The brain is neither analog nor digital, but works using a signal processing paradigm that has some properties in common with both. Unlike a digital computer, the brain does not use binary logic or binary addressable memory, and it does not perform binary arithmetic.
For engineers, the question of whether to store information in analog or discrete form is easy to answer. Discrete data storage has clear advantages, not least of which is that it is much more robust against degradation.
Engineers have exploited this property. Provided noise is below some threshold level, digital music can be copied endlessly. By contrast, music stored in analog form, such as on cassette or vinyl LP, can be copied only a few times before noise degrades the recording beyond recognition.
The abstract basis of modern computation is the formal description of a finite state machine, the Universal Turing Machine, based on manipulation of integers and logic symbols. In this contribution to the discourse on the computer-brain analogy, we discuss the extent to which analog computing, as performed by the mammalian brain, is like and unlike the digital computing of Universal Turing Machines. We begin with ordinary reality being a permanent dialog between continuous and discontinuous worlds. So it is with computing, which can be analog or digital, and is often mixed. The theory behind computers is essentially digital, but efficient simulations of phenomena can be performed by analog devices; indeed, any physical calculation requires implementation in the physical world and is therefore analog to some extent, despite being based on abstract logic and arithmetic. The mammalian brain, comprised of neuronal networks, functions as an analog device and has given rise to artificial neural networks that are implemented as digital algorithms but function as analog models would. Analog constructs compute with the implementation of a variety of feedback and feedforward loops. In contrast, digital algorithms allow the implementation of recursive processes that enable them to generate unparalleled emergent properties. We briefly illustrate how the cortical organization of neurons can integrate signals and make predictions analogically. While we conclude that brains are not digital computers, we speculate on the recent implementation of human writing in the brain as a possible digital path that slowly evolves the brain into a genuine (slow) Turing machine.
The present essay explores key similarities and differences in the process of computation by the brains of animals and by digital computing, by anchoring the exploration on the essential properties of a Universal Turning Machine, the abstract foundation of modern digital computing. In this context, we try to explicitly distance XVIIIth century mechanical automata from modern machines, understanding that when computation allows recursion, it changes the consequences of determinism. A mechanical device is usually both deterministic and predictable, while computation involving recursion is deterministic but not necessarily predictable. For example, while it is possible to design an algorithm that computes the decimal digits of π, the value of any finite sequence following the nth digit, cannot (yet) be computed, hence predicted, with n sufficiently large.
“This is game-changing,” said CEO of company that creates drinkable water from processed produce.
BERLIN (AP) — Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, has lost its last remaining external power source as a result of renewed shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Saturday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the plant’s link to a 750-kilovolt line was cut at around 1 a.m. Saturday. It cited official information from Ukraine as well as reports from IAEA experts at the site, which is held by Russian forces.
All six reactors at the plant are shut down but they still require electricity for cooling and other safety functions. Plant engineers have begun work to repair the damaged power line and the plant’s generators — not all of which are currently being used — each have sufficient fuel for at least 10 days, the IAEA said.
Scientists say that Earth’s trees are facing an unprecedented level of extinction and humanity should be worried. The state of our world’s trees has been an ongoing issue for decades now. But, that issue seems to be getting worse, and now we’re facing a massive extinction level issue that could threaten entire ecosystems.
Trees play an important role in the various ecosystems that cover our planet. Last year, a team of researchers released a paper titled State of the World’s Trees, which looked at how the loss of some tree species has affected entire ecosystems. Now, that same team of researchers has issued a warning as the ongoing issue with Earth’s trees has become even direr.
The research is backed by 45 additional scientists from over 20 different countries and outlines the many impacts that losing any of these tree species could have on the world. It isn’t just the local ecosystems that would be affected by these losses, either. The researchers say these losses will affect our livelihoods, economies, and food.
AI programs are not crystal balls.
If you’ve ever wondered what the apocalypse would look like in the United States, artificial intelligence has been asked to predict it.
Popular TikTok accounts like “Robot Overloards” have been asking AI to predict futuristic events, including the demise of humanity and the apocalypse.
Continue reading “Creepiest things AI has predicted — from the apocalypse to last selfie on Earth” »
So early to bed early to rise does not necessarily make a person healthy wealthy and wise.
In a recent study, scientists found early sleeping had a 70% higher risk of developing dementia.
Sleep may impact both physical and mental health and has been linked to various health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression, and obesity.
Slide 1 of 13: There’s no questioning the fact that the universe is weird. Just look outside and you’ll see all manner of strange, self-reproducing flora…
