Human Brain Great Forever

The human brain is the greatest absorption of complexity that is in the physical universe. It is a communication center such as a video camera and storage library. The more the brain is used then the better it retains knowledge. One ongoing area of research includes the functions of the left and right hemispheres. These halves are mirror images and are joined by millions of nerve fibers which are called corpus callosum. The left side of a body is mainly controlled by the right brain and right side of the body controlled by the left brain hemisphere. Each hemisphere has a duty to control language, problem solving, visual controls, and artistic ideas. Each is a backup for the other just in case one was to get injured. The brain continues to evolve in the right hemisphere where creativity generates while the left focuses on logical reasoning.The brain provides the definitive design which challenges evolution.

The brain is able to perform very remarkable tasks. Over the last couple of decades artificial intelligence has tried to mimic the human brain. Despite the incredible speed of a computer and their memory, computers still struggle to imitate the brain. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that strains to narrow the gap. There have been ups and downs in the technology. Unfortunately there is no way to mimic over 20 billion neurons, but there are now several things that can replicate it with less firepower. When breaking down the brain into simple terms it is just series of inputs and outputs just like a computer. AI has a series of binary form and mathematical algorithms that can now replicate intelligence. AI has made the way into everyday products which most people do not even realize. A recent example is the ability for cameras to be able to detect faces in a shot and focus on that face. A fairly recent remarkable feature is the iphone 4s with Siri technology. This application allows a user with daily tasks, voice commands and intelligent responses. One might forget that he or she is just talking to a computer. Technologies such as these are evolving every year and one day might crack the duplication of the human brain.

Scientists have started to imagine the possibilities: They could invent new forms of industrial machinery, create fully autonomous thinking cars, devise new kinds of home appliances. A new project in Europe hopes to create a computer brain just that powerful in the next ten years -- and it's incredibly well-funded. computers that fast simply haven't been invented yet.The Human Brain Project kicks off  7 Oct 2013 at a conference in Switzerland. Over the next 10 years, about 80 science institutions and at least 20 government entities in Europe will figure out how to make that computer brain. The project will cost about $1.6B in U.S. dollars.

Though there is much progression in technology just over the horizon the advancement of machines still have limitations and hindrances.

Let us see how the brain and the computer are similar and different

Throughout history, people have compared the brain to different inventions. In the past, the brain has been said to be like a water clock and a telephone switchboard. These days, the favorite invention that the brain is compared to is a computer. Some people use this comparison to say that the computer is better than the brain; some people say that the comparison shows that the brain is better than the computer. Perhaps, it is best to say that the brain is better at doing some jobs and the computer is better at doing other jobs.

Similarity

ü       Both use electrical sig nals to send messages.
ü      Both transmit information.
ü      Both have a memory that can grow.
ü      Both can adapt and learn.

Difference
 §   The brain uses chemicals to transmit information; the computer uses electricity. Even though            electrical signals travel at high speeds in the nervous system, they travel even faster through the  wires in a computer.

•        computer uses switches that are either on or off ("binary"). In a way, neurons in the brain are either on or off by either firing an action potential or not firing an action potential. However, neurons are more than just on or off because the "excitability" of a neuron is always changing. This is because a neuron is constantly getting information from other cells through synaptic contacts. Information traveling across a synapse does NOT always result in a action potential. Rather, this information alters the chance that an action potential will be produced by raising or lowering the threshold of the neuron.
• §        Computer memory grows by adding computer chips. Memories in the brain grow by stronger synaptic connections.

• §         It is much easier and faster for the brain to learn new things. Yet, the computer can do many complex tasks at the same time ("multitasking") that are difficult for the brain. For example, try counting backwards and multiplying 2 numbers at the same time. However, the brain also does some multitasking using the autonomic nervous system. For example, the brain controls breathing, heart rate and blood pressure at the same time it performs a mental task.

  §      The human brain has weighed in at about 3 pounds for about the last 100,000 years. Computers have evolved much faster than the human brain. Computers have been around for only a few decades, yet rapid technological advancements have made computers faster, smaller and more powerful.

  §     The brain needs nutrients like oxygen and sugar for power; the computer needs electricity to keep working.

  §     It is easier to fix a computer - just get new parts. There are no new or used parts for the brain. However, some work is being done with transplantation of nerve cells for certain neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Both a computer and a brain can get "sick" - a computer can get a "virus" and there are many diseases that affect the brain. The brain has "built-in back up systems" in some cases. If one pathway in the brain is damaged, there is often another pathway that will take over this function of the damaged pathway.

  §     The brain is always changing and being modified. There is no "off" for the brain - even when an animal is sleeping, its brain is still active and working. The computer only changes when new hardware or software is added or something is saved in memory. There IS an "off" for a computer. When the power to a computer is turned off, signals are not transmitted.

  §    The computer is faster at doing logical things and computations. However, the brain is better at interpreting the outside world and coming up with new ideas. The brain is capable of imagination.

  §    Scientists understand how computers work. There are thousands of neuroscientists studying the brain. Nevertheless, there is still much more to learn about the brain. "There is more we do NOT know about the brain, than what we do know about the brain".