Finally we may have the ways and means to simulate one of the simplest known brains

Learn more about replicating a nematode's brain

Excerpt: "A near-perfect simulation of the human brain would have profound implications for humanity. It could offer a pathway for us to transcend the biological limitations that have constrained human potential, and enable unimaginable new forms of intelligence, creativity, and exploration.

This represents the next phase in human evolution, freeing our cognition and memory from the limits of our organic structure.

Unfortunately, it’s also a long way off.

The human brain contains on the order of one hundred billion neurons — interconnected by up to a quadrillion synapses. Reverse-engineering this vast network would require computational resources far exceeding what’s currently available.

Scientists seeking a proof of concept for whole brain emulation have had to turn to simpler model organisms. And by far the simplest available brain — at just 300 neurons — belongs to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. 

Scientists have been working on the problem of simulating C. elegans in some form or another for over 25 years. So far, they’ve been met with little success. But with today’s technology, the task is finally possible, and — as I’ll argue — necessary."