About 100 brains missing from University of Texas

Chron

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The University of Texas at Austinis missing about 100 brains — about half of the specimens the university had in a collection of brains preserved in jars of formaldehyde.

One of the missing brains is believed to have belonged to clock tower sniper Charles Whitman.

“We think somebody may have taken the brains, but we don’t know at all for sure,” psychology Professor Tim Schallert, co-curator of the collection, told the Austin American-Statesman (http://bit.ly/11R7vym ).  

His co-curator, psychology Professor Lawrence Cormack, said, “It’s entirely possible word got around among undergraduates and people started swiping them for living rooms or Halloween pranks.”

The Austin State Hospital had transferred the brains to the university about 28 years ago under a “temporary possession” agreement. Schallert said his psychology lab had room for only 100 brains, so the rest were moved to the basement of the university’s Animal Resources Center.

“They are no longer in the basement,” Cormack said.

The university said in a statement that it will investigate “the circumstances surrounding this collection since it came here nearly 30 years ago” and that it’s “committed to treating the brain specimens with respect.” It says the remaining brain specimens on campus are used “as a teaching tool and carefully curated by faculty.”

The university’s agreement with the hospital required the school to remove any data that might identify the person from whom the brain came. However, Schallert said Whitman’s brain likely was part of the collection.

“It would make sense it would be in this group. We can’t find that brain,” he said.

Whitman’s 1966 rampage at the University of Texas killed 16 people, including his mother and wife.

The 100 remaining brains at the school have been moved to the Norman Hackerman Building, where they are being scanned with high-resolution resonance imaging equipment, Cormack said.

“These MRI images will be both useful teaching and research tools. It keeps the brains intact,” he told the newspaper.

http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/About-100-brains-missing-from-University-of-Texas-5930931.php

28 thoughts on “About 100 brains missing from University of Texas”

  1. maybe they were taking them to try and give our politicians a brain they never had, all these empty suits for sure have empty heads ..from the bottom to the top

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  2. Soo glad I was not drinking hot coffee when I saw the headline. Thought for a second it might be an Onion piece.

    And only 100 missing from a university? A head count of the enrolled would probably bring you to a more accurate estimate of how many brains are missing.

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  3. Let’s see….. 100 brains disappear, and this moron says:

    “We think somebody may have taken the brains, but we don’t know at all for sure,…”

    Does he think that the brains could have walked away by themselves? Maybe they should put his brain in a jar, because he’s obviously not using the thing.

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        1. HAHAHA!! Dear God I hope she’s reading this so it hurts her in a place where the human heart is supposed to reside 🙂

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  8. Wait! Wait! This happened at UT Austin. Better check Perry’s refrigerator instead. He needs all the brains he can get if he thinks he’s going to run for president again.

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  9. LOL NC, I was going to comment that those stolen brains from UTA must be the brains of Texas politicians, which means one of those stolen brains would happen to be Rick Perry’s. However, I like your comment much better! 🙂

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    1. OMG! I believe my blood vessels actually DID burst with suspense! The one guy who got up and fought looked remarkably like Stephen Hawking:)

      Reply

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