Wonder Woman of the Week: May-Britt Moser

This past week, I have been talking to a lot of my students about careers in science and research; discussing with probably more than twenty about how what jobs are available to engineering, biology, chemistry, anthropology, and geology majors. Most of the students I talk to are young women who want to be badass scientists of some kind, but are not quite sure how. This week’s Wonder Woman takes accepting a Nobel Peace Prize to a whole new level. Your Wonder Woman of the Week is Neurophysiologist May-Britt Moser.

For those scientific fields of biology, physiology is the study of how the parts of a living thing (organism) work. Neurophysiology is a sub-field where scientists look at how the nervous system of a particular organism works. May-Britt Moser, along with her husband Edvard Moser, had collaborated for a long time on how a grid of neurons within the entorhinal cortex of the hippocampus (a section of the brain) and how they control memory. [1]

The Mosers’ research with lab rats revealed a newly discovered type of nerve cell in the brain helped brains create cognitive maps of geographic locations. In their research, the Mosers cited that one type of nerve activated while a rat was in a room, but when the rat was in a separate room, a different nerve located in the same part of the brain reacted. This showed that when the rat was in room “A,” the rat’s brain created a map of the room. When the rat went into room “B,” the rat’s brain remembered the map of room “A” even though it was not there. (Think about when you drive to work in the morning. When you are driving, your brain makes a map of your path. When you arrive at work, you can picture your drive to work because your brain continues to hold onto the map it made while you were driving. The Mosers discovered the exact nerves that allow you to remember that map.) May-Britt Moser called these newly discovered nerves “Place Cells,” but that was not where their discoveries ended. The Mosers also discovered a separate type of nerve that allows the brain to create a geographic grid (think latitude, longitude, and elevation on a map) that allows the brain to create two and three dimensional maps. The Mosers named these nerves “Grid Cells.” [2]

To top it all off, May-Britt Moser showed the world how incredibly brilliant she is at her Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony. Brittish fashion designer Matthew Hubble- with help from his daughter- designed a gown for Moser showcasing her discovery. The dress displayed a neuron that shows electricity running through it (made possible by strategically positioned beading and fabric). Essentially it was a real-life Hunger Games costume and it displayed May-Britt Moser’s discovery. [3] Even Wonder Woman would applaud that kind of fashion-mindedness.

May-Britt Moser is a perfect example of how women in scientific fields can make incredible discoveries and do so with flair. To learn more about the Mosers’ discovery, past or future work, or May-Britt’s incredibly amazing Neuron dress, follow the links to any of my sources. To learn more about any former Wonder Women, read some older blog posts. In the meantime, stay Wonderful.

"May-Britt Moser - NTNU." May-Britt Moser - NTNU. Accessed January 28, 2015. http://www.ntnu.edu/employees/may-britt.moser.

"The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Press Release." The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Press Release. Accessed January 28, 2015. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2014/press.html.

"Glittering Nobel Gown Represents Scientist’s Work | PsiVid, Scientific American Blog Network." Scientific American Global RSS. Accessed January 28, 2015. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2014/12/10/glittering-nobel-gown-represents-scientists-work/.