Building a tiny "DNA brain" (Part I: design)

An animated explanation of recent research building artificial neural networks out of interacting DNA molecules. Part I introduces the motivation, the mathematical model of a neuron, and the design of a DNA-based neural network that is capable of recalling a memory when presented with partial information. Part II introduces how to make such a DNA-based neural network in the laboratory, how it remembers four scientists and identifies one of them given an incomplete answer to a set of yes-or-no questions, and how this work could be related to the evolutionary history of intelligence.

Reference: "Neural Network Computation with DNA Strand Displacement Cascades", Lulu Qian and Erik Winfree and Jehoshua Bruck,
Nature, July 21, 2011

Animation and Narration: Lulu Qian
Stock images from iStockphoto

• Category

  Science & Technology

[savagecabage]

why wont comic sans just go away?

[Sefa Denizoğlu]

and the font nazis strike again..

[Franco Asmat]

I hope this kind of experiment will help us to understand consciousness, create it and manipulate it`s memories, thought, etc. Finally we could make an artificial entity that can live forever and that can have the memories we want him/her to have. Then, for the firs time, we´ll be playing "god"

[savagecabage]

i would call the authorities if i were you, tell them your being mentally tortured

[Bob Kerman]

My school makes me use comic sans :(

[Ian Austin]

this is the most complicated video i have ever seen in my life but i understand all of it :)

[1337juri]

I won't listen to someone using ComicSans for a scientific presentation...

[Adrian Rodriguez]

The Internet got together and decided we would continue using it to annoy you

[89DerChristian]

Really interesting, thank you for this video