Scientists just discovered a big limitation in lab-grown minibrains — they have a skewed 'sense of time'

A close up of a brain against a pink patterned background.

The brain develops in stages, and it's important that certain cells form before others so that precise neural connections can emerge later. But miniature models of the brain, called organoids, may not share this same sense of time, a new study finds.

These brain organoids are clusters of lab-grown neurons that mimic structural and functional aspects of full-size brains. Some scientists use these "minibrains" to study brain disorders that can arise during fetal development.