropologist Dean Falk found that portions of the brain of Albert Einstein are unlike those of most people. These differences could be related to Einstein’s unique discoveries about the nature of space and time. The team used photographs of Einstein’s brain.
These were captured shortly after his death, but not previously analyzed in detail. These photographs revealed that Einstein’s brain had a complex pattern of convolutions located in the prefrontal cortex. This plays an important for abstract thinking.
Findings from Diamond’s lab revealed that enhanced cognitive ability isn’t just a function of the number of glial cells, but also the number of connections between them.
Einstein’s brain had an increased number of connections between brain cells. This helps in faster and more sophisticated communication. Einstein’s cortex–the outermost and newest layer of the brain which includes the prefrontal cortex, the temporal lobes and the hippocampus had many such connections.
What was Albert Einstein’s IQ?
Albert Einstein’s IQ scores ranged from 205 to 225 by different measures. However, there are various estimates of his IQ.
For instance, it is also said that Albert Einstein had an IQ of 160. 160 is the maximum IQ score that can be attained by using The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) that was put forward by Wechsler (1949).
An IQ of 135 or above means the person is in the 99th percentile of the population. Various news articles claim that Einstein’s IQ was 160, however, the methodology they use for this estimate is unclear.
Lesser Known Facts About Albert Einstein
Einstein is known for his brilliance in both math and physics. however, it has been suggested that he had difficulty acquiring language and thus has led some people to suggest that he may have had dyslexia. He also had late speech development and could not speak until he was six years old.
Albert Einstein was right-handed. However, his autopsies suggest that his brain was not the typical left-side dominant as he had problems with language and speech.
Albert Einstein’s birthday (3/14) is celebrated as “Pi Day”. This is because it has the first three digits of the constant pi (π).
Over the course of his life, Albert Einstein published around 300 scientific papers. He also worked on 150 non-scientific works.
Albert Einstein did not like wearing socks, this is because he had big toes and it would always tear his socks. For this reason, he stopped wearing socks altogether.
Albert Einstein loved music. He was extremely passionate about music for his entire life. He always claimed that he experienced the greatest joys of his life through music. He has also stated that if he wasn’t a physicist, he would have become a musician. Einstein loved Mozart.
Einstein was a nonconformist and an independent thinker. He was not just curious, but also nonconforming and resisted the pressures of society’s many rules. He was creative and unconventional. This is what led him to discover many scientific breakthroughs.
Personality analysts have suggested that Einstein’s personality type was INTP. Which means he was Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving. This means that as an individual, he was objective, analytical, quiet, and logical.
Albert Einstein used to think in images, instead of verbal representations. He had once stated that most of his important and productive thinking was a result of playing with images in his imagination.
What is Albert Einstein Best Known For?
Einstein is best known for his theory of general relativity. This theory explains the nature of gravity. He is also best known for the photoelectric effect. The photoelectric effect explains the behaviour of electrons in different circumstances. This work also earned him a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
Conclusion
This article answers “Where Einstein’s Brain is Being Kept?” It also discusses how it reached there, what was uncovered with his autopsy, what was his IQ, and some unknown facts about his life. In the end, the article will answer some frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions: Where Einstein’s Brain is Being Kept?
What is Einstein Syndrome?
Einstein syndrome is a condition that is said to occur when a child has a late onset of language or speech fluency but has giftedness in other areas, especially with regard to analytical thinking. Eventually, the child will learn to speak with no issues, but their giftedness will be exceptional in other areas (Sowell, 2021).
What is the range of IQ for Highly Intelligent People?
150-159. About one in four high-range test candidates score I.Q. 150 or higher. Otherwise under investigation.
What does Profound Intelligence Deficiency mean?
These individuals have a short life expectancy and usually are dependent on others with physical deformities. These individuals can learn only simple and basic tasks.
What is Borderline Mental Retardation?
Borderline Mental Retardation scores range from IQs of 70 to 79. These individuals can be trained to some extent. They might have difficulty with everyday tasks such as; using a phone book, reading bus or train schedules, banking, filling out forms, using appliances like a video recorder, microwave oven, or computer, et cetera.
They require help from others such as relatives or social workers in the management of their affairs. They require supervision, however, they can generally be employed.
References
Einstein, A. (2012). Albert Einstein Quotes. Retrieved from BrainyQuote. Com.
Holtzer, R., Verghese, J., Xue, X., & Lipton, R. B. (2006). Cognitive processes related to gait velocity: results from the Einstein Aging Study. Neuropsychology, 20(2), 215.
Prabhakaran, S., Bramlage, M., Edgar, M. A., Diamond, B., Hardin, J. A., & Volpe, B. T. (2005). Overwhelming leukoencephalopathy as the only sign of neuropsychiatric lupus. The Journal of Rheumatology, 32(9), 1843-1845.
Rosner, S., Ginzler, E. M., Diamond, H. S., Weiner, M., Schlesinger, M., Fries, J. F., … & Barnett, E. V. (1982). A multicenter study of outcome in systemic lupus erythematosus. ii. Arthritis & Rheumatism: Official Journal of the American College of Rheumatology, 25(6), 612-617.
Sowell, T. (2021). The Einstein Syndrome: Bright children who talk late. Hachette UK.
