• Video games have come a long way since Pong, the classic stick-and-ball duel that’s just like table tennis. However, the old school game is now helping scientists examine how the brain works.
• In a study of 800,000 brain cells in a lab dish, researchers in Australia have discovered these neurons are capable of goal-directed tasks — like guiding the paddle in a game of Pong.
• “We have shown we can interact with living biological neurons in such a way that compels them to modify their activity, leading to something that resembles intelligence,” says lead author Dr. Brett Kagan, Chief Scientific Officer of biotech start-up Cortical Labs, in a media release.

Tagged: News of the Weird