Neuromorphic Computer System Developed That Mimics the Brain

Researchers at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI), of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) have built a computer system that mimics how the brain works.

Neuroinformatics is the branch of science that studies how to convert the manner brain processes information to an artificial system.

A subfield of neuroinformatics is Neuromorphic engineering. By integrating and collaborating with other fields of science such as biology, physics, mathematics, computer science and engineering, neuromorphic engineering aims to develop artificial neural systems based on the brain and the nervous system.

Future applications of neuromorphic engineering are sensory systems that can mimic biological processes such as a fully cognitive heads up display, visions systems, auditory systems and other cognitive functions (i.e. decision making using short term/long term memory). In short, an artificial computer brain that can react with its environment in real time.

The researchers have configured an artificial system that copies the functions of neurons (brain cells) which can carry out complex sensorimotor tasks in real time.

Storing Digital Information in DNA May Be Commercially Viable In The Near Future

Image: extremetech.com

Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have developed a process that would make storing digital information in DNA commercially viable.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are biological molecules containing genetic information used in the development and function of all known living organisms.

DNA stores information based on the arrangement of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). The sequence of the bases determines how a particular cell or organism is maintained.

The way DNA stores information is similar to that of a computer. Instead of 0s and 1s in computer bits, DNA uses the A,G,C, and T bases. The four bases pair up to form a DNA base pair which is attached to a sugar and a phosphate molecule. The resulting structure from multiple base pairs attached to the sugar/phosphate molecule is the DNA double helix.

Last 2012, Harvard researchers used the four DNA nucleobases as binary markers. They substituted A and C for the digit 0 and the T and G for the digit 1. Whereas in computers, information would come out in 1s and 0s like 00101110011100, DNA encoded information would come out like this: TGAACCTCAAGTAACCTT.

Using this technique, they managed to store 700 terabytes of data in a single gram of DNA. Researchers at EMBL-EBI have managed to develop a process to encode information into DNA using next-generation DNA synthesis and sequencing technologies.

Simulating Molecules Through Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Dynamic computer simulations of molecular systems depend on finite time steps, but these introduce apparent extra work that pushes the molecules around. Using models of water molecules in a box, researchers have learned to separate this "shadow work" from the protocol work explicitly modeled in the simulations.
Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Scientists have devised a way using nonequilibrium statistical mechanics to study molecular simulations without the accompanying errors in data gathering.

Scientists look at nonequilibrium statistical mechanics to simulate molecular behavior in a much more natural way. Most models are always at flux. They are continuously in motion and changing. This method tries to interpret real world mechanics into a computer simulation.

The Cell

The smallest form of life is a single cell. The cell is made up of molecules. Science tries to understand how these molecules interact with each other through microscopes.

Microscopes have limitations on the size of the objects it can observe. On a molecular level where microscopes cannot clearly observe, science looks at computer simulations.

A computational microscope doesn't use lenses or glass, it uses a computer to simulate molecules and how they act and interact. An example would be a simulation on how a virus enters and infects a healthy host. By studying its interactions on a simulation, scientists can understand its mechanics.

Simulations and Algorithms

At the heart of a computer simulation is its algorithm. It is a series of instructions on how a particular model or any of the model's components would behave given a particular scenario. There are many factors to take into account when creating an algorithm that would simulate the behavior of a molecule. Some factors to consider are the temperature, environment, time (duration), amount of light, and motion and direction of the molecule.

MIT News: Speeding Up GPS Algorithms Through Data Compression, Line Simplification, and Signal Clustering

MIT Researchers have devised an algorithm that is fast and efficient by compressing the data and processing them into smaller data coresets. This approach which they applied to a GPS program can also be utilized by other algorithms.

Computers process data based on a series of sequential procedures in performing its calculations. This is called an algorithm. Algorithms help computers decide how to treat data without consulting the user.

But how does an algorithm work? Here is a sample algorithm to see if the user is old enough to register in a website. First the program asks the user to input his birthday. The computer checks the present age based on the birthday. If the result is below the allowed age, then the computer informs the user he is too young to register for the sit.