Scientists Are Developing a Unique Identifier for Your Brain

Michaela Cordova, a research associate and lab manager at Oregon Health and Science University, begins by "de-metaling": removing rings, watches, gadgets and other sources of metal, double-checking her pockets for overlooked objects that could, in her words, "fly in." Then she enters the scanning room, raises and lowers the bed, and waves a head coil in the general direction of the viewing window and the iPad camera that's enabling this virtual lab tour (I'm watching from thousands of miles away in Massachusetts). Her voice is mildly distorted by the microphone embedded in the MRI scanner, which from my slightly blurry vantage point looks less like an industrial cannoli than a beast with a glowing blue mouth. I can't help but think that eerie description might resonate with her usual clientele. Original story reprinted with permission from Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent publication of the Simons Foundation whose mission is to enhance public understanding of science by covering research developments and trends in mathematics and the physical and life sciences.