The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (119 page)

        gene therapy and, 215–216, 219, 220, 256, 323, 416–417, 553
n

        guidelines for, 402, 418

        nanotechnology compared with, 227, 232, 251, 256, 257, 412

        regulation of, 416–417, 423

        in reversal of aging, 28, 141, 206, 212–215, 218–221, 256, 257, 323, 371, 373, 396

        in reversal of degenerative disease, 210, 217–221, 396, 553
n
–555
n

        RNA interference and, 12, 214, 256, 323, 417, 422, 551
n

        
see also
cloning; stem cells

bioweapons program, 393

Bird, Jon, 271

birth control,
see
contraception

Bissi, E., 541
n

Black, Keith L., 541
n

black holes, 23, 404, 503
n

        event horizon of, 7, 23, 29, 363, 486–487, 503
n

        as ultimate computer, 362–364

        universe-generating, 360

Blakeslee, Sandra, 548
n

Block, Steven, 157

blood:

        nanobots in, 248, 253–257, 300, 303, 317, 377, 432, 472

        programmable, 305–306

        protein in, 282

blood-brain barrier (BBB), 163–165, 242

blood cells, 254, 276

        mechanical red,
see
respirocytes

        white, microbivores as replacements for, 254, 306

blood vessels, angiogenesis and, 218

blue goo, 416

Boahen, Kwabena, 530
n

body, biological, 199, 257–258

        emotions and, 193, 203

        functional simulations of, 124

        human longevity and, 325

        identity and, 315, 383–387

        limits of, 9, 27, 28, 29, 203, 325

        nanotechnology problems and, 251

        pattern of, 371, 383–384

        reverse engineering of, 127

body, GNR impact on, 299–311, 583
n
–586
n

        brain and, 307–309, 585
n

        digestive system and, 301–305

        heart and, 306–307

        organ elimination and, 304–307, 310–311

        programmable blood and, 305–306

body, virtual, 28–29, 199, 203, 319, 325

Boehm, T., 554
n

Boese, Christine, 338, 589
n

bombs:

        atomic, 392–393, 404, 408, 594
n

        hydrogen, 391, 401, 404, 408

Bonds, A. B., 541
n

Bone
, 215

bone metabolism markers, 215

Bonner, John Tyler, 509
n

bonobos, 192

Bostrom, Nick D., 259–260, 369, 401, 403, 404, 596
n

Bouissou, Brigitte, 336, 589
n

boundaries, of self, 387

bowel functions, 304

Boyer, Paul D., 501
n

BP Amoco, 102

Bradbury, Robert, 350

Brader, Mark, 515
n

brain, human, 4, 71–72, 120, 257–258

        aesthetics and, 310

        analog processes in, 71, 126, 147–151, 428, 442, 483

        architecture of regions of, 152–153

        cerebellum of,
see
cerebellum

        chaos of, 148, 149, 151, 152, 178, 198, 440, 446, 449, 450, 452, 460, 462, 483

        of children, 152, 177

        Church-Turing thesis and, 454–455

        complexity of, 89, 145, 147, 198, 200, 428–429, 430, 442–450, 463, 465, 475, 523
n

        computational efficiency of, 137–138

        computer compared with, 149–153, 293, 444

        computer’s interfacing with, 194–195

        contradictory views held by, 152

        damage to, 173, 177

        as deeply connected network, 152

        design of, 46–47, 85, 147, 153, 317, 429, 442–443, 444, 446–449, 479, 517
n

        digital processes in, 71, 85, 126, 147–151, 442, 483, 519
n

        emergent properties of, 151, 463–464, 475, 477–478

        evolution as learning paradigm of, 152

        evolution of, 16, 27, 129, 143, 146, 505
n
–506
n
, 522
n

        experience beamers and, 316, 380

        fractal nature of, 46–47, 68, 446–449

        frontal lobe of, 505
n

        genome and, 89, 147, 180, 428–429, 440, 443–444, 523
n

        GNR age impact on, 307–309, 312–320, 564
n
, 586
n
–587
n

        gray-matter tissue in, 27, 505
n
–506
n
;
see also
cortex, cerebral

        hippocampus of,
see
hippocampus

        as holographic, 148, 152, 483

        identity and, 383–387

        imperfections of, 151–152

        implants and,
see
neural implants

        left prefrontal region of, 175

        limitations of, 8–9, 20, 27, 143, 203, 227, 340, 445, 503
n

        music in, 519
n

        nanobots in, 28, 163–167, 201, 300, 316, 374

        nonbiological intelligence in, 28, 201–202, 377, 472

        parallelism of, 8, 25–26, 130, 148, 149, 150, 270, 439, 462, 483, 504
n

        parietal lobes of, 202

        pattern recognition and, 8, 16, 25–26, 124, 143, 149, 150, 173, 441, 456, 501
n

        patterns of, 325, 371, 383–384, 463–464, 475, 477–478

        plasticity of, 27, 151, 172–178, 202, 203, 445

        quantum computing and, 450–452

        quantum wave collapse in, 450–451

        randomness of, 149, 151, 152, 153, 440, 443–444, 449

        redesign of, 27, 307–309, 383

        repetition and redundancy in, 146, 147, 428

        self-organizing processes of, 25–26, 148, 152, 153, 293, 371, 440, 443–444, 446, 456, 460, 483, 501
n
, 523
n

        size of, 452

        slow circuitry of, 150

        spindle cells in, 191–194,
192
, 468

        as “sub-critical,” 259

        surgery on, 315–316, 384

        three-dimensional organization of, 68, 72

        -to-brain communication, 316, 585
n

        uploading of, 166, 198–202, 324, 451, 548
n
–549
n

        virtual reality and, 487

        weight of, 137

        
see also
computational capacity of the human brain, achieving of

brain, of primates, 27, 152

brain cells, gene therapy and, 215, 216

brain models, 407, 443, 445

        analytic vs. neuromorphic, 146

        early attempts at, 154–157

        electronic neurons and, 173

        latest technology as, 458

        neuron, 4, 172–173, 428, 443, 446, 452, 455

        peeling the onion and, 148–149

        of regions, 177–194, 197, 265, 292–293, 428, 440, 443, 452, 479

        reverse engineering and, 4, 25, 143–149, 153, 167–194, 196, 197, 428, 439, 538
n
, 541
n
–547
n

        right level for, 153, 167–169

        subneural, 169–172, 541
n

        
see also
neuromorphic models

brain reverse engineering, 143–203, 265, 317, 377, 407, 435, 439, 446, 456, 485, 522
n
, 537
n
–549
n

        accelerated pace of, 195–198, 293, 428

        brain compared with computer and, 149–153, 461, 463

        computational capacity and, 122, 127

        exponential growth of, 73, 144, 196–98

        GNR age and, 307–308

        neural nets and, 269–270, 574
n

        at neuron level, 163–167, 440, 444, 530
n

        overview of, 144–149, 537
n
–538
n

        reverse engineering of computer compared with, 157–158

        self-understanding and, 4, 198

        sound localization and, 123–124

        strong AI and, 84, 93, 194–195, 293, 294, 407, 461

        tools for, 25, 144–145, 158–162, 197

        
see also
brain models; brain scanning; neuromorphic models

brain scanning, 73, 443

        bandwidth of, 25, 144, 161, 197, 292

        brain models and, 147, 171–174, 178, 292–293, 407

        destructive, 161–162

        exponential growth of, 25, 161, 197, 407

        fMRI and, 150, 158, 160–161

        imaging time and, 160,
160

        noninvasive, 158,
159
, 162–163, 164, 197

        price-performance of, 144, 197, 265, 292

        resolution improved in, 25, 158,
159
, 160–163, 167, 175, 197, 265, 292, 407, 428

        reverse engineering and, 25, 144, 147, 158–67, 171–172, 175, 176, 254, 262

        tools for, 158–162, 197, 428

        uploading the brain and, 166, 198–202, 324, 548
n
–549
n

        using nanobots, 163–167, 197, 200, 262, 293

brain simulations, 144, 145, 178, 196, 197, 265, 292, 293, 407, 428, 439, 445, 450, 452

        functional, 122–25, 148, 150, 527
n
, 529
n

        neuromorphic, 122, 124–125, 438, 440, 527
n
, 530
n

        University of Texas cerebellum, 182–183,
182
, 545
n

brain stem, 172, 179, 181, 193, 203

Brain Tissue Scanner, 161–162

Brand, Stewart, 588
n

Bray, Hiawatha, 535
n

Bremermann, Hans J., 133, 535
n

Brenner, Donald W., 562
n
, 563
n

Brickell, Edie, 382

Bridis, Ted, 598
n

Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), 331–332

Bright, R. K., 554
n

Brill, Eric, 287

British Columbia Cancer Agency, 514
n

Britt, Robert Roy, 580
n

broadband communication, 278

Broca, Paul, 173

Broderick, Damien, 24, 504
n
, 569
n

Brody, Herb, 591
n

Brooks, David, 601
n

Brooks, Rodney, 263, 265, 300, 333

Brousseau, M. E., 554
n

Browman, Steve, 597
n

Brownian motion, 254, 388, 520
n
, 570
n

Brumfiel, G., 585
n

Brun, Todd, 140–141

bubonic plague, 398, 402

Buchan, Bruce, 286

Buchanan, Mark, 592
n

Buckingham, Edgar, 536
n

Buddha, 392

Buddhism, 380, 387, 388

Buechel, C., 543
n

Büettrich, Sebastian, 533
n

buildings, 250, 397

        as centralized technologies, 340, 409, 420, 421

Buonomano, Dean, 545
n

Burch, Greg, 598
n

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 100

Burenhult, G., 502
n

Burke, Peter, 113–114, 115, 527
n

Burkhard, Barbara, 542
n

business, AI systems in, 271, 283–284, 287