Evening star., 1951-09-17
Computing Device Aids
New Artificial Bruin
Box Of Nerve Cells at M.l.T.
Provides Memory to Machine
By Thomos R. Henry

A "gadget" which probably represents
the closest approach to an artificial brain
yet achieved has just been reported by
a group of Navy-sponsored research
workers at the MASSACHUSETTS Institute
Of Technology.
It is box in which are packed 80, 768
man-made nerve cells" Each is a mag
netic cell fraction of an inch In di-
ameter The artificial brain was designed
to improve the memory of high speed
electronic computing devices. Such a
memory system is indispensable to any
such machine because it stores numbers
until the machine is ready to perform
the calculations required.
The new device is designed to "re-
member" by means of less than 209
wire connections which might be COM
pared to nerve fibers running to the
brain cells. thousands of pieces of infor-
nation which have been coded for use
in the computing machine.
Stores and Recalls" Information.
The cells in the new gadget are ar
ranged in a cubical formation in a
special way. The cube may be 80 cells
high, 80 wide and 80 deep. These are
packed into box which measures ap-
proximately two feet on side. Although
only 1873 wires run into the cube it can,
because OF this arrangement. store or
recall" the information in any cell in
few millionths of second
The individual cell has ring shaped
magnetic core only fraction of an inch
in diameter. None Of its points move.
Memory" of course, is only one func-
ton OF brain cells. of which even the
most stupid mammal has much more
than $4,000. Any of the computing ma
chimes can perform calculations of which
the human brain is incapable, and this
ability will be increased by the new
device.
1t can only operate. of course. on in
formation which is furnished it. The
artificial brain still is very far from the
possibility of thought or the still higher
attribute of imagination.
X
There is popular fallacy. repeated
in college textbooks, that dogs don't
sweat.
This is all wrong, according to ex-
periments just reported to the American
Association for the Advancement of
Science here by Drs. Tsuyoshi Oaki and
Masao Wada of the Tokobu University
Medical School in Japan.
The great difference between dogs and
humans so far as sweating is concerned,
the two japanese investigators found, is
that with the former it is highly local
lied reaction. After effort on a hot day
man sweatS all over. A dog could run
all day without sweating, but when ex-
cesSlve heat is centered on one par
ticular spot 1t sweats in the heated re-
gion, and there alone. One of the reac-
tons to adrenalin injections in man is
generalized sweating. A dog only sweats
around the spot where the injection is
made, but within this area the sweat
glands appear to be about as sensitive as
those OF human being.
Defense of Local Tissue.
The area of skin over which a dog
sweats, the investigators found, is alto
gether that of the region subjected to
the excessive heat. Animals were placed
in an excessively hot room, so hot as to
cause severe painting and rise in body
temperature. Still they did not sweat.
Then half the body of each animal was
subjected to the intense radiant heat.
Sweating occurred on that half, not the
other half.
In man sweating is total body de-
fense mechanism. the japanese inves-
tigators concluded, while in dogs it is
only defense of local tissue from in
jury by excessive heat. 1t could be in
duced in parts of the body which had
been entirely cut off from the nervous
system. In man this would not occur
Apparently dog sweats like man
only on the foot pads. This is entirely
in accordance with the popular impress
sion. The particular value of this sweat
ing to the animal cannot be determined.