While there have been many recent advancements in the field of artificial intelligence, some researchers have been looking into a more eerie form of computing, artificial biological intelligence. Unlike normal AI, biological intelligence relies on the use of living brain cells. By studying these brain cells, researchers are learning more about how our brain functions, and how we can put these brains to work.
Scientists have recently performed a study that seems almost straight out of a zombie movie, by growing human brains inside of rats. Instead of trying to create the living dead however, these scientists are using miniature human brains to add to our understanding of psychology. First, brain cells are grown from human stem cells in a lab, forming a miniature “organoid” that is transplanted into baby rats. Once transplanted, these brains begin to develop and grow alongside the rats, creating and forming connections as a normal brain would be expected to. This allows researchers an easier and more ethical way to study the brain’s development.
This process has also been allowing experts to research the development of neurological disorders. Most of the organoids were grown from healthy brain samples, but some were sampled from people with Timothy syndrome, a disorder that affects the heart and nervous system. Studying brains with this disorder and others can allow researchers to gain new insights into how neurological disorders affect the brain. These researchers also believe that studies like these can lead to new treatment methods, allowing them a closer look at how the brain reacts to certain medications and therapeutic approaches.
Although there seem to be numerous benefits to neuroscience research like this, some are worried about the ethical concerns of cross-species brain implantation. One of the major concerns is if these animals are using human brains, can they develop human-level intelligence? This worry has prevented researchers from expanding beyond rats, with the lead author believing that these experiments should not be tried in primates.
Even though we have not been able to replicate human-level intelligence yet, and many are hesitant about its development, that has not stopped researchers from experimenting with biological computers. In a similar study, researchers have trained brain cells from humans and mice to react to more complicated stimuli, teaching them to play the game of Pong. Aptly named DishBrain, the cell culture was able to teach itself to play the game and increased in skill as it played more. It was also able to play the google chrome dinosaur game, and the researchers are looking to expand its capabilities to other games and other fields of study.
Unlike the first study, which allowed researchers to study how the brain grows and develops, this method can allow them to understand how the brain learns and stores information. Companies are already attempting to put this technology to work, with one attempting to develop biological computing chips which would be capable of solving problems similar to standard AI, but in a potentially more efficient way. Those involved believe that these biological computers may even outperform traditional computing, but since the field is still in its early stages, only time will tell where it can go.
It is often a common trope for horror films to begin with a group of scientists who went too far, and even more common for their research to involve human brains. While we are currently nowhere near the ability to imbue the dead with vitality, we can continue to hope that neuroscience research like this leads to positive human advancements, and not a zombie apocalypse.
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