Inside the Brain at the American Museum of Natural History

Big Brain Bits
Originally uploaded by Pete Mandik

This morning I got to go the media preview of a new exhibit on brains at NYC's American Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, Brain: The Inside Story, will run November 20, 2010 - August 14, 2011. I enjoyed the exhibit and look forward to returning with my family.

What I enjoyed most, though, was a behind-the-scenes tour and chance to meet some of the researchers at the museum. John Maisey and Alan Pradel showed us CT scans of the oldest and only fosilized brain, a brain once belonging to a kind of proto-shark. Mark Siddall took us on a mini-tour of the evolution of invertebrate nervous systems. Amy Balanoff spoke on her work comparing the brains of dinosaurs and modern birds.

I snapped a few pictures on my iPhone, and not all of them turned out horribly.

Link to my flickr photoset:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr_smax/sets/72157625282377483/

Link to the museum's Educator's Guide:
http://amnh.org/education/brain