Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your tax-deductible donation now.
Can the insect brain help us develop smarter, faster AI?
Listen
10:23
Listen to the Story
Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode Natural Intelligence.
Dragonflies intercept their prey with 95% accuracy. Understanding how their brains function could be the key to building more efficient algorithms and tech.
About Frances Chance
Frances Chance is a computational neuroscientist. She is also a principal member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where she is using her knowledge of neural systems to try and develop biologically inspired algorithms and technologies. She has always been fascinated by how biological neurons work — in particular, understanding how nervous systems are specialized to fit an animal's ecological niche. Recently, she has begun to explore potential parallels between the operations of neural systems and the challenges faced by modern computers.
Her collaborators include Paloma Gonzalez Pulido, and graduate student, David Munkvold at University of Minnesota. They run the experiments with dragonflies.
This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Harsha Nahata and Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour, Manoush Zomorodi and James Delahoussaye. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.
Sponsored message
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
