Hey! Worm Brain!

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XM5ER

Original Poster:

5,094 posts

255 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
Came across this story across the interweb today

Lego robot with a worm brain

Scientists and computer programmers have recreated the brain of a lifeform in robot form by mapping the neural connections of nematode worms, translating that into software and downloading it into a lego robot. They found that the robot behaved in the same way as a real worm, even though no behaviour had been coded.

Now this really open up a can of worms, so to speak. From religious, philosophical, political and not to mentions, scientific point of view this could be the start of something utterly world changing.

If you could be scanned and uploaded, would you do it?

kiseca

9,339 posts

226 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
XM5ER said:
Came across this story across the interweb today

....

If you could be scanned and uploaded, would you do it?
That's an amazing story about the worm brain.

If I could be scanned and uploaded then yes I would, but it would actually make no difference to me. The copy that is me will still die when my body does, and will know nothing of what the scanned and uploaded copy of me is doing then or in the future.

From my point of view the copy may as well be a different person completely. Or a worm.

From the point of view of those who know me however, the copy would be much more like me living past death. A concept that would soon have them hunting for the OFF switch..

Mr Will

13,719 posts

213 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
kiseca said:
That's an amazing story about the worm brain.

If I could be scanned and uploaded then yes I would, but it would actually make no difference to me. The copy that is me will still die when my body does, and will know nothing of what the scanned and uploaded copy of me is doing then or in the future.

From my point of view the copy may as well be a different person completely. Or a worm.

From the point of view of those who know me however, the copy would be much more like me living past death. A concept that would soon have them hunting for the OFF switch..
The interesting point here is that the copy would still think that it is also "you", just now in a different body. It could conceivably have all the same memories and experiences as you, up until the point at which it was transferred. Which one is the real you? What about if the uploading process wiped your brain so that only one copy ever existed at a time? Would you still be you in a totally different body?

scubadude

2,618 posts

204 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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XM5ER said:
Now this really open up a can of worms, so to speak.
Easy but justified ;-)

XM5ER said:
If you could be scanned and uploaded, would you do it?
Dunno but the occasional Backup might be handy, it might also reveal where my paper copy driving license is because I have forgotten.

XM5ER

Original Poster:

5,094 posts

255 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
I have little truck with "souls" and "spirits" and agree with you, there would be two me's, one that would die and another that potentially wouldn't (unless we don't sort out our power generation capacity in the UK).

There are a lot of questions around this, could the simulation of me change and learn or would it be stuck in a continually unchanging present (my wife thinks this has already happened); I guess if we have the processing power to scan and simulate a human brain then we can simulate how the synapses change with new experience and memory. Still, I guess Majikthyse and his spiritual cohorts will be on the gravy train for a few more years yet though.

scubadude

2,618 posts

204 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
XM5ER said:
Now this really open up a can of worms, so to speak.
Easy but justified ;-)

XM5ER said:
If you could be scanned and uploaded, would you do it?
Dunno but the occasional Backup might be handy, it might also reveal where my paper copy driving license is because I have forgotten.

XM5ER

Original Poster:

5,094 posts

255 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
scubadude said:
XM5ER said:
Now this really open up a can of worms, so to speak.
Easy but justified ;-)
Compulsory I'd say.

CrutyRammers

13,735 posts

205 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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Interesting stuff, not necessarily surprising, but does tend to confirm the view that we are largely a product of very complex hard-wiring.

kiseca

9,339 posts

226 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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Mr Will said:
The interesting point here is that the copy would still think that it is also "you", just now in a different body. It could conceivably have all the same memories and experiences as you, up until the point at which it was transferred. Which one is the real you? What about if the uploading process wiped your brain so that only one copy ever existed at a time? Would you still be you in a totally different body?
I think the answers are pretty clear actually. I agree the copy would feel like me in a different body. I believe that I am then the "real" or rather original me, the copy is a new me. I believe the original me would die, or cease to exist, if my brain is wiped at the copy point. To outsiders it would look like I changed bodies, to the copy it would feel like I changed bodies, but to original me, I would cease to be at that moment.

XM5ER

Original Poster:

5,094 posts

255 months

Friday 21st November 2014
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http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/11/...

"Scientists in Britain are studying a rare tapeworm that lived in a man's brain for four years, researchers said on Friday.

The parasite travelled five centimetres (two inches) from the right side of the brain to the left."

Its worm brain week.

Getragdogleg

9,109 posts

190 months

Friday 21st November 2014
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The "copy" brain can only be that same as the original brain up to the point of the save/transfer.

Like saving a computer game and then doing a bit more and getting killed you reset to the save point and carry on without the mistake that got you killed.

Any activity after the save/load will be new and different each time the save is loaded.

Multiple copies could be made but none would remain the same as the original.