Human intelligence may begin with the power of a single brain cell
Researchers have discovered that individual human neurons perform complex computations that rival small artificial neural networks. This suggests that human intelligence is driven not just by the number of neurons, but by the sophisticated processing power of each individual cell.
Why it matters
This finding challenges existing models of neuroscience and provides new insights into the biological basis of human cognitive superiority.
Scientists have long assumed that the human brain’s remarkable abilities come mainly from its enormous number of neurons and the vast networks they form.
A new study suggests the story begins much earlier. Researchers found that a single human brain cell can perform computations complex enough to rival a small artificial neural network.
The human cell was also a far more sophisticated information processor than the equivalent cells in rats.
The findings suggest that human intelligence depends not only on how many neurons we have, but also on how much computation each individual neuron performs before passing information to the next cell.
The work was led by Professor Idan Segev of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem ( HUJI ), whose team set out to settle a question that had long lacked a proper yardstick.
Human cortical cells plainly look different from those of other animals.
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