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Mimicking nature’s structural complexity

The functions that sustain life rely on the way living things organize at scales ranging from proteins, to cells, to tissues, to organs. Mimicking nature’s structural complexity in artificial systems to process information or energy the way living things do is a major challenge for materials that can be made and used sustainably. But meeting this challenge means scientists need much better control over how big structures arise from smaller ones, especially at very small scales.

Inspired by the human brain

The idea that the human brain, the most impressive machine ever known, could inspire the development of computers is not new. In fact, the concept of artificial networks inspired by neurons, the central units that make up the brain, first surfaced in the 1950s. But the last decade has seen a resurgence of research programs looking at building neuromorphic computing with the help of a new ally: photonics.