Grow micro-brains in test tubes.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel say they have found a way to grow a tiny brain in a test tube that produces folds similar to the human brain, and that it could open up new avenues for analyzing and treating diseases such as microcephaly, epilepsy and schizophrenia.
in real life, about one in every 30,000 babies has a smooth, wrinkle-free brain, and is at risk of major diseases growing up and has a much shorter life span than a normal baby.
, Dr. Eyal Karlzbrunn, a scientist at the institute, used embryonic stem cells to create a "mini brain" in a test tube that was round, flat and had a thin layer of space in the middle.
, the researchers then developed a tiny brain containing the brain-like gene, finding that it is the same size as normal organ types, with fewer folds and a largely different shape.
using high-resolution atomic microscopes to study the tiny surface of the cerebral cortex and found physical and biological differences between the two tiny "brain" cells.
, for example, normal brain cells are about twice as hard as mutant cells, and the latter is much softer.
Source: Science Daily.