• Question: If you were able to focus on a different organ or part of the body, what would it be?

    Asked by chloe to Nicholas, Natalie, Marta, Craig on 15 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Marta Varela

      Marta Varela answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      Hi Chloe.

      The heart is extremely cool, but no organ can beat the brain, I think. It would be great to be able to make a “virtual brain” like I do with the heart, but that would be much more complicated… (Actually, some people argue that some computer programs, called neural networks, are already like “virtual brains”, so it all depends on how much detail you want your virtual organ to have, I guess).

      If you were a scientist, what organ would you like to study?

    • Photo: Craig O'Hare

      Craig O'Hare answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      I think eyes are fascinating pieces of biology. Some friends of mine from uni now work on genetics of blindness and I think that sounds really interesting.

      I’m also really interested in the biochemistry of mental health disorders. I think I’d have done neuroscience had I not become an immunologist.

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