Mouse Brain Visualized in Stunning 3D Detail

"At the end of the day, we want to understand the human brain. Understanding the mouse brain is an important step toward that goal," Lydia Ng, senior director of technology at the nonprofit Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, told Live Science in an email. The resulting 3D structure, called the Mouse Common Coordinate Framework, is the equivalent of leveling up from simple paper maps to a Google Maps or GPS for the mouse brain, Ng said.