A new map shows off these structures in a rainbow of colors. By Greg Miller, Science NOW To the unaided eye, the most striking feature of the human brain is its squiggly pattern of bumps and grooves.

Different grid cells have hexagonal firing patterns with different spatial scales and offsets, allowing them to cover the entire 2D plane. Because of the striking symmetry, regularity and consistency ...

Indeed, each grid cell generates a hexagonal, grid-like firing pattern that, when combined with other grid cell firing patterns, maps the local environment, allowing self-localization.

The strange pattern was clearly man-made. In older imagery from Bing and Nokia Maps taken prior to 2004, the strange pattern wasn't visible, indicating the shapes appeared more recently.

The new findings also suggest that grid patterns may be more prevalent in humans. Human grid cells were found in the entorhinal cortex – same as the rats – but also in the cingulate cortex.

Hint: It’s not due north. Seriously. Look at the map. Streets in other cities — Chicago and (sigh) Raleigh — go north-south and east-west in a classic grid pattern.

The strange pattern was clearly man-made. In older imagery from Bing and Nokia Maps taken prior to 2004, the strange pattern wasn't visible, indicating the shapes appeared more recently.