What if the tools for sustainable space exploration could be found in cellular life on Earth? A NASA astrobiologist explains
Category: biological
How brain cells compete to shape our minds from development to aging
In a recently published review, researchers led by Prof. Wu Qingfeng at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences explored the ongoing process of neural cell competition (NCC), a fundamental mechanism that shapes the brain across the lifespan.
The review is published in National Science Review, and provides fresh insights into how brain cells continuously “compete” for survival and how this competition impacts brain development, wiring, function, and aging.
Although neural cell competition is widely recognized for its role during early brain development, Prof. Wu’s team demonstrated that this process continues to be vital throughout life. They revealed that NCC not only helps maintain healthy brain function but also contributes to age-related cognitive decline when disrupted.
The Ant and the Absolute: How Feynman Discovered Bio-Computing in a Sink
Why does an ant, with a brain smaller than a grain of sand, find the shortest path better than a human engineer?
Richard Feynman didn’t learn about ants from a textbook. He learned by sitting on his bathroom floor with a sugar cube and a stopwatch. What he discovered wasn’t just biology—it was a biological supercomputer solving the \.
Inspired by the brain, researchers build smarter and more efficient computer hardware
As traditional computer chips reach their physical limits and artificial intelligence demands more energy than ever, University of Missouri researchers are rethinking how computers work by taking cues from the human brain. The timing is critical. Energy use from AI data centers is projected to double by the end of the decade, raising urgent questions about sustainability.
The solution may lie in neuromorphic computing, an approach that reimagines computer hardware to process information more like biological neural networks rather than conventional chips.
“One of the brain’s greatest advantages is its efficiency,” Suchi Guha, a professor of physics in Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science, said. “It performs incredibly complex tasks using about 20 watts of power—roughly the same as an old light bulb. By comparison, today’s computer architecture is extremely energy-intensive.”
Cellular and subcellular specialization enables biology-constrained deep learning
Galloni et al. introduce “dendritic target propagation”: a Dale’s law-compliant learning algorithm for cortical microcircuits with soma-and dendrite-targeting inhibition and realistic connectivity constraints. By combining experimentally derived BTSP and Hebbian rules, dendrites compute local error proxies via E/I mismatch, supporting gradient-based deep learning during simultaneous bottom-up and top-down signaling.
Can We Simulate a Mind? The Era of the Digital Brain
What if the human brain could be mapped, simulated… and eventually run like software?
Scientists have already mapped a single cubic millimeter of the human brain, generating a staggering 1.4 petabytes of data. But that’s just the beginning.
In this video, we break down:
The rise of connectomics and full brain mapping
How AI reconstructs neurons from petavoxel-scale data
Why a brain map alone isn’t enough to recreate intelligence
The emergence of digital brain twins
And how models like ZAPBench are predicting brain activity like a weather forecast.
From the complete neural wiring of a fruit fly to simulations like OpenWorm, we are entering an era where biology meets computation.
This isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s engineering.
Printed Artificial Neurons That Communicate with Living Brain Cells
Artificial Neurons That Talk to the Brain? A Major Breakthrough in Neurotechnology
What if machines could communicate directly with your brain?
Scientists at Northwestern University have developed *printed artificial neurons* that can interact with real brain cells—sending signals that closely mimic natural neural activity. This breakthrough could redefine how we treat neurological disorders and build the next generation of energy-efficient AI systems.
In this video, we explore how these artificial neurons work, how they were tested on real brain tissue, and why this discovery could lead to revolutionary technologies like brain-machine interfaces and neuromorphic computing.
🔬 *What you’ll learn:*
How artificial neurons mimic real brain signals
Why traditional computing struggles with energy efficiency
The role of advanced materials like graphene and MoS₂
How this technology could restore vision, hearing, or movement
What neuromorphic computing means for the future of AI
🚀 *Why this matters:*
The Age of Biohacking: Redefining Human Potential in the 21st Century
In a world where technology and biology converge at an accelerating pace, a new era of self-improvement is emerging — biohacking. This once-niche movement has transformed into a global phenomenon, attracting everyone from Silicon Valley executives to amateur enthusiasts. The promise? To optimize the human mind and body beyond natural limits using a blend of science, lifestyle adjustments, and cutting-edge technology.
But what exactly is biohacking? Is it the future of personal health and evolution, or a slippery slope into risky experimentation? In this article, we’ll delve deep into the world of biohacking — its origins, principles, popular techniques, controversies, and future potential. Whether you’re a skeptic, a curious observer, or a self-improvement junkie, the world of biohacking has something provocative for everyone.
Inside the brains of 800 incarcerated men: High psychopathy linked to expanded brain surface area
People with high levels of psychopathic tendencies are often incapable of feeling empathy for other people. From a brain science perspective, empathy isn’t a single emotion but a multi-part neural process. It involves brain systems that help us share others’ feelings, understand their perspectives, and even mentally step into their experience.
The bigger picture is, however, still blurry as we lack large-scale studies that map how different features of brain structure link to both empathy and psychopathy, especially in incarcerated populations.
A recent study published in Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science investigated how personality is reflected in the brain by turning to something measurable—the brain’s physical structure.
