Your brain is as unique as your fingerprint – here’s what scientists have to say
New research shows that our brains are just as individually unique as our fingerprints.
Every single person’s brain has a network of connections. Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University created a map of these connections in our brains, called “connectomes,” and found that no two maps were the same.
“In a way, we are showing what neuroscience has always assumed to be true but not yet shown: We are our own unique neural snowflake,” Dr. Timothy Verstynen, told the Huffington Post.“The wiring diagram of our brain is specific to each of us.”
Scientists used diffusion MRI to scan the brains of 699 people. They then reconstructed the data to create a “fingerprint” for each brain.
Verstynen says the technology could help compare and contrast patterns in brains, which could help predict behaviors or potential illnesses. Using the tech for identification purposes is still a long way off, he says, but isn’t impossible.
“Who knows if someone will develop a fast and cheap way to scan the connectome of your brain and use it as an identity marker,” Verstynen added.“I’ve learned never to say never.”
So brain-based IDs could be the way of the future, but don’t throw out your driver’s license just yet.
