IBM unveils brain-like chip

Computer chips with worm-like intelligence were unveiled today by researchers at IBM, a breakthrough, they say, on the road to creating computers that function like the human brain.
For now, achieving the goal of human-like intelligence in a computer with the size and power needs of our brains is a long ways off, Dharmendra Modha, the researcher leading the project, told me, but the chips he held as we spoke were proof that a "new generation" of computers are in the offing.
"It is IBM's first cognitive computer core that brings together computation in the form of neurons, memory in the form of synapses and communication in the form of axons," he said.
Such chips, he said, could form the basis of computers that are able to monitor real-time traffic-light cameras, notice an anomaly and dispatch an ambulance in time to save lives.
Other potential applications include lining the ocean with sensors for everything from temperature, humidity and wave height to acoustics and turbidity. The computer would constantly monitor all that data and detect patterns such as rogue waves that could interrupt shipping or a tsunami that could wipe out coastal villages.
A glove instrumented with sight, smell, temperature and other sensors and put on the hand of produce handlers at the grocery store could identify fruits and veggies that are contaminated, again saving lives.
The chips do this by integrating memory and processing, unlike today's computers, which separate the functions. It's a difference, he said, between growing food in one part of the world then eating it in another and a farmers market where you buy and eat locally grown food.
The silicon cores unveiled today aren't at the level of the human brain yet. They have 256 neuron-like nodes. One has what the company calls 262,144 programmable synapses, the other contains 65,536 synapses. They can drive a car through a simple maze and reconfigure a triangle from just a fragment, Modha said.
It can also play Pong, the 1970s arcade game. "It might beat you, I don't promise, but it might," Modha said.
The next step is to take these tiny brain-like circuits and weave them into a system that eventually has 10 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses that consume just 1 kilowatt of power and occupy the same volume as a shoebox.
The technology, Modha added, is a departure from the way computers have evolved over the past 100 years and allowed the development of machines such as the question-answering maverick Watson that won a well-publicized game of "Jeopardy" earlier this year.
"Watson represents the epitome of artificial intelligence today, I would say," Modha said. "And we are trying to emulate the brain. They are yin and yang, salt and pepper, they may work together and complement each other, but they are not the same."
The project has keen interest from the U.S. government. As IBM unveiled the chips, they also announced $21 million in new funding from DARPA for the project, which is named SyNAPSE (Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics).
The goal of the project is a system that not only analyzes complex information from multiple sensory modalities at once, but also dynamically rewires itself as it interacts with its environment — all while rivaling the human brain's compact size and low power usage.
We are still years away from such a computer, Modha said, and when it arrives it is likely to complement other computers and humans, not outsmart us or our machines.
"The human brain is so darn bloody awesome it shames me," he said. "The thing is, today's computers are so darn bloody bad in terms of power, space and functionality ... you pick a problem with so much room to play that you improve it slightly, you look like a hero."

Tiger to sperm whale: Ten of the most extraordinary animals by Chris Packham

the wildlife expert chooses ten incredible animals

1. TIGER

On land, the tiger is probably the nearest thing to the ultimate killing machine. There's an assassin-like quality to their eyes and when you 'meet' one, you know he or she is thinking, 'If I could, I would eat you'

Everyone knows what a tiger looks like, but very few people have seen this magnificent animal. I've been lucky enough to get up close to a few tigers, and when you do, you realise they're much bigger than you thought  -  and start to appreciate their potential power and lethality. The largest tiger, the Siberian, can grow to over 10ft in length (including the tail) and can weigh up to about 670lb. Tigers are very front-heavy animals  -  they're all about the head and the front legs, with surprisingly narrow hips  -  and possess an incredible presence. That's humbling, and it's important to realise that we're only top dog through technology. On land, the tiger is probably the nearest thing to the ultimate killing machine. There's an assassin-like quality to their eyes  -  a ghastly coldness  -  and when you 'meet' one, you know he or she is thinking, 'If I could, I would eat you.' My girlfriend has tigers at her zoo, but despite the close bond she has forged with the animals, she never, ever goes into a cage with them. Like humans, they get tetchy when they get old  -  and if they're having a bad day, it's going to be a very bad day for you.

Pangolin (left) are nocturnal, so you're only likely to see one by chance. They're hunted in parts of Africa, and are also in demand in China. The Andean Condor (right) is like a dinosaur bird, it has hung on in South America

2. PANGOLIN

An amazing animal that is covered-with fingernail-like scales, has a keen sense of smell and can roll itself into a ball like a hedgehog. There are eight species in all, and the giant pangolin, the largest, grows to about 5ft 6in long. Pangolins are found in sub-Saharan Africa and large parts of Asia, and feed on ants. They're also nocturnal, so you're only likely to see one by chance. They're hunted in parts of Africa, and are also in demand in China, where their meat is considered a delicacy. Various healing properties are, rightly or wrongly, attributed to their scales. They're declining in numbers in many places, partly due to deforestation and the growing number of electric fences being erected in their traditional African habitat  -  when they hit a wire, they don't jump clear but tend to roll into a ball and are often electrocuted.

3. ANDEAN CONDOR

With a wingspan of over 10ft, the Andean condor is a bird out of time. An ancient, large black vulture, it evolved to take advantage of a period in history when there were large herds of animals roaming the Americas, the last of which was the bison. It's hung on in South America, but with the disappearance of such herds its numbers are probably in terminal decline. I don't necessarily regard its impending extinction as a bad thing  -  most of the animals which were around with them millions of years ago have long gone. In a way, it's like a dinosaur bird.

The sperm whale (left) can tip their tails and dive down to depths of perhaps over a mile, where the pressure is just extraordinary. A sort of living fossil, the coelacanth (right) has been around for some 400 million years

4. SPERM WHALE

A huge, highly intelligent marine mammal. It's difficult for us to imagine the sperm whale's world  -  and I'm not sure we'll ever fully understand it. They can tip their tails and dive down to depths of perhaps over a mile, where the pressure is just extraordinary, and stay submerged for up to 90 minutes. It's a pretty hostile environment down there: it's cold, pitch-black and so far beyond our understanding that it might as well be in deep space. What's more, they're active at the bottom of their dives, hunting squid and using their jaws to scoop up crabs and other crustaceans on the ocean floor. We know that sperm whales, which can live for around 80 years, have a 'voice' and can recognise each other as individuals. Indeed, it seems likely that they have a sort of 'group intelligence' which works on an entirely different level to ours. That said, there's a huge amount we don't know about the mammal, which can grow up to 65ft long. The great paradox is that we've come close to exterminating this amazing animal that was once so abundant in our oceans.

5. COELACANTH

A fish thought to have disappeared about 65 million years ago  -  until 1938, when one was caught off the coast of South Africa. A sort of living fossil, the coelacanth has been around for some 400 million years. Recently we've found out a bit more about them, and even managed to photograph them in their natural habitat. Their front fins are very much like legs, which they use to almost walk across the sea. Predatory fish, they're highly manoeuvrable and grow to over 6ft in length. They live deep in African and Indonesian waters, and have survived because their habitat has remained largely unchanged over their long existence.

6. KOMODO DRAGON

A large, lethal lizard, the komodo dragon can run quite quickly, and there are stories of them catching and eating humans

Found on a cluster of Indonesian islands, the Komodo dragon can grow to around 10ft in length. The reason it can get so big is that it's the only large predator on these islands. It's gigantism at work  -  a situation where the dominant species has grown to a huge size. A large, lethal lizard, it can run quite quickly, and there are stories of them catching and eating humans. Their method of catching prey is quite neat: they have serrated teeth which are a breeding ground for toxic bacteria. So when they bite their prey, they infect it, rapidly bringing on septicaemia and, ultimately, death. So, if the Komodo can't overcome another creature it bites, it simply follows it using its extraordinary sense of smell, until it sickens or dies. Interestingly, you find similar tooth grooves in Tyrannosaurus rex fossils, and this has led scientists to wonder whether the dinosaur used bacteria to kill its prey too. I once got to sit next to a tame Komodo dragon  -  still a daunting prospect, because they have a reputation for being feisty. It was a bit like sitting next to a reptilian hand grenade.

7. COCKROACH

The cockroach has been around for 300 million years. They can go for three months without food and a month without water, and taste their food before they eat it, so it's hard to poison them

Perhaps the greatest animal that's ever lived, it's been around for 300 million years. To put that in perspective, humans have been around for only a couple of million years. So when it comes to being a biological success, its only possible rivals are sharks, dragonflies, coelacanths and not much else. Cockroaches first appeared during the Carboniferous period, and are built for survival. They can go for three months without food and a month without water, and taste their food before they eat it, so it's hard to poison them. They produce their eggs in cocoon - like sacs called oothecae  -  and if you boil one, the eggs will still hatch. They're also very compressible, so they can squeeze into the tiniest cracks. As a result, they've gone with us wherever we've gone. We see them as the archetypal pest and have waged constant war on them, but they laugh in our face. They're still here after all this time, and will probably be around long after we've died out.

8. CUCKOO

We've been 'ringing' cuckoos for years - we've put around 6,000 rings on them in an attempt to chart their movements - yet we've had very few recoveries, apart from one found in midwinter in Cameroon

A famous harbinger of spring, the cuckoo is tragically in almost terminal decline in this country. We've been 'ringing' cuckoos for years  -  we've put around 6,000 rings on them in an attempt to chart their movements  -  yet we've had very few recoveries, apart from one found in midwinter in Cameroon. So for all we know about British cuckoos' movements here in the UK, we have no idea where they go when they leave here for the winter, other than knowing it's somewhere south of the Sahara. As a result, the British Trust for Ornithology has fitted satellite tags onto five cuckoos  -  one of which has been called 'Chris' in my honour  -  in a bid to find out more about them. If you visit bto.org you can follow the paths they're taking. The last time I checked on 'Chris'  -  who's already left Britain - he was somewhere south-east of Venice. The cuckoo is a reminder of the extraordinary wildlife on our doorstep.

9. HELLBENDER

A relatively ancient animal, the hellbender dates back around 65 million years and is found only in eastern North America, having adapted to fill a specific niche within its environment

One of the largest salamanders in the world - second only to the massive Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders - the wonderfully named hellbender reaches lengths of over 2ft. A relatively ancient animal, it dates back around 65 million years and is found only in eastern North America, having adapted to fill a specific niche within its environment. Hellbenders live in fresh water, in cool, clear streams and rivers with lots of large rocks, which they use for shelter. Their diet consists mainly of crayfish, but they also eat mud puppies (another type of salamander), small fish and other river creatures. I'll admit they don't look that appealing (one of their nicknames is 'snot otter'), but they're remarkable animals: they live for decades, and though they have lungs, they can breathe through their skin. I've been fascinated by these creatures - now in decline - ever since I was a kid, partly I suspect because of their name.

Hugely successful creatures, jellyfish have been roaming the seas for hundreds of millions of years

10. JELLYFISH

This is pure alien, in a way. There are about 2,000 species of jellyfish, and they can grow to a huge size and be extraordinarily dangerous. One of the most toxic animals on Earth is the box jellyfish, which lives primarily in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. If you get stung by one, it can be fatal  -  victims have died in the water. Hugely successful creatures, which have been roaming the seas for hundreds of millions of years, jellyfish are found in all the world's oceans  -  and in fresh water too.  I've been lucky enough to dive with them and see them up close, and when you do, it's a bit like witnessing living art. I just love looking at them  -  they're exquisitely beautiful, and there's something quite therapeutic about watching the way they move  -  and while they might appear to be fragile, with their soft bodies and lack of a brain or spine, they're not. As a body form you can't really imagine anything more different to us humans  -  and while they may inhabit our world, they might as well come from the Planet Zorg.

CHRIS PACKHAM PICTURE BYLINE: BBC/Jon Hall

New Pacific eel is a 'living fossil', scientists say

A newly discovered eel that inhabits an undersea cave in the Pacific Ocean has been dubbed a "living fossil" because of its primitive features.

It is so distinct, scientists created a new taxonomic family to describe its relationship to other eels.
The US-Palauan-Japanese team say the eel's features suggest it has a long and independent evolutionary history stretching back 200m years.
Details appear in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The animal used as the basis for the new study was an 18cm-long female, collected by one of the researchers during a dive at a 35m-deep cave in the Republic of Palau.
But the scientists also mention other examples of the new eel species in their research paper.
At first there was much discussion among the researchers about the animal's affinities. But genetic analysis confirmed that the fish was a "true" eel - albeit a primitive one.
"In some features it is more primitive than recent eels, and in others, even more primitive than the oldest known fossil eels, suggesting that it represents a 'living fossil' without a known fossil record," write the scientists.
In order to classify the new animal, the researchers had to create a new family, genus and species, bestowing on the animal the latin name Protoanguilla palau.
The team - including Masaki Miya from Chiba's Natural History Museum in Japan, Jiro Sakaue from the Southern Marine Laboratory in Palau and G David Johnson from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC - drew up a family tree of different eels, showing the relationships between them.
This allowed them to estimate when the ancestors of P. palau split away from other types of eel.
Their results suggest this new family has been evolving independently for the last 200m years, placing their origins in the early Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs were beginning their domination of the planet.
The researchers say the Protoanguilla lineage must have once been more widely distributed, because the undersea ridge where its cave home is located is between 60 and 70 million years old.