Could a Neuroscientist Understand a Microprocessor? (2017)
Report a link problem
Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
Top comments
Testing analytical methods of a field against engineered artefacts is a good idea but there is a fatal flaw here; devices that do a fetch-decode-execute-retire loop against a register file and a memory bus have perversely little in common with what neurobiology is concerned with. A more appropriate artefact would be a CPU and its memory (where NOP'ing out code or flipping flags corresponds to "lesioning"), or even better, an FPGA design (where different functions work in parallel in different…
I wrote a lay summary of this paper that compares and contrasts with the whole brain imaging and stimulation literature for those interested in a lighter read! http://www.neuwritewest.org/blog/can-we-reverse-engineer-the...
Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11780565
See also episode 193 of the podcast "Rationally Speaking." http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs-193-eric-jonas-...
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
HN stats
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 466
- Total comments
- 140
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking