Scientists have developed a groundbreaking 'biological computer' that uses lab-grown brain cells to play classic video games. The machine, created by Australian start-up Cortical Labs, features a cluster of human neurons grown in a dish and kept alive in a life-support system. These brain cells have learned to play the 1990s classic Doom and the arcade game Pong, albeit poorly.
How the Biological Computer Works
The CL1, the first commercially available biological computer, costs approximately £26,000 and can also be rented by scientists worldwide via internet access. To create it, skin cells from CEO Hon Weng Chong were transformed into neurons similar to those in the human brain. Inside the device, the cells are maintained in a nutrient-rich broth atop microscopic electrodes. These electrodes send electrical signals to the cells and record their activity. When the cells perform a desired action, they receive 'clean' electrical signals; when they do not, they receive noisier ones. Over time, the mini-brain learns and adjusts its behavior, enabling it to navigate simple video game environments.
Research Implications
The primary goal of this experiment is to provide scientists with a new way to observe how brain cells function, potentially shedding light on conditions such as autism, ADHD, and depression. Sven Truckenbrodt, a neuroscientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, plans to use CL1 devices to study brain disorders like schizophrenia. He aims to watch how neurons connect, form, change, and fail under different conditions, testing the hypothesis that brain disorders arise from faulty neural connections. 'Things are happening that we have been dreaming about for the last 50 to 100 years. We are seeing a paradigm shift,' he said.
Ethical Considerations
This new frontier raises ethical concerns about using human cells to create biological computers. A key dilemma is determining at what point the lab-grown brain ceases to be mere lab equipment and becomes something more. Scientists stress that the CL1 is far simpler than an insect brain and shows no evidence of consciousness. Nonetheless, Cortical Labs is collaborating with ethicists to establish guidelines for when an ethical line might be crossed. For now, the pioneering experiments continue, with Chong suggesting that 'a completely different class' of computing may be possible.
