TL;DR

• Scientists have created a lab-grown 'mini-brain' that can play Pong, a major milestone in synthetic biological intelligence.

• Originally developed for microcephaly research, this technology now shows potential for dynamic interaction with external environments.

• The 'mini-brain' displays learning abilities but lacks consciousness—it doesn't 'know' it's playing a game.

• Such technological advancements could revolutionize our understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's.

A Revolutionary Leap in Synthetic Biology

Imagine a world where lab-grown brain cells could learn to play a game. Sounds like a science fiction plot, right? In reality, this is precisely the breakthrough that scientists have achieved. They've developed a 'mini-brain' that has mastered the classic 1970s video game Pong.

From Microcephaly Research to Interactive Gaming: The Journey of Lab-Grown Mini-Brains

Lab-grown 'mini-brains' first emerged in 2013 as a tool to study microcephaly, a genetic disorder characterized by a smaller than normal brain. These mini-brains have since found applications in a variety of research fields. The recent interaction with an external environment—a video game—marks a significant advancement in their capabilities.

Scientists cultivated a 'mini-brain' composed of 800,000 cells, some derived from human stem cells and others from mouse embryos. This lab-grown brain was then interfaced with Pong using electrodes, signifying a significant leap in the interaction between lab-grown brain cells and an external environment.

The Consciousness of a Mini-Brain: Learning and Not Knowing

When playing Pong, the mini-brain showcased its learning capabilities. It utilized information relayed from the game through electrodes, such as the ball's location and distance from the paddle, and responded with its own electrical activity. As the game progressed, the mini-brain required less energy, indicating a form of learning or adaptation. However, upon the game restarting from an unpredictable point, the cells ramped up their energy expenditure to recalibrate to the new situation.

Despite achieving a success rate well above random chance within five minutes, the mini-brain lacks consciousness—it doesn't 'know' it's playing Pong the way a human player would. Dr. Kagan describes the mini-brain as a "sentient" system, but it's more accurate to label it a "thinking system" as it processes and responds to information without the capacity for feelings or sensations.

The Dawn of Organoid Intelligence: Shaping the Future of Computing

'Organoid intelligence' (OI) is an emerging field aiming to create biocomputers using lab-grown brain organoids as 'biological hardware'. This new wave of biocomputing promises unprecedented advancements in computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities—all with lower energy needs.

The scientists envisage combining the power of brain organoids to create a type of biological hardware that is more energy-efficient than today's supercomputers, potentially revolutionizing fields like pharmaceutical testing for diseases like Alzheimer's, offering insights into the human brain, and redefining the future of computing.

While artificial intelligence has been driving the technological revolution, it is reaching a ceiling. Biocomputing is an enormous effort to compact computational power and increase its efficiency to push past our current technological limits. The human brain, with its remarkable information storage capacity and efficiency, is still unmatched by modern computers, hence the pursuit of organoid intelligence.

The Future of Organoid Intelligence

As the field of organoid intelligence advances, scientists have plans to increase the number of cells in organoids from around 50,000 to 10 million. Researchers at Cortical Labs have already demonstrated that biocomputers based on human brain cells are possible. They've shown that they can interact with living biological neurons in a way that compels them to modify their activity, leading to something that resembles intelligence.

The development of biocomputers could also enable scientists to better study personalized brain organoids developed from skin or small blood samples of patients suffering from neural disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. They could run tests to investigate how genetic factors, medicines, and toxins influence these conditions. This could be a game-changer in our understanding and treatment of such disorders.

Conclusion

The creation of a lab-grown 'mini-brain' capable of interacting with and learning from an external environment represents a significant milestone in synthetic biology. While this technology is still in its infancy, the potential implications are profound, ranging from enhanced understanding and treatment of neurological disorders to the dawn of organoid intelligence and biocomputing.

These advancements could revolutionize not only the field of synthetic biology but also the landscape of computational technology. The future of computing includes biology, and we are only beginning to realize its potential.