Network Science Institute

New Capabilities

Lead institution for the surface minimization discovery

Since Santiago Ramón y Cajal first mapped neurons in 1888, scientists assumed the brain optimizes its wiring by taking the shortest path between connections—the biological equivalent of finding the fastest route on a map. For 80 years, that assumption held. Then high-resolution brain imaging revealed something strange: neurons branch at right angles, sprout dead-end buds, and take seemingly inefficient routes. The math didn't fit.

Updated Feb 15