Lifeboat Foundation

Human Brain as Supercomputer

Brain-emulating computers hold the promise of vastly lower energy computation and better performance on certain tasks. “The human brain is the most advanced supercomputer in the universe, and it consumes only 20 watts to achieve things that artificial intelligence systems today only dream of,” says Hector Gonzalez, cofounder and co-CEO of SpiNNcloud Systems. “We’re basically trying to bridge the gap between brain inspiration and artificial systems.”

Aside from sheer size, a distinguishing feature of the SpiNNaker2 system is its flexibility. Traditionally, most neuromorphic computers emulate the brain’s spiking nature: Neurons fire off electrical spikes to communicate with the neurons around them. The actual mechanism of these spikes in the brain is quite complex, and neuromorphic hardware often implements a specific simplified model. The SpiNNaker2 can implement a broad range of such models however, as they are not hardwired into its architecture.

Unlock the potential of nanotechnology. Explore breakthroughs and challenges in energy, biomedicine, and more in our executive summary.

This biomaterials Insights Report explores eight key areas transforming healthcare with self-healing implants, targeted drug delivery, and more.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nanometer-scale structures with immense potential to improve different materials, but inconsistencies in their chemical and electrical properties, purity, cost, and concerns over possible toxicity present ongoing challenges. CNTs are a one-dimensional carbon allotrope made of an sp2 hybridized carbon lattice in a cylindrical shape. Single-walled CNTs are a simple tube, while multi-walled CNTs are nested concentrically or wrapped like a scroll (Figure 1).

These nanoscale materials feature a high Young’s modulus and tensile strength and can have either metallic or semiconducting electrical properties. Controlling their atomic arrangement (chirality) affects their conductivity, and because of this, researchers have been trying to understand how synthesis parameters can be used to generate CNTs with predictable electrical properties. The development of various chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-based recipes within the last 20 years to synthesize CNTs has improved this situation.

As we’ve seen in our analysis of the CAS Content Collection™, the world’s largest human-curated collection of published scientific information, the increase in patent activity indicates a high amount of interest in commercial applications for CNTs (Figure 2).

Discover the emerging landscape of single walled carbon nanotubes, the new applications and approaches across industries, and what future opportunities they offer.

A flow-through redox-neutral electrochemical reactor–electrodialysis system has been developed to recover water, alkali and acids from hypersaline wastewaters. This accelerates a shift in ‘zero-discharge’ technology from energy-intensive steam-driven to energy-efficient electrically driven processes.

In 2024, security teams face new opportunities and obstacles, such as escalating geopolitical tensions, stricter compliance mandates, and the rise of generative AI — which will transform the industry in new and unexpected ways.

In the State of Security 2024: The Race to Harness AI, we identify organizations that are pulling ahead of their peers and share key characteristics and findings.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, together with Pixelgen Technologies, have developed and applied a technique that makes it possible to map proteins in individual cells in a completely new way. Not only is it now possible to measure the amount of proteins, but also how they are distributed in the cell’s membrane and how they interact with each other.

To try everything Brilliant has to offer—free—for a full 30 days, visit https://brilliant.org/FloatHeadPhysics. You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription.

Let’s explore why faster than light signals reverse time and break causality. Why they can make effects occur before cause, causing time paradoxes.

This video is sponsored by Brilliant.