By Katia Moskvitch, BBC News
A rat lies motionless on a sterile, spotless table. It is alive, but heavily sedated. Closer inspection reveals that this is no ordinary rodent. Electrodes are being used to stimulate its brain, creating waveform readings on a nearby computer screen. The rat is part of a research project at Israel’s Tel Aviv University psychology department. Scientists are attempting to replace part of this and other rats’ brains with digital equipment, effectively turning them into cyborgs. Anti-vivisection campaigners have described the tests as “grotesque” but the researchers claim the work will eventually help them make repairs to what is possibly the world’s most complex computer – the human brain.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16305299
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