TED-ED: What are mini brains? - Madeline Lancaster

Brain organoids are lab-grown collections of neurons used to study human brains. They are created from stem cells derived from skin samples. Despite challenges in observing the human brain, organoids offer a new way to study brain development and diseases like Alzheimer's. They mimic early brain development but cannot think or develop consciousness due to their size and lack of organization. Ethical concerns exist, but organoids remain a valuable tool for understanding the human brain's uniqueness.

What is a brain organoid and how is it related to human brain research?

What challenges do neuroscientists face when studying the human brain?

Describe the process of creating a brain organoid from skin cells.

What ethical questions arise from the ability to grow brain organoids in the lab?

In what ways are brain organoids limited compared to a full-sized human brain?