A brain but not as we know it

 

From the original SMH article published on June 10th, 2010

We are closer to the ultimate neurology experiment: building a brain, writes Drew Turney.

The 17th-century philosopher Rene Descartes claimed there was a disembodied driver in the brain, a kernel of intelligence that viewed sensory input and wielded consciousness to act upon it. Though we're no closer to discovering the soul today, we know about dendrites, axons (cell components) and synapses (empty, electro-conductive space). But what is still a mystery is how even though the brain comprises little more than these simple structures, it has somehow given rise to everything from language to love, from Beethoven to Big Brother.

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http://www.smh.com.au/world/science/a-brain-but-not-as-we-know-it-20100609-xwyd.html