Could the secrets of Albert Einstein’s brain – preserved since his death in 1955 – be unlocked by modern Chinese technology?
A new technique developed by Chinese scientists has shown potential in analysing old biological samples, including cancer tissues stored for nearly 10 years under less than ideal conditions.
While cautious about the challenges posed by ageing preservation methods, the team behind the advanced RNA-mapping technology known as Stereo-seq V2 does not rule out the possibility of one day studying Einstein’s brain to explore the cellular basis of genius.
“If we are fortunate enough to analyse Einstein’s brain, we could give it a try,” co-corresponding author Li Yang, a research associate at BGI-Research, said.
“But the challenges are significant because the preservation techniques at that time may not have been very good. It is hard to say.”
Old samples were previously difficult to study due to possible chemical damage from the preservation method.