Understanding the intricate networks in animal brains has been a big challenge for scientists, especially when studying diseases like Alzheimer’s. Traditional methods could have been faster and cheaper.
Before SmartEM, scientists used regular microscopes, but it took a long time to capture the details of the brain. SmartEM, developed by researchers from MIT and Harvard, combines powerful electron microscopes with artificial intelligence (AI). SmartEM learns about the brain while taking images. It acts like an assistant that helps quickly examine and understand the brain’s tiny parts, such as synapses and neurons.
SmartEM is not just a camera; it operates intelligently, like our eyes when we look at things – focusing on what’s essential. The researchers added a unique computer chip (GPU) to the microscope, allowing the AI to decide where to look closely. This helps the microscope spend more time in challenging areas, just like our eyes focus on essential details when we look at a face or read a book.
To demonstrate its capabilities, SmartEM worked on slices of an octopus brain. It took images of these thin slices and reconstructed them into a detailed 3D map. This map helps scientists understand how different parts of the brain connect, similar to figuring out connections in a large group of friends. Using SmartEM, a task that would have taken two weeks with regular methods now only takes 1.5 days.
The team behind SmartEM aims to make brain studies faster and more cost-effective. They hope that one day, more scientists from different places can join brain research without requiring a massive budget. They also want to use SmartEM to study diseases by examining tiny details in brain samples from patients. The goal is to quickly understand what’s happening in the brain for more efficient hospital pathology studies.
In summary, SmartEM is a powerful tool that combines electron microscopes with AI to help scientists explore the mysteries of our brains more efficiently. With its assistance, researchers hope to unlock secrets about how our brains work and find ways to combat diseases affecting them.
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Niharika is a Technical consulting intern at Marktechpost. She is a third year undergraduate, currently pursuing her B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur. She is a highly enthusiastic individual with a keen interest in Machine learning, Data science and AI and an avid reader of the latest developments in these fields.
