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Supercomputer imitates mouse brain(UPI Science News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Scientists in the United States have used a supercomputer to replicate a mouse-like brain. While it might not sound like much, the accomplishment by researchers at IBM and the University of Nevada was seen as approaching the enormously complex processes that take place in any living brain. The BBC said Saturday that even half a mouse brain contains about 8 million neurons. The supercomputer required the use of more than 4,000 computer processors -- each using 256 megabits of memory - to simulate the rodent cerebellum. The experiment was complex enough that it could only be run for 10 seconds at speeds slow even by mouse-thinking standards. Still, the researchers hope to run further experiments that will speed up the process. Copyright 2007 United Press International |