Cajal's theories proved to be mostly correct. Using Golgi's technique, Spanish anatomist Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934) suggested that neurons process information by receiving inputs from other cells and sending outputs down the axon. (If the dye had stained all the cells, the result would have been a uniform field of color - as useless as the original, transparent condition, because researchers could not have studied individual cells.) Why some but not all neurons take up this dye is still not well understood, but the method gives scientists a good look at these important cells. The dye stained these neurons and made them stand out against a background of unstained cells. Golgi's method involved a dye consisting of silver nitrate, which some (though not all) neurons take up. Neurons, like most cells, are mostly transparent, and they are tightly packed together, making these small objects nearly impossible for scientists to see and study even under microscopic magnification. Neurons are enclosed in a membrane and are tiny, having a cell body with a diameter of about 0.02-0.06 inches (0.05-0.150 cm) and a long, thin projection called an axon.ĭetailed study of neurons began in 1873, when Italian researcher Camillo Golgi (1843-1926) developed a method of staining the cells so that they could be easily viewed in microscopes. Many AI researchers who pursue this option have started tinkering with artificial neural networks, which are not biological though they are based on the operating principles of the brain.Īrtificial neural networks were not possible until scientists had some idea about the biological neural networks in the brain. One option to reach this goal would be to give computers a "brain" that is similar to a human brain. The ultimate goal of AI is a computer that can think like a person. Deep Blue won its chess match by performing billions of simple calculations that evaluated the outcome of potential moves.Īrtificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science aimed at creating machines capable of showing a certain degree of intelligence. Computers are able to run complicated programs, but the program must consist of a sequence of simple instructions, and a computer's processor can only follow these instructions - it does what it is told to do, and nothing more. A computer can only carry out its instructions. The complexity, adaptability, and information-processing capacity of these neural networks provide humans with the intelligence to conduct experiments, test scientific theories, formulate general principles, learn new things, and write computer programs.
The human brain is an astonishingly complex organ composed of billions of cells one type of cell, called a neuron, communicates with other neurons to create vast networks. Computers excel at tasks requiring a large number of simple operations, but unlike humans, computers are not yet generally capable of making new discoveries. The most advanced computers today are trillions of times faster than humans in certain tasks, and IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov, the reigning chess champion, in a 1997 chess match.īut even the fastest computers cannot outperform humans in all tasks.
Although humans must write the instructions, once the program is up and running, a computer can perform arithmetic or sort a list in a fraction of the time a person would require to do the same job. Computers outperform humans in many tasks.
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