Wednesday, September 21, 2005

'We' make a brain - 'It' flies a plane

Listen to this: A University of Florida scientist has grown a living "brain" that can fly a simulated plane, giving scientists a novel way to observe how brain cells function as a network.

This research - detailed in an article called 'Brain' In A Dish Acts As Autopilot, Living Computer' describes how 25,000 neurons from a rat's brain were cultured in a dish.

The article states that:

"To control the simulated aircraft, the neurons first receive information from the computer about flight conditions: whether the plane is flying straight and level or is tilted to the left or to the right. The neurons then analyze the data and respond by sending signals to the plane's controls. Those signals alter the flight path and new information is sent to the neurons, creating a feedback system."

"Initially when we hook up this brain to a flight simulator, it doesn't know how to control the aircraft," DeMarse said. "So you hook it up and the aircraft simply drifts randomly. And as the data comes in, it slowly modifies the (neural) network so over time, the network gradually learns to fly the aircraft."

This is an attempt to see how the brain can work in conjunction with, and as, a computer. This may be one of the most important steps towards a DNA computer. Once biological DNA can be harnessed and interfaced with computer processing, we are leaping into a wholly unexplored region of human evolution. Humanity will never be the same species again.

Yet there is much that mainstream scientists do not understand about our DNA.

Eg. - What is the function for our 95% 'junk' DNA?
- What is the purpose of DNA being liquid crystal?
- What is the function of the DNA's emitted biophotons and its electromagnetic
vibrations?
- How is it that many visionaries have talked about entering and meta-programming
their own DNA?

So much to know - be careful when messing with our DNA!

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