-
Space and Astronomy
- Mars: Just the Beginning? – Lesson
- Mars: Just the Beginning? – Quiz
- Six Billion ‘Earth-like’ Planets in the Milky Way Galaxy? – Lesson
- Six Billion ‘Earth-like’ Planets in the Milky Way Galaxy? – Quiz
- Did NASA Scientists Find Another Universe? – Lesson
- Did NASA Scientists Find Another Universe? – Quiz
- A New Planet Was Discovered – And Old Theories Must Change – Lesson
- A New Planet Was Discovered – And Old Theories Must Change – Quiz
- SpaceX Completes First Civilian Trip to Space – Lesson
- SpaceX Completes First Civilian Trip to Space – Quiz
- First Movie Filmed in Space Successful – Lesson
- First Movie Filmed in Space Successful – Quiz
- James Webb Telescope Heads to Deep Space – Lesson
- James Webb Telescope Heads to Deep Space – Quiz
- A Lot Is Happening on and Around the Moon – Lesson
- A Lot Is Happening on and Around the Moon – Quiz
- First-Ever Picture Taken of the Milky Way’s Black Hole – Lesson
- First-Ever Picture Taken of the Milky Way’s Black Hole – Quiz
- First James Webb Telescope Images Revealed – Lesson
- First James Webb Telescope Images Revealed – Quiz
- Buzz Aldrin Sells Jacket from the Moon Landing – Lesson
- Buzz Aldrin Sells Jacket from the Moon Landing – Quiz
- Humans at Home on the Moon – Could It Really Happen in This Decade? – Lesson
- Humans at Home on the Moon – Could It Really Happen in This Decade? – Quiz
- Winter on Mars – Lesson
- Winter on Mars – Quiz
- Pictures of Mars Show Hidden Figures – Lesson
- Pictures of Mars Show Hidden Figures – Quiz
- Jupiter and Venus Appear to ‘Kiss’ – Lesson
- Jupiter and Venus Appear to ‘Kiss’ – Quiz
- The James Webb Telescope Finds Six Ancient Galaxies – Lesson
- The James Webb Telescope Finds Six Ancient Galaxies – Quiz
- Would an EpiPen Work in Space? – Lesson
- Would an EpiPen Work in Space? – Quiz
- Satellite Spots Earth’s Second Moon? – Lesson
- Satellite Spots Earth’s Second Moon? – Quiz
-
The Environment
- Red Tide: No Fun in the Florida Sun – Lesson
- Red Tide: No Fun in the Florida Sun – Quiz
- Leaded Gas Eradicated from the World, Says United Nations – Lesson
- Leaded Gas Eradicated from the World, Says United Nations – Quiz
- COVID Plastic Waste: A Big Problem for Oceans – Lesson
- COVID Plastic Waste: A Big Problem for Oceans – Quiz
-
Archaeology and Paleontology
- Ancient Human Species Discovered – Lesson
- Ancient Human Species Discovered – Quiz
- Biblical City of Sodom Found in the Jordan Valley? – Lesson
- Biblical City of Sodom Found in the Jordan Valley? – Quiz
- Antarctic Explorer’s Ship Found After a Century – Lesson
- Antarctic Explorer’s Ship Found After a Century – Quiz
- Newly Found Diary Shows How Ancient Egyptians Built the Pyramids – Lesson
- Newly Found Diary Shows How Ancient Egyptians Built the Pyramids – Quiz
-
Technology
- 3 Reasons to Protect Your Online Privacy – Lesson – VIDEO
- The Rise of Deepfakes – Lesson
- The Rise of Deepfakes – Quiz
- A New Mayflower Voyage, Captained by AI Technology – Lesson
- A New Mayflower Voyage, Captained by AI Technology – Quiz
- The Latest Supercomputer Is Breaking Speed Barriers – Lesson
- The Latest Supercomputer Is Breaking Speed Barriers – Quiz
- LNGenZ Survey: What is the Greatest American Invention? – Lesson
- LNGenZ Survey: What is the Greatest American Invention? – Quiz
- School and ChatGPT – Is it Cheating? – Lesson
- School and ChatGPT – Is it Cheating? – Quiz
- Artificial Intelligence Gets an Upgrade? – Lesson
- Artificial Intelligence Gets an Upgrade? – Quiz
- Scientists Plan to Bring the Dodo Bird Back from Extinction – Lesson
- Scientists Plan to Bring the Dodo Bird Back from Extinction – Quiz
- Is There Too Much Technology in Education? – Lesson
- Is There Too Much Technology in Education? – Quiz
-
Mind and Body
- Teen Scientist’s Invention Mixes Music with Mental Health – Lesson
- Teen Scientist’s Invention Mixes Music with Mental Health – Quiz
- Man Receives First Pig Heart Transplant – Lesson
- Man Receives First Pig Heart Transplant – Quiz
- Sniffing Out the Truth About Smells – Lesson
- Sniffing Out the Truth About Smells – Quiz
- The Power of Playtime – Lesson
- The Power of Playtime – Quiz
- Is Language Getting More Emotional? – Lesson
- Is Language Getting More Emotional? – Quiz
- Scientists Say Household Chores Help Kids’ Brains – Lesson
- Scientists Say Household Chores Help Kids’ Brains – Quiz
- Transplant of Pig Kidney Into a Human Successful So Far – Lesson
- Transplant of Pig Kidney Into a Human Successful So Far – Quiz
-
Flora and Fauna
- Dogs Can Tell When Humans Make a Mistake, Says Study – Lesson
- Dogs Can Tell When Humans Make a Mistake, Says Study – Quiz
- Jonathan: The World’s Oldest Living Tortoise – Lesson
- Jonathan: The World’s Oldest Living Tortoise – Quiz
- The Monarch Butterfly Makes a Surprise Return – Lesson
- The Monarch Butterfly Makes a Surprise Return – Quiz
- Bat Falcon Spotted in the United States for the First Time – Lesson
- Bat Falcon Spotted in United States for the First Time – Quiz
- Charles Darwin’s Notebooks Mysteriously Returned after 20 Years – Lesson
- Charles Darwin’s Notebooks Mysteriously Returned after 20 Years – Quiz
- Six Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born in Wildlife Refuge – Lesson
- Six Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born in Wildlife Refuge – Quiz
- Scientists Record Never-Before-Heard Whale Call – Lesson
- Scientists Record Never-Before Heard Whale Call – Quiz
- Underwater Meadow Gets Credit as the World’s Largest Living Plant – Lesson
- Underwater Meadow Gets Credit as the World’s Largest Living Plant – Quiz
- Scientists Trying to Bring the Tasmanian Tiger Back from Extinction – Lesson
- Scientists Trying to Bring the Tasmanian Tiger Back from Extinction – Quiz
- Jurassic Era Insect Found at Arizona Walmart – Lesson
- Jurassic Era Insect Found at Arizona Walmart – Quiz
- The Comeback of the Nearly Extinct Earless Lizard – Lesson
- The Comeback of the Nearly Extinct Earless Lizard – Quiz
-
Mathematics
- Metric vs. Imperial: A Weighty Debate in Britain – Lesson
- Metric vs. Imperial: A Weighty Debate in Britain – Quiz
- The Abacus is Helping Kids Master Math Skills – Lesson
- The Abacus is Helping Kids Master Math Skills – Quiz
- Retired Engineer Discovers ‘Einstein’ Shape – Lesson
- Retired Engineer Discovers ‘Einstein’ Shape – Quiz
Artificial Intelligence Gets an Upgrade? – Lesson
Scientists plan to use human brain cells to make AI smarter.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making big waves in modern technology. However, many people do not realize just how common AI is in their everyday lives. Everything from navigation and facial detection to autocorrect and e-payments all use AI. Scientists consistently work on new ways to improve this technology. The latest idea is to use human brain cells to power biocomputers. The ability to hold more data would allow AI to become much more intelligent and capable of performing more tasks. How would this technology work, and is it ethical and safe?
Organoid Intelligence: The New and Improved Artificial Intelligence?
AI is the machine version of human intelligence. Large amounts of data get uploaded into a supercomputer that stores and shares the data. Search engines such as Google, virtual customer service agents, speech recognition, and computer vision are a few of the most common examples of AI.

(Photo by: Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
But Artificial Intelligence is in the running for an upgrade. A team of scientists from Cortical Labs is utilizing the human brain’s capabilities by growing brain cells from human skin cells and using them to power the latest technology: Organoid Intelligence, or OI. This particular group of researchers is known for growing a dish of brain cells and teaching it how to play the old arcade game, Pong.
Lina Smirnova, a Johns Hopkins University (JHU) researcher, stated: “The vision of OI [organoid intelligence] is to use the power of the biological system to advance the field of live sciences, bioengineering, and computer science.”
Researchers are hopeful to see OI working collaboratively with current Artificial Intelligence technology like ChatGPT and Bing. The amount of data stored in OI surpasses that of any AI-supported technology. Thomas Hartung, an environmental health sciences professor at JHU, highlighted a couple of areas where OI would be beneficial in our world, explaining that “we could compare memory formation in organoids derived from healthy people and from Alzheimer’s patients and try to repair relative deficits. We could also use OI to test whether certain substances, such as pesticides, cause memory or learning problems.”
How It Works
Hartung, has studied organoids for years. Organoids are three-dimensional piles of brain tissue grown and tested by lab workers. Once ready, the organoids are used to power biocomputers that operate the OI system. An organoid’s uncanny ability to grow and learn intrigues analysts eager to apply this technology to the already intelligent AI system.
“We are at a moment in time, where the technologies to achieve actual biocomputing have matured,” Hartung said. “The hope is that some of the remarkable functionalities of the human brain can be realized as OI, such as its ability to take fast decisions based on incomplete and contradictive information (intuitive thinking).”
It’s a Question of Ethics
The ethics of AI and OI is an ongoing topic. Experts must gain a complete understanding of how human-like the machines are or can become. One concern is how intelligent the brain cells can become and whether the robots can feel pain and sadness or become conscious and self-aware.
Hartung responded to these concerns: “A key part of our vision is to develop OI in an ethical and socially responsible manner. For this reason, we have partnered with ethicists from the very beginning to establish an ’embedded ethics’ approach.” In addition, he said, “All ethical issues will be continuously assessed by teams made up of scientists, ethicists, and the public, as the research evolves.”
The progression of technology is moving at a fantastic rate. As a result, the capabilities of these machines are seemingly endless.