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Brains on a Chip
jhouserizer writes "The New Scientist magazine has an article reporting on new advances in keeping brain tissue alive (and working) on a "chip", with electrodes that can monitor the brain activity. Could this be a step toward computers that can learn as humans learn?"
Everyone knows they take orders from Hitler's brain, which is alive on a chip in a jar.
So when can I have my brain removed and bolted directly into my computer?
Who needs holographic displays, or high quality speakers when it's all piped directly into your mind?.
This can't really be the future of computing can it? I mean, we all are aware of the biggest difference between computers and thu human brain. Humans have great pattern recognition, while computers have great calculating/processing powers. Slicing pieces of brain and attaching them to chips hardly seems likely to enhance either the brain's computational ability or the chip's recognizing abilities. If anything, this is a step forward in facilitating communications between man and machine. I could see uses in reversing paralysis, but thought-upgrades or what have you are a long way off.
Replace the neurons one by one with an equivalent electrical doodads until the whole kaboodle is machine. Then you'll be effectively immortal, unless you skimped and purchased from the Shack or something.
Well this brain tissue will have to come from somewhere. If it comes from humans, we could have the same issues as with stem cell research. If it comes from animals (more likely) PETA will defecate copious amounts of brick
"The New Scientist magazine has an article reporting on new advances in keeping brain tissue alive (and working) on a "chip", with electrodes that can monitor the brain activity. Could this be a step toward computers that can learn as humans learn?"
Not quite, The scientists are really just developing a a way for keeping your brain alive while watching TELEVISION!
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
Imagine a beowulf cluster of these! On a render farm, at that!
As long as something is man made it can be as smart as man.
Jonahweb.com has stuff.
forget blade servers, gimme a rack full of these.
1) Man merges computer chip into brain. 2) Computer chip able to simulate orgasm over an over. 3) Technolo..*oh god, yes yes YES OOhh oh..* um yeah, I'll be right back.
"you sonofabitch i didn't know!"
Being able to send instructions to a computer hardwired to your brain.
(Full Moon fans will understand.)
Could this be a step toward computers that can learn as humans learn?
No, it's a step towards brains that feel as computers feel.
I've been trying to find something, anything on this breakthrough besides a press release. It sounds like cutting edge neuroscience but I haven't found anything peer-reviewed in any of the journals. I leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
Counter to my previous idea of a beowulf cluster of these, is anybody even remotely concerned about the possible outcome? Frankly, I'm scared shitless.
This sig no verb.
The LAST thing we should want is a computer that learns like a human. With my luck I'll probably buy one that complains about homework and gets F's before dropping out of school and mooching off me for life.
-- Windows is not simply installed on a computer; it is inflicted.
And I mean always. What's modded funny? Look at the next comment.
Democracy Now! - your daily, uncensored, corporate-free
YOUR TOWN- In a related story, several zombies broke into a local CompUSA, chanting "Braaaaaains" and licking every processor in sight.
What if we had a beowulf cluster of these things?
"Everything tastes great when it sits and a Ritz"
Table-ized A.I.
I thought that this was interesting...
www.caltech.edu/~pinelab/pinelab.html
Science needs to keep a handle on what's right and wrong. I'm not saying this shouldn't be researched, but I would hate to see this become an industry.
"A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
Sounds like something Hanibal Lector maight cook up.
What about the interface? Microsoft wont allow anything REMOTELY related to computers being used without an OS, Preferably theirs. Its a vicious circle I tell you. Back to the Linux Windows war, not even mentioning cross upgrade issues between different manufacturers... "Sorry sir, your MS BRAIN professional is currently unlicenced, well have to confiscate your brain..." ps: computer viruses in your BRAIN !!!
I fried up the brain on my AMD Thunderbird and toasted it with a nice chiante'. **slurping noises**
...And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)
The article is about medical applications, NOT computing. This doesn't have anything to do with computing. The researchers have found a way to keep larger portions of the brain alive so they can monitor the effects of psychoactive drugs. This may lead to new avenues of research for Alzheimers, Parkinsons, ALS, and many mental disorders. The chip is actually a tiny EEG. The first product is targeted to be an anti-anxiety drug.
I think the most interesting aspect of this story is the living consciousness aspect. Can this piece of brain (or pieces intercommunicating) which is biologically active, become self-aware? Although these experiments have only been done on rats, if it were human brain tissue, would it be "alive" in an ethical, moral, or legal sense? These questions are probably several years away from being relevant, but is there any doubt we are heading down that road?
Good heavens Miss Sakamoto - you're beautiful!
just out of curiosity...has anyone done a realistic model of a single neuron ? or at least a complete emulation of a single neuron in software ? that includes all the growth and electrical/chemical effects ?
i check minduploading.org (MURG list at http://minduploading.org/mailman/listinfo/murg) but they dont seem to have accurate models.
Yes, Return of the Living Dead's comin' back to mind.
Heh-heh. Pun.
Assuming, that is, that there is not meaningful neural computation happening at a level other than synaptic structure. Oh, and what about interfering magnetic fields. not to mention neural plasticity. you could never learn anything new. Ever see memento?
Sounds like the Head from C.S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength...
"..for each side the only acceptable outcome was the complete elimination of the other."
Including all growth and electrical/chemical effects is not yet possible, because they are not yet all known. Furthermore, knowing all of them would probably tell us that there's no such thing as a generic neuron model; each cell has a very specialized gene expression profile that near-optimizes it for its role in the network. It may be that this can be reduced to expressing a neuron as a function of some hundred-odd parameters (as a guess), but it is not yet clear what the controlling parameters are.
The MURG question of computational modeling of the human brain is a very open problem with no solution in sight. I was not familiar with them, but they do at least seem to be composed of people with useful technological skills. It'll be interesting to see if they come up with anything cool.