human brain
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Allen Institute completes gene expression map of the human brain in high-resolution 3D
As a species, we've spent a lot of time learning how the human brain works, but we've had to go without a true, thorough map of how genes manifest themselves in our craniums; previous maps have been limited to the simpler minds of mice. The Allen Institute for Brain Science is now known to have solved that mystery by recently finishing an extensive, detailed 3D atlas of genetic expression within our own brain tissue. Accomplishing the feat required no small amount of resources, including the definition of 900 subdivisions, conducting over 62,000 gene expression probes and producing the MRI scans of two and a half brains, but the result is a potentially vital tool for neuroscience and education. Curious web users can see a visual map of gene expression based on virtually any criteria they need, whether it's a physical region of the brain, a disease type or the exact gene they'd like to track down. For many, the best news about the map may simply be that it's free and public: anyone with enough experience in genetics can learn more about what makes the mind tick through their browsers, and what they find might just lead to new discoveries.
Human Connectome Project maps brain's circuitry, produces super trippy graphics
A team of researchers at the Human Connectome Project (HCP) have been carving up mice brains like Christmas hams to find out how we store memories, personality traits, and skills -- the slices they're making, though, are 29.4 nanometers thick. The end goal is to run these tiny slices under a microscope, create detailed images of the brain, and then stitch them back together, eventually creating a complete map of the mind, or connectome. The team, comprised of scientists at Harvard, UCLA, University of Minnesota, and Washington University, is still a long way from cutting up a human brain, partially due to storage limitations -- a picture of a one-millimeter cube of mouse brain uses about a petabyte of memory. A human brain would require millions of petabytes, and an indefinite number of years, causing speculation that the payoff isn't worth the effort -- although, we're convinced the HCP wallpaper possibilities are totally worth it.
Spinnaker project mimics human brain
Scientists have been on the hunt for years attempting to model the human brain, but typically any research in this area was strictly used for medical purposes. Steve Furber of the University of Manchester is the head honcho of the Spinnaker (short for spiking neural network architecture) project, which seeks to better understand the complex interactions of brain cells in hopes of creating more "fault-tolerant computers." Furber states that although we lose one neuron per second during our adult life (just think, you've already lost a couple dozen reading this post), yet our brains don't suffer any catastrophic meltdowns or periods of underperformance because of it. Rather, the brain has an impeccable ability to disregard malfunctions and find alternate ways to function without throwing a theoretical BSOD. The Spinnaker computer consists of silicon chips containing 20 microprocessors, 19 of which will behave as neurons while the remaining processor records the activities. Each chip will replicate about 20,000 human neurons, and unlike normal processors, Furber's approach will eliminate the "clocks" that typically synchronize the processes, providing a much more accurate representation of how biological neurons somehow keep on ticking (so to speak). The Spinnaker project is hoping to reach a functioning system containing 50 chips and a thousand processors within two years, and although we don't claim to be experts on the subject, it sounds like they should take a peek at how those self-healing chips are coming along, eh?[Thanks, Ian]
