Scientists have created a “mushroom computer”: why do you need a symbiosis of organic and silicon?

Members of a team of scientists from the University of the West of England have developed a “mushroom computer” that they want to shape the architecture of future brain-computer interfaces, Techspot reports. According to lead researcher Professor Andrew Adamacki, fungi are an ideal organism for experiments because their mycelium works in the same way as the human brain.

The mycelium is the thin parts of the fungal root system that, unlike synapses, can transmit electrical impulses. In fact, fungi, interconnected by an underground network of mycelium, can sometimes “communicate” by transmitting electrical impulses as signals over significant distances. This feature allowed scientists to use mushrooms as analogues of motherboard components. Bursts of electrical activity, or lack thereof, are translated into ones and zeros, respectively, mimicking the binary language of computers. Scientists want to develop computer devices or prosthetics based on their research for people who have lost limbs or suffer from Parkinson’s disease.

Of course, no “mushroom computer” can match conventional equipment, although scientists believe that stimulating the fungus at two separate points improves the conductivity and reliability of the connection. In addition, the similarity of some properties of fungi to the functions of the human brain offers scientists a wide field of experimentation. “We’ll be able to develop more advanced mycelial computers and controllers in the future,” says Adamatsky.

Previously Focus He said that scientists have created a supercomputer from a single molecule. It will be able to run 1 million times faster than normal.