Do Geniuses Have a Distinct Brain Structure Compared to Average Individuals?
Humanity has long wondered whether geniuses are born with their abilities or if they are developed through practice and cultivation. What was Einstein thinking when he sat down at his piano, leading to the conclusions that shaped our understanding of relativity? How can one cultivate such a remarkable mind while working? For neuroscientists, some curiosity can be satisfied by studying the brains of great scholars and examining how they differ from average brains.
Brain morphology can be altered by specific circumstances, such as daily motor skills practice or dementia. Current scientific data suggests that brain morphology affects overall intelligence, although the extent of this influence remains debated. The research findings regarding the brains of great individuals serve as a testament to this notion.
1. Albert Einstein
Image and model of Albert Einstein’s brain displayed at the Wellcome Collection exhibition in London, England, in 2012.
The German physicist Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity led to a complete overhaul of scientific understanding of space and time. After Einstein’s death, his brain was removed by Thomas Stoltz Harvey without the permission of his family.
This brain has been preserved, photographed, dissected, and even sent to other scientists in hopes that studying it could uncover the origins of genius-level intelligence. Over the decades, several intriguing features of Einstein’s brain have been discovered, including broader connections between the two hemispheres, a lighter weight than average, and an expanded lateral sulcus.
The part of the brain dedicated to mathematical and spatial thinking—the inferior parietal lobule—is also larger than average. If you want to see Einstein’s brain, you can visit the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
2. René Descartes
René Descartes’ skull displayed at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris.
René Descartes was a French philosopher, famous for the phrase “I think, therefore I am.” His philosophical influence is so profound that his works are regarded as the dawn of the modern era. In mathematics, Descartes invented the Cartesian plane, allowing algebraic ideas to be represented geometrically. The genius passed away at the age of 50 in 1650 due to pneumonia in Sweden, where he was teaching philosophy to Queen Christina.
Descartes’ brain has long been lost. However, scientists have recently studied the shape of his skull to find clues about how his brain might differ from that of an average person. Using CT scanning methods, scientists discovered that Descartes’ skull was quite normal in size, except for a bulge in the frontal lobe associated with the part of the brain responsible for abstract thinking and the creation of concepts.
3. Carl Friedrich Gauss
Portrait of Gauss.
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 – 1855) was a German mathematician and physicist. After his death, Gauss’ brain was studied by the renowned neuroscientist Rudolf Wagner. His brain was found to be heavier than average and exhibited significant convolutions throughout, considered to be the “source of Gauss’ intelligence.”
This brain was previously accidentally swapped with that of Dr. Conrad Heinrich Fuchs, who died in the same year, and was mislabeled for over 150 years. This error was only discovered when MRI studies of both brains showed significant differences from the brain drawings performed by Rudolf Wagner.
4. Vladimir Lenin
The embalmed body of revolutionary leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin lies in his mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow, Russia.
Lenin—the great leader—had his brain removed by doctors immediately after his death at the orders of Joseph Stalin for research purposes to prove Lenin was a genius. His brain was preserved for several years and later studied by Dr. Oskar Vogt, a German neuroscientist, at the request of the Russian government.
After comparing Lenin’s brain with that of a “normal person” and several writers, it was concluded that Lenin was an undeniable genius with a brain that had “gigantic” pyramid-shaped cells, believed to contribute to his revolutionary eloquence. It was even noted how well-organized and undamaged his brain was, even though he had suffered four strokes.
