23 November 2005

Neuroscientists decipher part of code for visual recognition

Neuroscientists decipher part of code for visual recognition>
We learn so much through simply seeing something. Up until now, scientists have not understood enough about how the brain codes and decodes information...though they do not so much more than a few years ago.

Just recently, neuroscientists in the McGovern Institute at MIT have deciphered part of the code involved in recognizing visual objects. An immediate application would be for computer algorithms used in artificial vision systems. This could enhance how they mimick these newly uncovered codes.

"We want to know how the brain works to create intelligence." According to Tomaso Poggio, the Eugene McDermott Professor in Brain Sciences and Human Behavior, "Our ability to recognize objects in the visual world is among the most complex problems the brain must solve. Computationally, it is much harder than reasoning. Yet we take it for granted because it appears to happen automatically and almost unconsciously." You can find out more through his lab - The Center for Biological & Computational Learning.

Since part of my fascination with life lies in the study of consciousness, I am continually impressed with the depth and capacity of our minds to explore the world of the unknown.

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