Stephen Wiltshire; From Autistic Child to Famous Artist

The human brain is a mysterious "place", a fact no better illustrated than the case of Stephen Wiltshire. He was severely autistic as a child, but developed the amazing ability to draw accurate landscapes and buildings from memory, usually after having seen the original only once for a short time. He is now well known in the UK as an artist. Read an overview of his life and career in this medical journal article or in Wikipedia. Watch a remarkable YouTube video as he flies over Rome then draws a large panorama from memory.

Darwin's Birthday

Charles Darwin, arguably the 19th century's most influential scientist, was born 200 years ago on February 12, 1809. This article from the New York Times Science report gives a nice summary of why he was unique in his time and why much of his thinking is still relevant today.
For a larger overview, see this excellent New Scientist "Darwin's birthday" web page.