Slashdot Mirror
Researchers Simulate Building Block of Rat's Brain
slick_shoes passes on an article in the Guardian about the Blue Brain project in Switzerland that has developed a computer simulation of the neocortical column — the basic building block of the neocortex, the higher functioning part of our brains — of a two-week-old rat. (Here is the project site.) The model, running on an IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer, simulates 10,000 neurons and all their interconnections. It behaves exactly like its biological counterpart. Thousands of such NCCs make up a rat's neocortex, and millions a human's. "Project director Henry Markram believes that with the state of technology today, it is possible to build an entire rat's neocortex. From there, it's cats, then monkeys and finally, a human brain."
it's rats,politicians, cats, then monkeys and finally, a human brain
Or subjugate us as their power source.. one of the two.
So, when do we get the inevitable joke about Linux being ported to the human brain?
Tomato wedge sperm darts that are Republican.
Why not pull together 4x more neurons and interconnections than humans have. Then maybe IBM will have... "Dave, I'm feeling much better now!"
believes that with the state of technology today, it is possible to build an entire rat's neocortex. From there, it's cats, then monkeys and finally, a human brain."
It would be satisfying to resurrect the consciousness of people in the past that you hate, and beat the living @&#%! out of them. The guy who invented neckties and the inventor of the QWERTY keyboard layout come to mind. Put them in Doom and blast 'em up.
Table-ized A.I.
When computer intelligence can give a convincing argument for doing so.
"I think, therefore I [ERROR: conscience.DLL missing. Program Aborted]
Table-ized A.I.
Pare it down enough, and it might begin posting on Slashdot!
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Dolphins?
[The Universe] has gone offline.
I have successfully simulated 256 neurons in the brain and the results are already extremely impressive compared with anything that exists out there. The way I was able to simulate 256 neurons without a supercomputer *in real-time* was that I have discovered the "algorithm" of the neuron. In a year or two I will be the first person to simulate the entire brain. I always thought that some guy in his basement would be the first to understand the human brain. I just never thought it would be me.
The model is still completely wrong. Learning is not a result of a change in the synapse strength, as *every* model to date, other than mine, has *assumed*. Now, I am not sure if you keep up to date with scientific research, but this year a very important discovery was made regarding neurons. If you put two and two together you will come up with the *correct* model of the neuron. It has to do with the *phase* of neuronal spiking, rather the frequency. Each neuron actually does three things. First, it generates a permuation of the input. Second, it attempts to minimize the inter-spike timing (this is equivalent to attempting to solve a 10000 city TSP (Travelling Salesman Problem) in 10000D space). And third, it acts as a low-pass filter.
Using this model of the neuron I have been able to simulate 256 neurons in the brain. I am currently working on a distributed model for deployment on the Internet. It is going to take around 40 million computers to simulate a human brain. At this point I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get that many people to devote computer time.