Contemporary · Norway
May-Britt Moser
Born 1963
Their story
Why May-Britt Moser matters
Moser and colleagues found brain cells that form a coordinate-like map of an animal's surroundings.
May-Britt Moser worked in Norway during the Contemporary era. Today's researchers can combine powerful computers, international teams and extremely precise instruments, while also considering how discoveries affect society and the planet.
Work in neuroscience depends on close attention to living systems and evidence that can be compared. May-Britt Moser's story shows how careful records and testable explanations can gradually improve what people know about life and health.
Key discovery or invention
Grid cells used by the brain for navigation.
May-Britt Moser's central contribution was grid cells used by the brain for navigation.
The breakthrough connected observations of living things with a clearer explanation of how a body, organism or ecosystem works. Evidence could then guide better questions, comparisons and, in some cases, treatments.
Why it still matters: Modern biology and medicine continue this cycle of observation, testing, revision and careful use of evidence. May-Britt Moser's work is one chapter in that continuing story rather than the final word.
Grid cells fire in a repeating hexagonal pattern as an animal moves.