About:
Exploring new approaches to machine hosted
neural-network simulation, and the science
behind them.
Your moderator:
John Repici
A programmer who is obsessed with giving experimenters
a better environment for developing biologically-guided
neural network designs. Author of
an introductory book on the subject titled:
"Netlab Loligo: New Approaches to Neural Network
Simulation". BOOK REVIEWERS ARE NEEDED!
Can you help?
New technique enables nanoscale-resolution microscopy of large biological specimens.
Most microscopes work by using lenses to focus light emitted from a sample into a magnified image. However, this approach has a fundamental limit known as the diffraction limit, which means that it can’t be used to visualize objects much smaller than the wavelength of the light being used. For example, if you are using blue-green light with a wavelength of 500 nanometers, you can’t see anything smaller than 250 nanometers.
“Unfortunately, in biology that’s right where things get interesting,”
Using their recently developed imaging technique, Stanford is able to make movies of journeys through a three-dimensional brain. The imaging technique produces features with functional attributes. As you travel through the three-dimensional world produced, you are able to discern structural features such as synapses, dendrites, and axons, while also seeing the types and characteristics of those features. I highly recommend you use full-screen mode to view this journey.
Here are some related links I have found interesting while surfing the Internet. These have been laying around for a while, so this entry—designed to clear out some cobwebs— may contain some stale data. I've tossed some, but others may be interesting to you, as well.
[yt] TEDx Talk on Why We Feel Pain by an Interesting Talker (Lorimer Moseley)
A discussion of how the possibility of pain is transmitted, and how those possibilities are evaluated by the brain when determining whether something should be perceived as pain... or not. I do agree with the basic premise, but not sure about that first example. It would be nice to see some experimental confirmation on that one.
[yt]Severed Corpus Callosum
A Scientific American (Frontiers) segment with Alan Alda and Dr. Michael Gazzaniga
Slime Mold
This concept is discussed in the book using a "Seven Step Explanation" (in the chapter on Consciousness). Breaking it down into a pithy statement for you: Adaptation is required to produce neurons — Neurons are NOT required to produce adaptation.
This is a May 2010 lecture given by Professor Robert Sapolsky at Stanford University. The lecture is on schizophrenia, but starts with a very informative lecture on language. Specifically, it's about what is shaping up to be the genetic, bio-molecular correlates of grammar and language.
Warning: For most lecturers you can kind-of do little fast-forward jumps during the video, resynchronizing your cognitive-following groove after each jump. This can shave some time off the lecture.
With this guy, that's not so easy. He really loads you up with information. (I'd love to see him do a lecture on autism).
Probably the most repeated synonym for the word Fungible, is "interchangeable," followed closely by "substitutable," but there are some subtle differences in connotations (I think). This entry is an attempt to clarify, at least a little bit, just what the word fungible means.
As always, with writing, it's important to emphasize that I'm NOT an expert by any stretch. I'm just a novice, trying to muddle through these issues, and to invite corrections or comments, both from "real" writers, as well as those who, like me, are just trying to get better.