2022 has ended. It is worth summarizing it from the point of view of scientific achievements that have taken place in the last 12 months.
Undoubtedly, it is noteworthy that lab-grown brain cells have learned to play pong (an electronic game). This project was called DishBrain (brain in a cup). But in reality, a place where 800,000 human neurons live in warmth and nourishment is more like an incubator. A thick cable goes from the incubator to the laptop, and a game of pong is played on the gadget's screen. The invisible player reacts to the movement of the ball and most often hits it. The most amazing thing is that the same "brain in a cup" controls the ball
A microchip implanted in a cell culture transmits information about the direction and speed of the ball to the neurons in the form of electrical signals. The response signals of the neurons control the paddle's movements - to the right or to the left. If the ball touches the paddle, the "brain" is rewarded with a small electric "gift".
Studies show that as a result of training, this little brain plays more and more accurately and faster. Compared to the human brain, which has 86 billion neurons, the lab brain is not very powerful. But scientists expect to create a biological computer in the future.
The fact is that artificial intelligence that runs on machine learning algorithms is not really intelligent. The voice assistant can read the weather forecast in a well-trained voice, but Alice doesn't understand what rain is. It only takes a few lessons for a teenager to learn to drive, and Google's self-driving car is still not ready to drive itself after 32 billion kilometers of practice.
Scientists believe that universal AI can be created by combining the computing power of electronics with the unique learning ability of the human brain. The neurons grown in the laboratory will become the basis of the supercomputers of the future. Certainly the scientific story of 2022 is also the first successful attempt to defend against an asteroid. 65 million years ago, the fall of the 10km Chicxulub asteroid to Earth wiped out the dinosaurs. A repetition of a similar event today could even put an end to the existence of human civilization.
How this can happen is shown in the movie "Don't Look Up!" starring DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep. However, the success of the DART mission leaves humanity with a chance for survival. The target of the asteroid orbit deviation experiment was the double asteroid Didymus (no threat to Earth in any way). On November 24, 2021, an impact probe the size of a snack machine and weighing about 300 kilograms flew to meet him. About a year later, on September 26, 2022, a space drone collided with the asteroid Didim B (diameter 160 meters) at a speed of 6 kilometers per second. The attacker's probe was immediately destroyed, but the movement of the asteroid was also slowed down:
The success of the DART mission gives humanity a chance to survive in the event of an asteroid threat. Our first planetary defense system test was successful. Earthlings can sleep much more peacefully.
It has been discovered that people in comas can hear us. Neuroscientists at Columbia University Hospital made an amazing discovery. They decided to investigate what was going on in the inner world of people in a vegetative state. Patients who showed no signs of consciousness were asked to move their arms, imagine themselves playing tennis, or walking around the rooms of their home.
In parallel, the researchers watched what was going on in their brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging or electroencephalography. Changes in brain activity showed convincingly that 15-20 percent of the patients responded to the doctors' requests. It's just that their mind was "locked" in an immobile body.
Recent research suggests that the cause of this condition may be brain injuries that lead to the disabling of the thalamus. This is the area of the brain that transmits movement signals between the body and the brain. Damage in this zone can cause paralysis of motor functions against the background of latent consciousness. The researchers conclude: first, you need to talk to patients who are in a coma. Secondly, it is hoped that they will be able to be contacted via brain-computer interfaces, such as being able to control a computer mouse. Finally, statistics show that people who were diagnosed with "hidden" consciousness in the early stages were noticeably more likely to return to normal life.
The year 2022 will also be remembered for some advances in modern genetics and translatology. For the first time in the world, 57-year-old David Bennett, who suffered from severe arrhythmia, was given the heart of a genetically modified pig for transplantation by transplant specialists at the University of Maryland clinic. To prevent the body from rejecting a foreign organ from another animal, the researchers modified a total of 10 pig genes. The operation was successful, and after a while, the man returned home. However, after 2 months, his condition deteriorated and the "pioneer" died.
Nevertheless, it is a great achievement, scientists intend to start breeding genetically modified boars, whose organs can be transplanted to people. This approach could extend the lives of many patients, as waiting for organs from human donors takes months or even years.
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