Journey through the Mind
What have you got between your ears? Find out at NEMO’s Journey through the Mind. Visit the spectacular exhibition about the most mysterious organ on this planet: the brain. Have fun learning about the mystery of the brain. Come and unravel fantasies, play the witness game, take a lie detector test and be horrified by scientific experiments. You can also try out the unique Emotion Identifier, the computer game Pong, played by pulling funny faces, and a see a large collection of real human and animal brains.
A selection of brains for NEMO’s Journey through the Mind exhibition. Front left: the brain of a shark; back right: the brain of a monkey.
Brain Tree: brains from mouse to human
A display of brains from 15 different animal species, including the human. See if you can guess which brain belongs to which animal and have fun learning about the relationship between brain anatomy and behaviour.
The brain from past to present
How much do you know about your brain? Take the Brain Test. A rich wall collage of images of the brain through the years – from old prints to modern brain scans – reveals a world somewhere between fantasy and reality. This is also where you can find all sorts of fascinating facts about the brain and a Brain Test.
Mona Lisa
Have you seen the famous painting of the Mona Lisa? In 2007, she was once again front-page news: at the moment at which she was painted, the mysterious Mona Lisa looked 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% anxious and 2% angry. Come and analyse your own facial expressions at NEMO using the software developed by Professor Theo Gevers of the University of Amsterdam’s Institute of Information Sciences.
Professor Gevers also used the software to develop a special version of the computer game Pong. This is a competition played not with hands but with expressions. Players direct the game by pulling funny faces. This version of the Emotion Identifier and Pong are available to the general public for the first time.
The brain in action
The exhibition gives an overview of the most important developments in brain scan technology, from X-ray to Magneto-encephalography (MEG). Spectacular images give visitors an insight into how a living brain works. This technology provides important information about how a healthy, sick or damaged brain functions, resulting in revolutionary insights. Scientists dedicate a lot of time to studying how the health of the brain affects things like education, treatment and quality of life.
MRI scans of the brain of a child between 8 and 12 years old who watches (right) and does not watch (left) violent TV images. Further research showed that the reaction to real violent situations stimulated the brain in the same way.
Brain strain: mirror image
See if you can trace two pictures when you can’t see the hand you’re drawing with. The picture you have to trace is reflected in the mirror, so it’s back-to-front. The brain finds it difficult to translate the mirror image into the correct movements of your hand.
Ten tips for a fit brain
The brain is a thinking organ. It learns and develops with its environment. It is constantly adapting itself and making new connections, even at an advanced age. NEMO gives you 10 tips to keep your brain fit and healthy your whole life. Here are three to get you started: laugh, learn to write with your other hand and maintain an active social network.
And don’t miss...
Unravel optical illusions and fantasies, play the witness game, take a lie detector test, discover the role of music when it accompanies images, step into your social space and be horrified by scientific experiments.
