El científico que reveló la arquitectura del cerebro - Adrián Palacios | Antofagasta 2026

In 1852, a rebellious young man was born in Petilla de Aragón, who preferred drawing to obeying. The strained relationship with his father and the emotional distance between them shaped his character, forging an indomitable will and a thirst for independence that would define him throughout his life. At sixteen, drawing and photography drew him to study, and science became his path to learning and self-improvement. In 1888, he formulated the neuron doctrine by perfecting the silver impregnation method, demonstrating that the nervous system is composed of individual cells that communicate through contact. From this observation emerged a dynamic view of the brain, anticipating developmental mechanisms and defending the adaptive capacity of the nervous system, pioneering the concept of plasticity. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1906, Cajal went from the solitary laboratory to becoming a symbol of Spanish science in dialogue with Europe. In the Year of the Brain Chile 2026, this conference revisits his life and legacy to pose a relevant question: in the age of connectomics and big data, have we really learned to see the brain, or just to measure it?