The Brain: What research with nuns can reveal about memory and aging

The Brain: What research with nuns can reveal about memory and aging
Illustrative image, David Snowdon with a group of donor minds for his study, which he conducted in collaboration with the nuns of the convent

  • author, Hannah Fry
  • scroll, BBC, Uncharted series.

The story begins in a dimly lit underground room, with swirling clouds of cold air and rows of glass jars stretching as far as the eye can see.

Inside these 700 containers is something unexpected: each one contains a perfectly preserved human brain.

It was in 1991 when a young and inexperienced neuroscientist named David Snowdon met Sister Mary, a very unusual nun.

Like many others, she was dressed from head to toe in the traditional black and white outfit. She was eternally optimistic, and was rarely idle.

By Andrea Hargraves

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