Whole Brain Emulation
Whole brain emulation otherwise known as mind uploading or mind transfer is the theoretical process of transferring a conscious mind into a non-biological substrate, such as a robot. In order, however, to delve into the possibilities of WBE, one first has to be able to understand the field of science behind it that would make WBE possible.
Connectomics, the study of the neural circuitry, can make the process of WBE achievable. Mapping out the neural circuitry is essentially creating a blueprint of the brain. It allows scientists to understand which specific regions in the brain are responsible for what. For example, completing a connectome would pinpoint the regions responsible for emotion, memory, personality, and consciousness. Scientists also believe that this level of understanding when regarding the brain will help with the pursuit of curing some mental disorders or diseases such as autism or Alzheimer's.
Connectomics, the study of the neural circuitry, can make the process of WBE achievable. Mapping out the neural circuitry is essentially creating a blueprint of the brain. It allows scientists to understand which specific regions in the brain are responsible for what. For example, completing a connectome would pinpoint the regions responsible for emotion, memory, personality, and consciousness. Scientists also believe that this level of understanding when regarding the brain will help with the pursuit of curing some mental disorders or diseases such as autism or Alzheimer's.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST NEWS: http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/02/obama-announces-plans-to-fund-brain-research-project
Obama declares on April 2, 2013 that he supports the funding of the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) project, an improved version of the original proposal to map out the connectome. He plans to instead reserve 100 million in federal funds for this project that is expected to be completed in a span of ten years. The original investor National Institute of Health will fund the project as well as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation. Congress and Obama agrees that this kind of project is worth the investment and will pay off the debt, much like the Human Genome Project did.
Obama declares on April 2, 2013 that he supports the funding of the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) project, an improved version of the original proposal to map out the connectome. He plans to instead reserve 100 million in federal funds for this project that is expected to be completed in a span of ten years. The original investor National Institute of Health will fund the project as well as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation. Congress and Obama agrees that this kind of project is worth the investment and will pay off the debt, much like the Human Genome Project did.
Mind Uploading will become the future of society. There is optimism surrounding the process as well, especially considering a connectome has been completed before. The soil worm C. elegans was completed in the 1970's and although it took scientist Sydney Brenner a decade to successfully map out the nervous system comprised of 302 neurons and 7,000 synapses, this extraordinary feat shows that it can be done. The mapping of a human connectome would take significantly longer as well as require a larger team of scientists to help complete it.
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"There are those who say that death is just part of the human condition, so we should embrace it. 'I'm not one of those people'"- Kenneth Hayworth, Harvard neuroscience professor |
Interested in how WBE will be achieved? Watch the video below for an overview.
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Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, offers some insight on the process of mind uploading on the YouTube video hosted by The Big Think, an online platform for experts to elaborate on topics that are relevant and significant to society, to the left. From 1:04-2:09, he explains the general procedure on the topic of how immortality will be achieved in the future.
To go more into detail about the process: Kenneth Hayworth explains that in order for a person's consciousness to be transferred, that person must be legally dead. First, the participant will be administered anesthesia. Next, chemicals will be injected into the vascular system, which will fix every protein and lipid in the participant's brain into place to prevent decay while simultaneously killing the person instantly. Then a staining solution will be injected so the participant's cell membranes will be visible under a microscope. Once a the participant's brain and spinal cord are drained of all the water, a plastic resin will replace it. This is called the plastination process, which allows a person to become perfectly preserved for the next step involving the ultramicrotome, a device created by Hayworth himself. This machine will shave tissue samples of the brain into 30 nanometers slices using a tiny diamond blade. Then those slices of brain tissue are imaged into an electron microscope. Next, scientists will stack these images up to create a three dimensional view of the participant's neural network-- the connectome. |
Whole brain emulation will be a reality as soon as the Human Connectome Project is successfully completed. This transferring of the mind to a robot will eliminate any possibility of bodily decay, diseases, and aging. While the process will also benefit those who suffer from mental illnesses, the process of mind uploading or whole brain emulation will be extremely popular in American society. In America, the importance of beauty and youth are stressed in every commercial, magazine, as well as other media outlets. Instead of makeup that are supposedly designed to help stop the aging process or plastic surgery, the future will hold the option of mind transfer instead. Through this process, humans will achieve the impossible: the secret to living forever.
References
Goldstein, E. (2012). The strange neuroscience of immortality. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com
Koene, R. (2013). Carbon copies. In Retrieved from http://www.carboncopies.org
Sandberg, A. (2013). Retrieved from http://shanghailectures.org
Images
http://jamesfauria.com/mm/about/img/evolution-robot-trans.gif
http://humanconnectome.org/about/pressroom/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HCP_in_Science2-1024x445.jpg
http://sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/NS043-Mind-Uploading.jpg
http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/c-elegans-connectome_2.jpg
http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/people-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/sandberg_1.jpg
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT1vxEpE1aI
Goldstein, E. (2012). The strange neuroscience of immortality. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com
Koene, R. (2013). Carbon copies. In Retrieved from http://www.carboncopies.org
Sandberg, A. (2013). Retrieved from http://shanghailectures.org
Images
http://jamesfauria.com/mm/about/img/evolution-robot-trans.gif
http://humanconnectome.org/about/pressroom/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HCP_in_Science2-1024x445.jpg
http://sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/NS043-Mind-Uploading.jpg
http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inline/c-elegans-connectome_2.jpg
http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/people-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/sandberg_1.jpg
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT1vxEpE1aI