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Human brain is actually two separate organs, scientists find
The gist
Stanford-led study finds the human brain forms as two separate organs.
The finding may open new ways to study ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.
How it unfolded
- Sep 18, 2026Stanford Medicine-led study published in Nature Neuroscience reports the human brain is two separate organs that evolved independently; senior author Kyle Loh, co-first authors Carolyn Dundes and Rayyan Jokhai.
- Sep 18, 2026The team identified two distinct cell groups during gastrulation — one hardwired to form the front of the brain, the other committed to creating the back — with genetic instructions packaged in entirely different ways.
- Sep 18, 2026The team turned human stem cells into functional hindbrain motor neurons in a lab for the first time.