Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!sun-barr!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!nanotech From: cfctech!fmeed1!cage@sharkey.cc.umich.edu Newsgroups: sci.nanotech Subject: Re: Is uploading suicide? Message-ID: Date: 15 Jan 91 22:18:06 GMT Sender: nanotech@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 34 Approved: nanotech@aramis.rutgers.edu In , jgsmith@bcm.tmc.edu (James G. Smith) claims: >Creating a perfect neuronal map of a person's brain on a cellular scale >(this neuron connects to these neurons, etc.) will not be sufficient to >duplicate the personality represented by that brain.... Backing it up with this assertion: >In order to duplicate a brain, you will have to know the composition down >to the molecular level. I find it unlikely we will be able to do that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >until the very final stages of nanotechnology. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you are concerned with atomic abundances, you can do it NOW. I have a friend working with ion-probe (microscopy?), in which a beam of ions is aimed at a sample and the atoms which come out of the sample are measured for composition by mass spectrometric techniques. By varying the aim, energy and angle of impact of the ion beam, the sample's composition can be measured over areas small enough to look at the details of IC chip construction and at different depths. This is already being used to probe the insides of cells. If the brain in question is already being taken apart for transmission electron microscopy, using flourescent antibodies or ion probes or whatever to look at the chemical composition is no problem. We are closer than you think. -- Russ Cage Ford Powertrain Engineering Development Department Home: russ%rsi@sharkey.cc.umich.edu Member: HASA, "S" division.