Science

1 March 2023 / Jacinta Bowler

If organoid can learn from its environment, can it feel suffering?



A magnified image of a lab-grown brain organoid with fluorescent labeling for different cell types. (Pink - neurons; red - oligodendrocytes; green - astrocytes; blue - all cell nuclei) Credit: Thomas Hartung, Johns Hopkins University


A new paper has been released that outlines a type of ‘roadmap’ for biocomputers – computers drawing memory and power from human neurons – or brain cells.

The crux of the new work is a term called ‘organoid intelligence’ – this is the idea that a small group of human neurons could begin understanding it’s environment, learn and remember.
But to understand this, we first have to look to what an organoid is and how they are made.

What is an organoid?

Organoids are smaller, simpler versions of any organ. For example, there’s been organoids of livers, kidneys, hearts, brains and even tear glands.

They were first created in the early 2010s, after Japanese researchers discovered how to turn mature cells back into stem cells. These stem cells can then be programmed to become any cell in the human body.

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/biocomputer-organoid-intelligence-explainer-dishbrain/