Wetware
The Rise of Organoid Intelligence and the Quest to Build Computers from Living Cells
From Silicon to Living Neural Tissue
Computing has spent decades turning biological ideas into engineered systems.
Organoid intelligence reverses that direction.
Instead of building machines that imitate neural computation, researchers are beginning to explore systems in which living neural tissue participates directly in information processing.
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Brain organoids connected to microelectrode arrays have already enabled researchers to record neural activity and interact with biological networks. Experiments such as DishBrain and Brainoware provide early demonstrations of information processing in these systems, while newer platforms are expanding the ability to conduct organoid experiments remotely.
The possibilities are intriguing, but so are the limitations. Biological variability, reproducibility, scalability, energy requirements and ethical questions all complicate the path from laboratory experiment to practical technology.
The important question is therefore not whether organoids are already biological computers in the conventional sense. It is what becomes possible when computation is no longer confined to manufactured hardware.
This article examines the science behind organoid intelligence, what current experiments actually demonstrate, where the technology may have specialized applications, and what remains unresolved.
Read the full analysis:
https://structuralsignals.com/wetware/
If computation can be performed by living neural tissue, how might that change the way we think about the boundary between biology and machines?
