In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Sogang University in South Korea have created artificial neurological junctions known as synapses using a mixture of water and salt. This development paves the way for the advancement of computers that can perform like a human brain. The team used ingredients similar to those used by the brain to develop these artificial brain cells.
The results of this study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, providing scientists with new insights into how complex information processing can be achieved using water and salt, replicating neuronal behavior using a system that employs the same medium as the brain.
The device created by scientists is called an Iontronic memristor, which carries water and salt inside. It is a cone-shaped device that is just 150 by 200 micrometers wide. This device remembers the amount of electrical charge that has passed through it. Electrical impulses cause ions to move through the cone-shaped channel, with variations in electrical charge leading to differences in ion movement.
Tim Kamsma, a theoretical physicist from Utrecht University, believes that this advancement is critical in creating computers that can mimic the communication patterns of the human brain using the same medium. He says that this study demonstrates that complex information processing can be achieved using water and salt, replicating neuronal behavior using a system that employs the same medium as the brain.
This discovery could lead to significant progress in creating an artificial human brain, with implications for fields such as artificial intelligence and neuroscience. As technology advances, we may see more sophisticated devices being developed based on this research, allowing us to better understand how our brains work and potentially even create machines that can think and learn like humans.