Designing a Brain

Designing a Brain

Self-organizing networks of brain cells have been created by researchers at Tel Aviv University using clustered nanotube dots.

The technique could allow the development of sophisticated biological sensors that use functioning brain cells, according to report at newscientisttech. This type of device would identify a compound - a deadly nerve agent or poison, for example - by measuring its effect on a functioning network of neurons.

A team led by Yael Hanein of Tel Aviv University in israel used 100-micrometre-wide bundles of nanotubes to coax rat neurons into forming regular patterns on a sheet of quartz.

The neurons cannot stick ...