Scientists in the US claim to have discovered how humans are able to use their imagination to create art, invent tools and think scientifically
Scientists claim to have discovered how and where human imagination comes from.
Researchers in the US say the ability to create art, invent tools and think scientifically comes from a neural network which spreads across a large area of the brain.
The team from Dartmouth College describes the network as ‘the brain’s “mental workspace”‘ where a person is able to manipulate images, ideas or theories which allows them to come up with new ideas.
The researchers however asked 15 participants to imagine abstract visual shapes, such as a bumblebee with the head of a bull, or to mentally take them apart into their different components.
Using MRI scans, the team then measured the brain activity in each of the participants taking part in the experiment.
The researchers discovered a ‘cortical and subcortical network over a large part of the brain’ which allowed the participants to make the imagery manipulations.
