When a Princeton Doctor stole Einstein's brain to uncover the secret of his genius: The bizarre tale of science and obsession
A Pathologist's Quiet Heist
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Where in the World is Einstein's Brain?
— medicalmuseum (@medicalmuseum)
What the Studies Found; and Didn't
A Brain That Outlived Its Owner
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On April 18, 1955, Albert Einstein, the revolutionary physicist whose theories changed how we perceive the universe, died in Princeton, New Jersey, at the age of 76. True to his philosophy of simplicity and humility, Einstein had left clear instructions: no monuments, no posthumous glorification, and most importantly, no dissection. He wanted his body cremated and his ashes scattered in secret. But what happened next would become one of science's most puzzling and ethically murky sagas.The pathologist assigned to perform Einstein's autopsy, Dr. Thomas Stoltz Harvey, made a controversial decision—he removed Einstein's brain without informing the family. Sliced into 240 pieces, the organ that had decoded the mysteries of space and time was placed into jars, boxes, and eventually even a trunk. Harvey kept it hidden for over four decades, traveling across the U.S. and Canada with parts of the brain in his car. He claimed he did it for science, believing the brain held secrets about Einstein's extraordinary intellect. Eventually, Einstein's son, Hans Albert, gave reluctant permission, but by then the deed was long done.The pathologist's unauthorized preservation attempt soon spiraled into a bizarre chase. Some fragments of the brain were sent to researchers across the globe; others were tucked away in Harvey's basement. According to BBC and Science, around 170 blocks eventually returned to Princeton's University Medical Center. Forty-six wafer-thin slices are displayed at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. But many pieces simply vanished. Despite Harvey's efforts to preserve and study the brain, large sections remain unaccounted for to this day.The first major scientific insight didn't come until 1985, when neurologist Marian Diamond from UC Berkeley studied samples provided by Harvey. Her team discovered an unusual concentration of glial cells per neuron, possibly hinting at heightened information processing. Later analyses, including one in 2012, found a unique extra groove in Einstein's frontal lobe, associated with memory and planning. But as Britannica notes, no definitive link between these anatomical quirks and Einstein's genius has ever been established. The biggest mystery, perhaps, is whether genius can ever be reduced to biology alone.According to a report from Aurora, Einstein once famously said, 'I want to leave when I want. It's in bad taste to prolong life artificially.' Yet ironically, his brain has outlived him in the most artificial and fragmented way. Thomas Harvey 's obsession cost him his marriage, his job, and ultimately, peace of mind. He died after a long illness, haunted by the organ he tried to preserve.Even now, parts of Einstein's brain sit behind museum glass, some circulate in scientific archives, and others are presumed lost—perhaps tucked away in forgotten drawers, private collections, or academic vaults. As Science wryly concluded, 'Einstein's brain could be anywhere.'The question remains: did dissecting Einstein's brain bring us any closer to understanding genius? Perhaps not. The more we tried to bottle it, the more it slipped through our fingers. In life, Einstein reshaped our understanding of space and time. In death, he left behind a riddle no one seems able to solve—where, exactly, is the mind of Albert Einstein?
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