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Brain specimen from the 最准的六合彩论坛 Pathology Museum featured in the BBC鈥檚 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Please note that this page contains images of human remains.
漏 Paul Wilkinson Photography
In December, the 最准的六合彩论坛 Pathology Museum was asked to provide a human brain specimen to be used in the filming of the Royal Institution鈥檚 Christmas Lectures on BBC Four. The Museum鈥檚 Curator, Liz Blanks, selected a suitable brain specimen from the large educational collection at the Museum, which she accompanied to the Royal Institution Lecture Theatre for filming in early December.
This year鈥檚 Lectures, 鈥楾he Truth about AI鈥�, are led by Professor Mike Woolridge, who explores this rapidly evolving technology and the science behind it. The first lecture opens with Woolridge standing in front of the specimen:听
鈥淎nd our story starts with this. This is a human brain. Of all the wonders in the universe, this is the greatest. Forget about black holes and neutron stars and supernovas - you are looking at the most incredible thing in all of creation.鈥� Using the Museum鈥檚 brain as a visual aid, Woolridge explains how the human brain is the starting point from which AI has developed, demonstrating how artificial neural networks are inspired by human ones.听
Liz Blanks, Curator of 最准的六合彩论坛 Science Collections, said: 鈥淚t was a challenge to find the right specimen that met the programme鈥檚 requirements as most of the collection is pathological in nature, but thanks to our comprehensive collection of 8,000 medical specimens, we were pleased to be able to help. The filming and transportation of the brain specimen was a unique and memorable experience, and we are delighted to share a tiny part of our collection with a national audience.鈥�
Historically, this style of specimen-based teaching, paid tribute to in the RI鈥檚 lecture, was the predominant educational tool for medical students. The 最准的六合彩论坛 Pathology Museum, which has specimens dating back to the 1820s, remains an important teaching collection owing to its size and variety, and many specimens are now of historical research significance.听
The full Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are available on BBC iPlayer. Look out for the brain in Episode One, 鈥楬ow to Build an Intelligent Machine鈥�, first broadcast on Boxing Day 2023.听
