A team of over 150 scientists has just achieved what once seemed impossible: mapping every cell and connection in a tiny piece of mouse brain. Roughly the size of a grain of sand, the section contains more than 200,000 brain cells, 523 million synapses, and two miles of neural wiring—making it the most detailed mammal brain diagram ever created.
The groundbreaking project, known as MICrONS, not only charts brain structure in extraordinary detail, but also links it to function—recording how neurons lit up while a mouse watched films like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Matrix. Using AI and 28,000 ultra-thin brain slices, researchers built a 3D brain map so advanced, it’s been compared to Google Maps—but for the mind. Scientists say this map could help unravel the mysteries behind neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and autism—and it’s only the beginning.