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Nature, life and mind. An essay on the essence

Article in Folia Morphologica · September 2015

DOI: 10.5603/FM.2015.0042

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 Folia Morphol.
Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 273–282
DOI: 10.5603/FM.2015.0042
REVIEW ARTICLE Copyright © 2015 Via Medica
ISSN 0015–5659
www.fm.viamedica.pl

Nature, life and mind. An essay on the essence

S. Marinković1, S. Pajić2, O. Tomić3
1Department of Neuroanatomy and Gross Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
2Department of Art History, Faculty of Philology and Arts, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
3Department of Art History, Department of Fine Art, Faculty of Art and Design, Megatrend University, Belgrade, Serbia

[Received 22 December 2014; Accepted 6 January 2015]

Background: Our long-standing scientific work and love to the fine art and nature
for many years succeeded in making a unifying description of the three domains,
at a time when a high specialisation in science, and even in art, has neglected
the necessary entirety.
Materials and methods: Some neurons of a rat cerebral cortex were labelled
with true blue and photographed under a fluorescent microscope. A monkey
brain was sectioned in the axial plane. Several slices of the human motor cortex
were stained with cresyl violet. A cerebral hemisphere image was modified, and
another image was created in Adobe Photoshop.
Results: Some 10 billion years after the Big Bang life appeared on the Earth,
reaching its peak with development of the brain. The humans started exploration
of the local nature to survive, and the universe for psychological support. The
antique philosophers Leucippes, Democritus and Heraclitus were the first to create
a unifying atomic theory and to suggest the eternal movement of the matter.
Newton and Kepler explained the movement of the celestial objects, whereas
Einstein, Planck, Bohr, Hubbel, Howking and many others connected the quan-
tum physics and elementary forces with the essence of the universe. Leonardo
da Vinci, and later many others as well, united science and art. Philosophers and
mathematicians created the phenomena which do not exist in nature.
Conclusions: Nature designed the human brain, more complex than the universe
itself, which in turn created millions of the artworks and scientific discoveries.
The might of the mind in some domains overcomes the power of nature. (Folia
Morphol 2015; 74, 3: 273–282)

Key words: brain, evolution, fine art, music, nature, science, universe

INTRODUCTION own destiny and the coming great events in their

Nature, including the universe, life and human society or on Earth [23]. The Chinese bound the sky
mind, especially science, philosophy and art phe- and earth into a “yang” and “yin” entity, along with
nomena, are the interconnected and overlapping all pairs of opposites in the universe. The Egyptians,
domains. They have formed a unity from the very Mesopotamians, Greeks and Romans ascended their
beginning which will continue to the very end. greatest divinities into the sky, expecting them to pro-
vide light and warmth, to ensure food, to control the
THE SKY world and to prevent the chaotic effects of darkness.
The ancient civilisations, fascinated by the night The Egyptian pyramids, aligned towards the pole
sky, but also frightened by its dark mystery, chose 12 star, and British Stonehenge, showing among others
constellations as the sign of zodiac to predict their the direction of the summer solstice, are grandiose

Address for correspondence: Dr S. Marinković, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Subotić 4/2, 11000 Belgrade,
Serbia, tel: +381-11-2645958, fax: +381-11-2686172, e-mail: [email protected]

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 Folia Morphol., 2015, Vol. 74, No. 3

monuments devoted to religion and astronomy [11].

The 6 thousand stars visible in the darkness by the
naked eye, mostly concentrated in a luminous band
arching across the sky and sprinkled out like drops
of milk from a woman’s breasts, as painted on a
Tintoretto’s canvas, were named “Via Lactea”, i.e.
the Milky Way [1, 42].
Unlike their ancient ancestors, contemporary pe-
ople watch the night sky to admire cosmic beauty
and to dream, as if they are listening to a Chopin’s
nocturne or Rimbaud’s poem “My Stars in the Sky”,
or watching the whirls of “The Starry Night” painted
by van Gogh, the whirlpools of Descartes’ “Celestial
Vortices”, a radial work “Starry Sky for the Queen
of the Night” created by Schinkel, the pastoral plot
of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Shakespeare,
or star travel in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey”
directed by Kubrick [11, 28, 41]. The senior author of
this essay, being a neuroscientist and a great nature
and art lover, finds the stars similar to the cortical
neurons of the brain labelled with a blue fluorescent
dye (Fig. 1).
It is fascinating that billions of galaxies, many of
Figure 1. Cerebral micro-universe. An image of the rat neocortex to
them containing billions of stars and planets, nu- show certain groups of the cortical neurons labelled with true blue
merous quasars, pulsars, black holes, nebulae and fluorescent dye.
cosmic clouds, all in constant movement and cyclical
changes, fill an immense space billions of light-years
crossways [42]. According to Einstein’s theory of (about 186,000 miles per second). Photons, which are
relativity, the universe is organised in a 4-dimension both particles and waves, actually belong to the force
space-time, with space and time changing by intensity particles. All the main particles and their bounding
of gravity and the speed of a moving body, as was forces often make a perfect unity, which inspired
metaphorically depicted on the surrealistic canvas the mentioned artist Dalí to paint the “Intra-Atomic
“Searching for the Fourth Dimension” by Salvador Equilibrium of a Swan’s Feather”. Finally, the “empty”
Dalí, on a laser installation by Nam June Paik, and interstellar and intergalactic space is occupied by
on the sculpture “Master of the Universe” by Richard dark matter (26.5%) and dark energy (73%), whose
Deacon [10, 28]. repulsive force overcomes gravitational force, thus
causing the universe to expand.
MATTER, FORCES AND UNIVERSE Matter and energy, interconnected by the inge-
The visible matter which occupies, to our surpri- nious equation “E = mc2” of Einstein and by a “yang-
se, only 0.5% of the composition of the universe, -yin” unity of opposites (ordinary matter–dark matter,
is made up of a few main elementary particles, i.e. gravitation–dark energy, matter–antimatter, positive–
the negatively charged electrons (leptons) orbiting negative electric and magnetic poles, creation–destru-
an atomic nucleus at various energy levels at nearly ction), are the essence of nature, from the miniature
the speed of light, and quarks which build up the subatomic level to the giant clusters of galaxies, from
positively charged protons and the neutral neutrons a singular particles annihilation to the grandiose and
within the nucleus [10, 43]. The particles are bound unthinkable supernovae explosions [42].
among themselves by 4 basic forces, that is, the weak Forces of nature influence our planet as well,
nuclear forces, strong nuclear forces, gravity, and causing its rotation around a north-south axis and
electromagnetic forces, including light with its pho- orbiting the Sun, according to Newton’s and Kepler’s
tons that travel at the highest speed in the universe laws, along with the accompanied Moon which sta-

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 S. Marinković et al., Nature, life and mind

bilises its axis and produces tides [10]. High pressure genes, became the essence of the living world, which
of the inner melted rocks sometimes causes volcanic progressively enabled the evolution of more and more
eruptions, the movement of adjacent rock masses complex creatures [4, 21].
of tectonic plates produces earthquakes, and even
Indestructible life
formed mountains in the past, and several types of
surface erosion also give their contribution to model- There is an amazing diversity of life which has
ling the Earth landscapes. colonised almost every part of Earth [4]. Some orga-
nisms were so adapted to tolerate air temperatures of
THE MIRACLE OF LIFE –70oC, yet thermophile archeas can live at tempera-
Hundreds of composers wrote pastorals, many tures over 100oC in thermal springs. Halophiles thrive
thousands of painters and poets artistically glori- in very salty places, some others — in highly acidic or
fied the Earth landscapes, but virtually only those alkaline water. Chemoautotrophs obtain energy from
decorated by a miracle of nature–life, a dynamic, inorganic chemicals, e.g. hydrogen (H2), hydrogen
energy producing, self-maintaining, self-controlling sulphide (H2S), elemental sulphur (S) or even iron (Fe).
and self-reproducing system, always in interaction Some organisms live in deserts with not a single rain
with its surroundings [4]. Although based on universal drop for years, whereas certain archeas, bacteria and
principles, life is yet a new quality which is more com- animals survive in the ocean darkness at over 3 km
plicated than the galaxies themselves. Only several depth. Many prokaryotes, algae and all plants use so-
dozens of the main elementary particles, forces and lar energy to produce from carbon dioxide and water,
processes, including the nuclear fusion in the stars in the Calvin cycle during photosynthesis, important
(i.e. H + H ® He + energy), build, organise and keep organic compounds, for instance, the monosaccha-
the universe together [42]. On the other hand, hun- ride glucose (6CO2 + 6H2O + photons ® C6H12O6).
dreds of chemical reactions and physical processes Certain prokaryotes convert nitrogen (N2) into
take place in a single living unit every minute. This is nitrates and nitrites helping the plant supply, some
equally true for microscopic living particles, such as others accumulate heavy metals and certain poisons,
bacteria, and for each cell in the huge body of the including arsenic, from contaminated water or soil,
orcas [4]. and many prokaryotes and protists decompose orga-
nic substances [4]. Certain fungi may also degrade
The pre-eonic life organic compounds, as well as many toxic substances
Nature started the evolution of life perhaps some and even plastic. Sunflowers may absorb radioactive
3.9 billion years ago using atoms and molecules of metals and manage to survive in spite of radiation.
hydrogen (H2), carbon (C), nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), All those organisms clean nature, enable the recycling
helium (He) and a few other elements which form of chemical elements, and even help us make bread,
almost 99% of the universe and about 96% of the cheese, beer, wine and vinegar.
present-day living matter. At that time, certain com-
Nature and life unity
pounds from the primordial atmosphere, under the
influence of ultraviolet and infrared radiation, formed There is a permanent interaction among the living
the first organic molecules in a watery milieu [4]. They world, the Earth and cosmos [4]. Thus, primordial mic-
interacted among themselves for millions of years to roorganisms, especially Cyanobacteria, some algae
create phospholipids eventually which formed plas- and plants later, due to their photosynthesis, enriched
ma membranes, as well as the aggregates of certain the atmosphere of Earth with oxygen, which enabled
organic monomers inside. animals to appear. The Cyanobacteria colonies of to-
The following million years were spent for poly- day changed the colour of many lakes, some sorts of
mers formation and their simple replication. Crucial lichens sporadically occupied areas of several quarter
progress was achieved when short strands of RNA miles across, sea corals created thousands of islands,
were formed, and later on larger RNA molecules and whereas microorganisms and plants inhabited almost
a double helix of the DNA, capable of self-replication the entire Earth.
and control of protein synthesis and chemical rea- In order to interact with nature, living creatures
ctions in a closed system [21]. The DNA spiral mo- developed during evolution special senses for detec-
lecule with the sequences of nucleotides, known as ting most of the segments of the electromagnetic

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spectrum and other types of energy [4, 10]. Thus,

the photoreceptors in the retina may register each
single photon of visible light, whereas in some ani-
mals they may detect ultraviolet rays [26]. Mecha-
nosensory receptors in the body, as well as in the
cochlea and the vestibular organs of the inner ear,
may register pressure, vibrations, sound waves, and
gravity, respectively. Migrating birds possess in their
skull and the neurons of the brain small particles of
magnetite, which enable them the orientation du-
ring long flights using the lines of the Earth magnetic
field. Chemoreceptors in the nasal and oral cavity
may register thousands of chemical substances in
a very small amount. Specialised organs close to
the nostrils of vipers react to the infrared radiation.
Certain animals, e.g. the platypus, have electric re-
ceptors to detect the electric field of its prey. Some
other animals, particularly fishes, developed special
bioelectric organs to capture prey and to defend
themselves. Thanks to some of those senses, but also
to their mighty minds, human beings have altered
landscapes all over the planet, even created new
ones in the domain of land art [11].
Nature made the conditions for millions of species
to develop and to enjoy life [4]. On the other hand, Figure 2. An imaginary planet with its moon.
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and similar events,
sometimes drastically influence the survival of the
living creatures and the landscape appearance. A extraterrestrials. If a star nearest to Earth, such as
huge asteroid, born in the solar system, struck the Proxima Centauri, would have an orbiting planet with
Earth some 65 million years ago and caused extinction living creatures, it would take us dozen thousands of
of over 50% of genera in the living world. The uni- calendar years to reach them by spaceship. Moreover,
verse sends us perpetual cosmic rays, radiation from our radio messages sent to them would travel at least
all segments of the electromagnetic spectrum and, 4 years, and their response would be received on
perhaps, some extraterrestrial messages. Earth for another 4 years.
Out of these cataclysmic events, the organisms can
survive practically in any type of environment, and THE HUMAN MIND
can use many different kinds of substances to provide The Homo sapiens seems to be the greatest achie-
energy. All these data, along with the corresponding vement of known nature, as presented metaphorically
universal principles and statistical probabilities, have on the Dalí’s canvas “Geopolitical Child Watching the
convinced us that extraterrestrial life must exist, most Birth of the New Man“ (Fig. 3). The human evolution
likely on millions of planets throughout the universe also inspired Piet Mondrian to depict a triptych of the
(Fig. 2). (Recently, a huge infrared telescope was same name (the “Evolution“) in a dominant blue paint
launched to search for H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, and si- of human figures [11, 45]. The physicist Clerk Maxwell
milar precursors of life in the universe.) It is another made a poetic comment on our development:
question which substances, chemical reactions and “So, down through untold generations,
physical processes they use to build themselves and transmission of structural germs
to produce energy, what they look like and how Enables our race to inherit the thoughts of
intelligent they are. beasts, fishes and worms.”
Nevertheless, we are disappointed by the fact And, he was undoubtedly right! Modern embry-
that we would probably never be able to visit the ology and genetics have confirmed that we are not

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 S. Marinković et al., Nature, life and mind

only segmented like worms and some other animals

in our early embryonic development, but we also have
in our genome some genes very similar to certain
genes of yeasts, worms, and some insects and fishes
[21, 38]. The remaining genes stem from other ver-
tebrates, especially from mammals and our hominid
ancestors. This explains why only about 2.5% of our
genes are different from those in chimpanzees, inclu-
ding the genes responsible for the brain formation
(Fig. 4). This also could be a biological basis for the
archetypes and collective universal unconscious pro-
posed by psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, which have
probably influenced general human behaviour for
many millennia [25], as well as a partial explanation
of a modern theory of global consciousness.
Figure 3. The painting by Salvador Dalí entitled “Geopolitical Child The human brain (Fig. 5), especially its cortex,
Watching the Birth of the New Man” (Credit: tfranks@FineArtRe-
gistry.com).
is a masterpiece of nature and the most complex
organisation of matter in the known universe [31].
The stars in this micro-cosmos are neurons (Fig. 1),
about 100 billions in number (surrounded by 3 times
more glia cells), with their axons and dendrites inter-
connected by quadrillions of synapses, with hundreds
of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, and the
innumerous specific membrane receptors [26]. Their
forces, produced by the activity of many billions of
ion channels, comprise electric forces, i.e. the rest and
action potentials, depolarisation, and the excitatory
and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, in addition to
the ever existing universal nuclear forces. The bra-
in also shows a dialectic duality: positive–negative
charges, excitation–inhibition, synthesis–degradation,
survival–apoptosis. Several modern authors, such as
Figure 4. An axial section (multiplied) of the monkey brain.
Constance Jacobson, Geoffrey Koetsch, Denise Du-
mas and Mary Kaye, artistically presented the neural
network and the brain itself [30].
Such an incredibly complex structure gave rise to
a new and fascinating quality: consciousness, per-
ception, thought, intelligence, memory, imagination,
emotions, speech, social behaviour, etc. [3, 31, 33].
However, it was a long road from our ancestors to mo-
dern man to develop the present cognitive abilities.
First of all, rational, logical and completely abstract
thought had to replace gradually primordial magic
and animistic thought, including belief in the soul,
the afterlife, demons, divinities and gods, as well as
faith in mythological and theological cosmogony
and anthropogony attributing to some of those su-
Figure 5. The human mind. (A photoshopped left cerebral hemi- pernatural or transcendental beings and phenomena
sphere with superimposed brain arteries). [16, 37].

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Modern intellectual thinking started in Mesopo- sculpture “Thought” in white marble, the Ukrainian
tamian and Mediterranean civilisations several tho- poet Shevchenko to write the poem under the same
usands of years ago. Thanks to that, Leucippes and name (“My Thoughts”), and modern Italian musician
Democritus of the 5th century BCE could develop Giuliano Poles to compose “Beyond the Thoughts”
the atomic theory of the universe, which implied an [8, 19]. Similarly, Salvador Dalí made the surrealistic
infinite number of the invisible, uncaused, eternal and drawing “The Thinking Machine”, Luigi Di Castro
movable indivisible particles (Gr. atomon), which was created the “Mind”, whereas some artists founded
the first unifying theory of the structure and organi- conceptual art [13, 35]. Moreover, neuropsychologists
sation of the world, replacing the previous 4 element and neuroradiologists can now “paint” someone’s
theory (earth, air, water and fire) of Empedocles [7]. thoughts in the prefrontal cortex of the brain on
This idea about a constant motion of atoms is in the images of functional magnetic resonance (fMRI)
accordance with their predecessor Heraclitus (and as well as positron emission tomography (PET) [46].
later Buddhists) who believed in the dynamics and Fortunately, no one can still decode or read them,
constant changes in the world based on the con- so that they are still an intimate, secrete and privile-
nection between opposites, which was later illustra- ged domain of our personality. But, for how long?
ted by the famous aphorism “panta rei” (everything Until scientists reveal in which way our materialistic
flows) which came from the Neoplatonist Simplicius. neurons create abstract cognitive phenomena [32].
Inspired by the atomistic theory, the Roman poet
and philosopher Titus Lucretius wrote the poem “De SCIENCE AND ART
rerum natura” (On the nature of things) [34]. Nature acts according to its own laws which are
A pleiad of scientists, especially in the last 130 ye- constant and universal, and which enable it an unthin-
ars, e.g. Thompson, Planck, Rutherford, Chadwick and kable power, especially regarding supernovae and
Bohr, proposed new models of the “indivisible” atom black holes which can destroy the nearby portions of
based on its structure, i.e. the subatomic particles in their galaxies [42]. On the other hand, the unlimited
its nucleus and the orbiting electrons, thus founding capabilities of the human mind have enabled a fa-
quantum physics [10]. Similarly, the ingenious minds scinating creativity, including scientific research and
in ancient times, e.g. Selencus of Babylon, Clement artwork production. Due to that, scientists discover
of Alexandria, Heraclides Ponticus and Hipparchus of the secrets of nature, but also create new phenomena
Nicaea, and those from the Renaissance to modern and devices which cannot be produced by nature.
times, such as Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, Brahe, Artists in turn subjectively present nature in their
Newton, Halley, Hubble, Einstein, Hawking and many works of art, but also their own mental world never
others, completed our present knowledge of the seen in nature.
material universe [42]. The spiritus movens in science and art is primarily
At the same time, however, Greek philosophers exploration, which is an evolutionary product [4].
and ensuing thinkers have never stopped seeking Animals explore their environment to find food and
the essence of the soul (Gr. pneuma; Lat. anima) and water sources, a shelter or a mate, to identify the
spirit, as shown in the philosophy of Socrates, Plato possible predators, to establish their own territory —
and Aristotle, in the writings of Galen, and later on simply, to survive. The human brain, however, shows
in the work of Leonardo da Vinci, René Descartes, a great curiosity and need to explore the unknown,
Hegel, the modern psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, to acquire new knowledge, to find solutions and
the writers Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and new ways, to change and create, and thus to satisfy
many others [8, 9, 12, 14, 25, 44]. The human be- his self-confirmation and to provide a hedonistic
ing obviously cannot exist psychologically without a and, sometimes, even an ecstatic experience, like
spiritual and irrational world, because it makes him the anecdotal “Heurēka!” (I have found it!) shouted
sublime, offers hope, and implies the eternal. out by distinguished mathematician and innovator
The human privilege of thought-producing in- Archimedes [31].
spired French philosopher and mathematician René In addition to examining the structure of atoms,
Descartes to state “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, there- the universe, DNA, etc., the perception ability and
fore I am), his compatriot August Rodin to create the thinking qualities of the scientific mind are sometimes
grandiose bronze figure “The Thinker” and a tender engaged in the explanation of the “simplest” everyday

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processes and phenomena observed by all people. An artist also explores nature, people and himself,
Thus, from the origin of the mankind (and before) to thanks to his abstract thinking, curiosity and high
the 17th century (and beyond), ripe apples used to fall perceptive abilities, with the aim, among others, to
onto the ground or, unfortunately, onto someone’s find an inspiration for his creative work [48]. Howe-
head, but no one asked the question “Why?” apart ver, inspiration and ideas often are his purest mental
from the ingenious physicist and mathematician Isaac products, based on his previous experience, imagery
Newton, who gave us an answer based on his revolu- and fantasy, intuition, emotions, aesthetic sensibili-
tionary enlightenment: “Due to universal gravitational ty, and a desire for innovation, i.e. for a new sound
force” [10]. and harmony in music, and a new pattern and sty-
Similarly, millions of parents in the past millennia le in visual art, which is especially expressed in the
have witnessed their children manipulating and play- phantasmagoric, symbolistic, abstract, dadaistic and
ing with their own mouth, genitals and excrement, surrealist creations of Fuseli, Moreau, Redon, Ernst,
but only Sigmund Freud realised that such beha- Miro, Kandinsky, Duchamp, Dalí, Magritte, Debussy,
viour is quite a normal and necessary psychosexual Xenakis and others [11, 13, 18]. Nevertheless, creating
development in early childhood. On this basis Freud a painting, sculpture, novel, poem or a musical com-
developed his revolutionary theory of the 3 levels of position, is a necessity for his psychological integrity
our personality, the ego, super-ego and id, whose and it is associated with a great emotional experience
psychodynamic interaction determines behaviour in and a reward for his cortical and subcortical hedo-
adulthood [17, 27]. This theory introduced psycho- nistic zones [31].
analysis into selected patients’ therapy, and inspired There is often a situation that a scientist from one
Andre Breton, Salvador Dalí and other surrealists to cycle of research immediately enters another one,
connect conscious and subconscious activity in their and then still another, and so on. This is what we
artworks [13]. call a “discovery addiction”, a research spiral, a chain
A scientist is usually engaged in a specific problem reaction with no end. Unlike a scientist, however,
in a limited field of research, where he or she is trying an artist has virtually unlimited possibilities and an
to find a definite answer and, eventually, universal endless freedom in creativity but, like a scientist, he
truth. There are 2 main subjects of exploration, nature also expresses a great lust for creation. He is trying to
and life, including the human personality and society. perceive his own truth of the world and to provoke fe-
However, the brain of a scientist also has another elings and imagery in art lovers [48]. Hence, the plays
ability: to explore and create in domains which are of Aristophanes, Sophocles and Shakespeare lead us
not present in nature: philosophy, mathematics, cy- to exaltation or tears, whereas “Toccata and Fugue in
bernetics, nanotechnology, and similar mental achie- D minor” by Bach, “The Piano Concerto in C major”
vements and sophisticated products. by Mozart and in “C minor” by Rachmaninoff, “The
The brain of a highly creative individual can per- Fifth Symphony” by Beethoven, “Götterdämmerung”
fectly function even when losing a connection with by Wagner, and many other masterpieces written
its own body. The ingenious mind of quadriplegic by famous composers, lift us to the cosmic heights.
Stephen Hawking did not need his body and spinal Music, and art in general, have a beneficial effect
cord, affected by the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, on the cognitive functions of the listeners and spec-
to establish the greatest discoveries in theoretical tators, particularly on the brain regions for genera-
astrophysics. Similarly to scientists, the brain of an ting, recognising and regulating emotions, e.g. the
artist functions properly even when void of per- anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofronal, dorsolateral
ception. The ancient Greek poet Homer of the 8th and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices [39]. This is why
century BCE, who was said to be blind, created 2 modern psychiatrists apply art therapy for their pa-
masterpieces, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”. Ludwig tients’ treatment.
van Beethoven wrote the “Ninth Symphony” in the Art is mostly based on subjectivism, sensibility,
silence of his complete deafness. The “mind ear” in emotions and passion, and science on rationali-
his temporal and prefrontal cortices composed and ty, reason, precision, and patience. But they both
listened to the music like our brain often uses inner use, although in a somewhat different manner and
speech and internal mental images for thinking and intensity, the same cognitive processes, and expe-
imagination. rience the same level of exaltation. For that reason,

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the artistic and scientific creativities share the same

pattern and reach the same point: a discovery, or a
new work of art.
Moreover, there is even an overlapping and mer-
ging of art and science [28]. For instance, as far
back as some 2,500 years ago, the Greek thinker
Pythagoras introduced certain mathematical prin-
ciples into music [7]. Many centuries later, the work
of the renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci became
both art and science [49]. The 18th century English
surgeon Charles Bell was an artist as well, Russian
Anton Chekhov of the 19th century was a physician
and famous writer, modern novelists Simon Mawer
and Alan Lightman are experts in biology and physics,
respectively, whereas Brian May was a member of the
famous rock group Queen, but also an astrophysicist
[6, 12]. The impressionists Georges Seurat and Paul
Signac applied a new scientific colour theory in their
“pointillist” painting [40, 47]. René Magritte painted
the “Golconde” (Fig. 6A) with male figures seem to
be falling like drops of rain in a vertical and horizontal
arrangement, which is exactly the same pattern as
the laminar and columnar organisation of the cere-
bral neocortex (Fig. 6B), as was described by Cajal,
Brodmann, Golgi, Hubel, Wiesel and others [2, 5,
Figure 6. A. The painting “Golconde” by René Magritte (Credit:
36]. The English contemporary artist Richard Deacon The Menil Collection, Houston. Photographer: Hickey Robertson,
made several sculptures and installations resembling Houston); B. Horizontal and vertical arrangement of the cortical
neurons (following cresyl violet staining).
the DNA molecule, whereas Marc Quinn even used a
culture from a scientist DNA to present his “portrait”
[29]. Artist McMullen, inspired by quantum physics,
created the artwork “Skin without Skin”. tomical basis for such abilities is, among others, a
Modern musicians apply electronics to compose larger volume of certain cortical areas due to a larger
or play music, while contemporary visual artists number of the synapses and their functional poten-
express themselves in computer graphics or digital tials. For instance, Einstein’s brain had a larger cortical
art, thus using machines and software created by surface and a larger number of the supporting (glia)
scientists. On the other hand, some science-fiction cells in the parietal lobe, a region which is responsible
writers gave new ideas and even predicted future for mathematics and visuospatial abilities [31].
discoveries. Sir Arthur Clarke, for instance, envisio- This is why ingenious individuals make revolutio-
ned a communications satellite system two decades nary achievements and change of the previous views
before its scientific and technical realisation. Yet, of the world, and why artist Diego Rivera painted the
contemporary research seems to surpass science mural “Man, Controller of the Universe” [33]. As alrea-
fiction ideas and imagery. dy noticed, it was believed from the time of Leucippes
The brain of ingenious individuals shows some and Democritus that the atom is an indivisible unit.
supreme abilities: better processing of information, Yet, about 2,400 years later, the previously mentioned
generating more possible solutions, thinking in terms scientists discovered the electron, proton and neu-
of analogies and a variety of associations, considering tron, respectively, that is, the first subatomic particles,
a problem or an idea from a number of different whose number nowadays exceeds 200. Newton di-
aspects and analysing each of them through a series scovered the universal gravity force, whereas Einstein
of steps, presenting rich and productive imagery, and came to a conclusion that the latter force, especially
having flexible mental operations [31]. The neuroana- of large celestial objects, makes a certain deformation

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 S. Marinković et al., Nature, life and mind

of space and time, causing even a light beam to bend CONCLUSIONS

— and he did this only by performing his “mental The absolute unity of the human mind, living
experimentation”. The American astronomer Hubble world, the Earth and cosmos, i.e. matter and energy,
revealed, by using the redshift measurements, that real and abstract, crude cosmic power and sophisti-
the universe is not a stationary system, but rather cated life, creation and destruction, will exist almost
it expands progressively. In addition, a background for ever, that is, for another few billion years, until an
microwave cosmic radiation was recently discovered, unimaginable cataclysmic apocalypse. They all could
which confirmed the Big Bang theory [42]. then continue as a metaphorical reincarnation in an
Gregor Mendel determined the transmission 11th dimension, in a parallel universe, or in another
of hereditary characteristics in successive genera- world which will be born somewhere in endless and
tions of pea hybrid progeny, thus explaining how timeless non-space.
offspring can acquire the features of their parents
and ancestors [21]. Charles Darwin proved that hu- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
man beings are not the descendants of the biblical This work was supported by grant no. 175061
Adam and Eve, but they diverged from an ancestor from the Ministry of Science, Serbia.
shared with anthropoids, probably chimpanzees, We are very grateful to Mrs. Elza Holt for reviewing
some 6 million years ago [4]. Crick and Watson the English text of our manuscript.
discovered the DNA structure and, in this way, the
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