Blue Brain

Blue Brain is a project that began in May 2005 in Switzerland. The aim of this project is to simulate the human brain down to the molecular level. By the end of 2006, the team has successfully simulated a rat neocortical column (column: functional unit of brain, 2 x 0.5 mm). A column in rat contains 10,000 neurons. To construct this biologically accurate, functional model of the brain they have used IBM's Blue Gene Supercomputer, considered the most powerful computer in the world. Would this model be able to work like an individual human brain? In their own words: "The Blue Brain project is the first comprehensive attempt to reverse-engineer the mammalian brain, in order to understand brain function and dysfunction through detailed simulations. It is an attempt to reverse engineer the brain, to explore how it functions and to serve as a tool for neuroscientists and medical researchers. It is not an attempt to create a brain. It is not an artificial intelligence project. Although we may one day acheive insights into the basic nature of intelligence and consciousness using this tool, the Blue Brain Project is focused on creating a physiological simulation for biomedical applications."