The concept of uploading an animal brain to a computer has seen some progress, albeit with significant caveats. Scientists have successfully simulated the brain of Caenorhabditis elegans, a 1mm-long worm, using data from years of research. Every one of its roughly 300 neurons has been mapped, enabling the creation of a computer model that mimics the worm’s reflexive behaviours and can even learn new tasks, such as balancing a virtual pole. However, this simulation was not derived from a direct upload of an individual worm’s brain. Instead, it was built from aggregated data, meaning no specific memories or thoughts were transferred.
The idea of brain uploading is often seen as a futuristic solution to mortality, with proponents suggesting that advances in neuroscience and artificial intelligence could one day make it possible. Yet, the technological and ethical hurdles remain immense. For instance, to accurately simulate a human brain, scientists would need to map every cell and chemical interaction at an atomic level. Current methods capable of such detail, like destructive scanning, require slicing the brain into ultra-thin layers—a process that is, unsurprisingly, fatal.
While future advances in medical imaging might allow for non-destructive, high-resolution scanning, the challenge of capturing a brain’s full state instantaneously remains. If scanning is too slow, the brain’s state could change mid-process, rendering the data outdated.
Moreover, even if a brain could be uploaded non-destructively, it raises philosophical and ethical questions. Would the copy truly be ‘you’? If the original person remains alive, then the uploaded version becomes a mere duplicate, potentially subject to manipulation or replication.
In conclusion, while rudimentary forms of brain simulation have been achieved in simple organisms, the dream of uploading a complex brain—especially a human one—remains firmly in the realm of speculative science. The journey from modelling a worm’s neural network to capturing human consciousness is vast and fraught with scientific and moral complexities.
