FSTDT Forums

Community => Science and Technology => Topic started by: Askold on August 27, 2013, 07:17:34 am

Title: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Askold on August 27, 2013, 07:17:34 am
http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/press/2013/20130802_1/

Quote
Using NEST, the team, led by Markus Diesmann in collaboration with Abigail Morrison both now with the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine at Jülich, succeeded in simulating a network consisting of 1.73 billion nerve cells connected by 10.4 trillion synapses. To realize this feat, the program recruited 82,944 processors of the K computer.  The process took 40 minutes to complete the simulation of 1 second of neuronal network activity in real, biological, time.

And to do this they needed a SUPERCOMPUTER WITH THE COMBINED POWER OF 25'000 PC'S!!!

So I don't think well be seeing brain uploading anytime soon but at least they believe this experiment has taught them a lot about simulating the brain. They even believe that in the next 10 years they may have enough computing power to simulate the entire brain.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: PosthumanHeresy on August 27, 2013, 07:25:34 am
Well. Damn. That's cool.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Lithp on August 30, 2013, 04:03:38 am
So, what in the Hell makes this a simulation of brain activity, rather than just a computer doing computer things?
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Witchyjoshy on August 30, 2013, 04:13:57 am
So, what in the Hell makes this a simulation of brain activity, rather than just a computer doing computer things?

Probably the nature of how those computers do those computer things.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Askold on August 30, 2013, 07:20:20 am
So, what in the Hell makes this a simulation of brain activity, rather than just a computer doing computer things?

This was a simulation of brain activity in the same way that a flight simulator is a simulation of flying an airplane or the programs that create weather forecasts are simulations of weather patterns.

Someone makes a computer program which is an attempt to simulate some action or behaviour. Then the computer does computer things as suggested by the program.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Shane for Wax on August 30, 2013, 09:01:12 am
Hrm. Interesting. The way the article is worded basically makes it seem like they just wanted to see if it was possible, rather than having a real goal in mind when it comes to the brain.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Askold on August 30, 2013, 09:04:52 am
Yes, thats the thing.

They know that they don't have the computing power to do any real simulations that would teach us about the brain. So at the moment they are focusing on learnin HOW to simulate brain while waiting untill computers are advanced enough for the real deal.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Lithp on August 30, 2013, 09:06:44 am
Okay, but you can visually represent flying airplanes, or weather patterns. I'm not sure how you could "simulate 1% of brain activity" in a meaningful sense, & have it be distinct from regular computing.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Shane for Wax on August 30, 2013, 09:08:20 am
You can watch each synapse fire and the movement of the neural pathways on a computer screen.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: SpaceProg on August 30, 2013, 12:28:19 pm
Hm...  Neurochemical vs. digital.   Pretty fascinating.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Lithp on August 30, 2013, 12:39:53 pm
Oh. I thought it was simulating actual, immaterial thought. That makes a lot more sense.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Old Viking on August 30, 2013, 04:32:11 pm
One time my hard drive zonked.  The result was a pretty accurate computer simulation of my mental activity.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Lithp on August 31, 2013, 04:52:05 am
Tell me when they get a computer to simulate rage & a desire to participate in time-wasting nonsense instead of doing its actual functions.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Witchyjoshy on August 31, 2013, 05:06:36 am
Tell me when they get a computer to simulate rage & a desire to participate in time-wasting nonsense instead of doing its actual functions.

It's called "I Wanna Be The Guy"
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: PosthumanHeresy on August 31, 2013, 05:28:18 am
Tell me when they get a computer to simulate rage & a desire to participate in time-wasting nonsense instead of doing its actual functions.
Would seemingly messing up the most at the most important times and freezing constantly count?
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Lithp on August 31, 2013, 05:35:16 am
Computers have already made great strides in triggering my basic responses, but they don't seem able to perform them, except maybe the time wasting nonsense.
Title: Re: Computer simulates brain activity.
Post by: Witchyjoshy on August 31, 2013, 06:12:18 am
Computers have already made great strides in triggering my basic responses, but they don't seem able to perform them, except maybe the time wasting nonsense.

I'm still not convinced that I Wanna Be The Guy isn't just a programmer's attempt at letting the computer let out its cathartic rage on you in the same way you let out your cathartic rage on it.