--- title: 100 Human Brains Went Missing from the University of Texas description: Whoops canonical: https://time.com/3615992/human-brains-missing-university-of-texas/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-03T16:16:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:14:58.380Z og:title: 100 Human Brains Went Missing from the University of Texas og:description: Whoops og:url: https://time.com/3615992/human-brains-missing-university-of-texas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30a57af9dea33587/69876c4f524fc0697fdeb1f3/157283936.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2116 og:image:height: 1190 og:image:alt: 157283936 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 100 Human Brains Went Missing from the University of Texas twitter:description: Whoops twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30a57af9dea33587/69876c4f524fc0697fdeb1f3/157283936.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 100 Human Brains Went Missing From the University of Texas > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d5a66d11-026f-4ca3-947c-02aa4e72345b&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Dec 3, 2014 4:16 PM UTC  Brain in a jar with clipping path Brain in a jar with clipping path Kenneth C. Zirkel—Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Dec 3, 2014 4:16 PM UTC Here’s a story you don’t hear every day: Approximately 100 human brains, complete with their formaldehyde storage casing, have gone missing from the University of Texas in Austin. Psychology professor Tim Schallert told the [_Austin American-Statesman_](http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/university-of-texas-looks-for-clues-after-100-huma/njKYx/#%5F%5Ffederated=1) Tuesday that while they “think somebody may have taken the brains… we don’t know at all for sure.” So culprits could include anything from students with strange taste in Christmas tree ornaments (postulates [_Business Insider_](http://www.businessinsider.com/100-human-brains-have-gone-missing-from-the-university-of-texas-2014-12)) to Halloween pranksters (guesses other [UT professors](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/03/the-case-of-100-missing-brains-at-the-university-of-texas/)) to, and we’re just putting this out there, the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. (Beats zombies, am I right?) The brains came into the university’s collection [30 years ago](http://www.utexas.edu/news/2014/12/03/ut-statement-brain-specimens/), and many were stored in the basement of the school’s Animal Resources Center. One of the brains that is suspected missing belonged to Charles Whitman, a sniper who killed 16 people after firing from the Austin clock tower in 1966\. 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