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The Peter J. Morgane Research Collection on the Cetacean Brain, 1962–2004

Throughout history, the results of scientific research have been expressed through the lens of artistic interpretation. Such artists as Leonardo da Vinci and Vesalius expressed complex visible and hidden anatomical and physical structures of humans, animals, and natural phenomena. This exhibition shows some of the process by which complex scientific concepts are made understandable — and beautiful — through accurate and interpretive scientific illustration. In the 1960s, Dr. Peter J. Morgane, who later taught and researched at the University of New England, completed many types of experiments — from neuroanatomy dissections to angiograms and brain imaging, as well as sectioning brains and analyzing the different cortical layers via photomicrographs. From 1962 to 1998, Morgane and his colleagues completed studies on the neuroanatomy of cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises, and whales).