|
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 A Working Brain ModelContinued from page 1 By Duncan Graham-Rowe
The neuronal circuits were tested by simulating specific input stimuli and seeing how the circuits behaved, compared with those in biological experiments. Where gaps in knowledge appeared about how certain parts of the model were supposed to behave, the scientists went back to the lab and performed experiments to identify the kinds of behavior that needed to be reproduced. In fact, about a third of the team of 35 researchers was devoted to carrying out such experiments, says Markram. Through an iterative process of testing, the simulation has gradually been refined to the point where Markram is confident that it behaves like a real neocortical column. However, none of these results have so far been published in the peer-reviewed literature, says Christof Koch, a professor of biology and engineering at Caltech. And this is by no means the first computer model of the brain, he points out. "This is an evolutionary process rather than a revolutionary one," he says. As long ago as 1989, Koch created a 10,000-neuron simulation, albeit in a far simpler model. Furthermore, Koch is skeptical about how quickly the brain model can progress. Any claims that the human brain can be modeled within 10 years are so "ridiculous" that they are not worth discussing, he says. Rat brains have about 200 million neurons, while human brains have in the region of 50 to 100 billion neurons. "That is a big scale-up," admits Markram. But he is confident that his model is robust enough to be expanded indefinitely. What's more, he believes that the level of detail of the model can also be taken further. "It's at quite a high resolution," he says. "It's still at a cellular level, but we want to look at the molecular level." Doing so would enable simulation-based drug testing to be carried out by showing how specific molecules affect proteins, receptors, and enzymes. "I wouldn't be surprised if they could do it," says Serre. "However, it's not clear what they could get out of it," he says. If you want this model to be useful, you have to be able to understand how the behavior relates to specific brain functions. So far, it is not clear that the Blue Brain project has done this, he says. |
Audio »
Share »
Digg this
Add to del.icio.us
Add to Reddit
Add to Facebook
Slashdot It!
Stumble It!
Add to Newsvine
Add to Connotea
Add to CiteUlike
Add to Furl
Googlize this
Add to Rojo
Add to MyWeb
Favorite
Print
E-mail
Silicon Brains
05/01/2007
Comments
Monsterboy on 11/28/2007 at 11:29 AM
53
blunney on 11/28/2007 at 12:11 PM
15
sunsonian on 02/13/2008 at 1:19 AM
1
neuromancer137 on 02/14/2008 at 10:43 AM
1
Bhagavan himself (who had received University education in India) claims that the procedure of Enlightenment is based on Brain Science approaches and represents (quite successful - as was confirmed by Bhagavan's extensive practice: there exist around the Globe millions of his followers)an attempt to influence Mind via The Brain.
(As the process of Enlightenment Initiation, or Deeksha, is described [eg, in the book "Deeksha" by Kiara Windrider; 2006], it looks as if Bhagavan [or his specially prepared assistants] are "inputing" into the Initiatee's subtle body, - via Crown Chakram, - a "golden Ball" which is actually a specially programmed "intelligent subtle plane meme"; - which is accomplishing due rearranging of Initiatee's nervous system, adjusting to its special individual features.
"Computer conversion" of Deeksha's technique will allow to make this procedure, - relieving the level of personal stress & caused by it aggressiveness, - easily accessible to each [or at least many enough to form desired by Bhagavan "critical mass of morphogenetic fields"] human person on the planet.
This is of especial importance today, when the threat of total Nuclear Armageddon begins to loom again because of aggressive moves of Putin's Russia, plagued by excessive aggressiveness of its driven by nationalistic ambitions elite.
NEUROMANCER137 SWEDEN
rusjedi on 02/18/2008 at 7:01 AM
1
I think that described in this article technology has immensely great defence potential.
In '80s in Russia were serially produced "pocket-sized psychotronic generators" of "Genotron" type; - into which were built-in "synergetic models" (that is, "skeleton patterns" - of the type used in generation of computer avatars)of rhythmic systems of human heart & the brain (of course, incomparably more crude than those developed in Lausanne).
However, influencing, - by a strong pulse of ultrasonic and/or microwave radiation, directed at a vulnerable bifurcation points of these rhythms' "strange attractors", - human organisms, it was possible (which was extensively confirmed by "field practice" of KGB & GRU agents, which "stealth liquidated" in '80 a number of "Star Wars' project" research personnel in such way which didn't evoke any suspicion from Western security organs) to disrupt functioning of heart and/or brain of selected "human target"; - producing regulated effects ranging from mild confusion to lethal outcome.
Use of sophisticated brain models developed in Lausanne will help to upgrade greatly the spectrum of possibilities of brain influencing of "remote human VIP targets"; - for example, teleporting into their brains (using now well-known technique of "non-local mass quantum states' transference", elaborated by Dr Zeilinger in Austria, Dr Polzik in Denmark & other researchers) non-perceivable by consciousness but irrecusable orders to erase selectively any targeted thought: eg, the desire to press "nuclear button".
(In this way can be justified wise precept of ancient Chinese strategist Sun-Tzu, who wrote that "the best kind of victory is when enemy's plans are destroyed"; - and destruction of aggressive enemy's plans by "non-local quantum erasure" is of the most perfect & artistically elegant kind possible.
Cf. also well-known saying of British military theoretician B. Liddell-Hart who wrote that "the prime target of any battle is the BRAIN of enemy's Commander-in-Chief"; - so why not to make a "logical short-cut", bypassing use of clumsy & largely inefficient "military junk" - influencing directly "enemy leader's brain"?
Theory of "non-local quantum influencing" says that such "quantum weapon" cannot miss: its "non-local missiles" will hit squarely intended target, possessing its own unique "morphic signature", which can be exactly determined, for example, through analysis of "human target"'s DNA.)
If all potential participants in foreseeable in near future nuclear confrontation between East & West will be armed with such "ultimate Peace Weapons" then danger of global nuclear holocaust will be forever banished.
(In this believe not very numerous but dedicated participants of Russian Peace Movement: see, for example, an essay by Vadim Emelyanov "Stop the War" [through telepathically influencing leaders of nuclear nations] at: www.zhurnal.lib.ru/e/emeljanow_w_j/oct.shtml )
Because of aboveindicated military relevance of research of BLUE BRAIN project it might be expected also that it could attract unwelcome interest of various intelligence agencies (if, of course, their representatives weren't in this project from the start).
rusjedi