DailyDirt: Building Better Brains
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Our brains are pretty important organs. Obviously, so are organs like skin and kidneys, but the human brain is what sets people apart from other animals. We still don't know that much about how our brains work, but that's not stopping some fascinating research that could extend our brains' capabilities with technology. Some of this research could help us do more with the brains we have or help keep our brains in tip-top shape as we age. Here are just a few brain projects off the top of my head.- The first non-invasive human brain-to-brain interface has been demonstrated -- one person's mind was able to cause another person's finger to move. Brain activity from the controller brain (belonging to a professor of computer science and engineering) was recorded using an electroencephalography machine, and that signal was transmitted over the internet to a transcranial magnetic stimulation coil positioned over the left motor cortex of a research assistant professor in psychology. #HelloGhostInTheShell [url]
- An immature human brain has been grown in a petri dish -- resembling the brain of a 9 week old fetus at just 3-4 millimeter long. Researchers needed a brain model to study various illnesses, so they grew this one. And now we can feed zombies without killing people. [url]
- In one study, mice brains injected with human brain cells developed better learning ability and memory, compared to normal mice. The research suggests that certain types of brain cells (glia/astrocytes) play an important role in cognitive functions, and these human brain cells outperform those of normal mice. [url]
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Filed Under: astrocytes, biology, biotech, brains, cognition, glia, hmi, memory
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I can't decide
Would this be a spin-off of "True Blood" or "The Walking Dead"?
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Re: I can't decide
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Can't wait...
This will bring a whole new level of fun to phone sex.
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AYPWIP?
...the same thing we do every night, Pinky...
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