02-28-2015, 08:14 PM
This project is a very important pathfinder, but calling it "uploading" is overhype. The project didn't create a functional copy of one specific original worm, but a generic new worm. The starting worm connectome database was obtained by many previous studies on lots of worms (and, as Steve said, by using destructive processes). The equivalent process for humans has been described by Greg Egan in Zendegi. From my review:
http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/01/31/book...greg-egan/
"Nasim realizes that her old colleagues at the Human Connectome Project have achieved important advances and released a large database of high resolution brain scans of thousands of volunteers. The data are not sufficiently detailed and personalized for individual mind uploading, but they can be used to build accurate generic models of human minds (the models that we use to call “mindware” or “me-program” in uploading discussion groups)."
So this is not uploading but a preliminary stem to what Zendegi calls "sideloading" later in the novel:
"The uploading technology used, more appropriately called “sideloading”, consists of tweaking and fine-tuning a generic mindware “me-program” obtained by the Human Connectome Project, with long and involved training sessions, until it behaves like a specific person."
That said, all first steps are small steps, and this is a small first step toward something big.
http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/01/31/book...greg-egan/
"Nasim realizes that her old colleagues at the Human Connectome Project have achieved important advances and released a large database of high resolution brain scans of thousands of volunteers. The data are not sufficiently detailed and personalized for individual mind uploading, but they can be used to build accurate generic models of human minds (the models that we use to call “mindware” or “me-program” in uploading discussion groups)."
So this is not uploading but a preliminary stem to what Zendegi calls "sideloading" later in the novel:
"The uploading technology used, more appropriately called “sideloading”, consists of tweaking and fine-tuning a generic mindware “me-program” obtained by the Human Connectome Project, with long and involved training sessions, until it behaves like a specific person."
That said, all first steps are small steps, and this is a small first step toward something big.