Cat brain inspires computer

The computer is one step closer to mimicking the human brain. Researcher Wei Lu, a computer engineer at the University of Michigan, is using memristors in the place of the usual transistors in the development of a smaller and faster supercomputer. These memristors not only transmit data in ones and zeros, but they also remember how much voltage was applied beforehand and for how long. This characteristic of the memristors make them behave much like the synapses in the brain. Lu believes that connecting two electronic circuits with a memristor will allow it to take on the capability of a "spike timing dependent plasticity" memory and learning process. This refers to the capacity of the “connections between neurons to become stronger when they are stimulated in relation to each other, and is thought to be the basis for memory and learning in mammalian brains.”

In conventional computers, the elements for logic and memory are located in different parts of the circuit. For this reason conventional computers work in a linear manner, making them great at executing relatively simple jobs. Research has already shown that memristors could carry out computations. This means that logic functions could take place in chips where data is stored. This insinuates that future increase in computing power might not come from an increase from processing power, but rather from an increase in processing efficiency.

It is always fun to read how far behind Mother Nature we truly are.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36605027/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/