• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclaimer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Speak Portuguese With Ease
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop for Lessons
  • Starter Kit
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Blog
Brazilian scientist connects the brains of two rats, one in Brazil and one in the US

Brazilian scientist connects the brains of two rats, one in Brazil and one in the US

posted on March 7, 2013


–> Brazilian scientist Miguel Nicolelis

Scientists at the International Institute of Neurosciences of Natal (Rio Grande do Norte) recently teamed up with their counterparts in a lab in South Carolina in order to conduct an interesting experiment. The results are an initial step towards collaborative organic networks, albeit in rats.

A rodent in an enclosed space in Natal was equipped with neuro-sensors, as was a rodent in a duplicate enclosure in the US. When a hole in the wall was created for the Natal-based rat, it had to use its whiskers to sense if the hole was narrow or wide and then step on one of two levers corresponding to the two sizes. Picking the correct lever meant a treat for the rat.

The neuro-sensors come into play when the Brazilian rat, having started its test slightly earlier than the American rat, would effectively communicate over the internet (via the sensors) to the American rat telling it which lever was correct. Sixty to seventy percent of the time, the tests showed that the rats were working in tandem to solve their shared problem. As a reward for the American rat’s success per test, the Brazilian rat got an additional treat for sending the right information.


–> Brain to brain interface

One of the main authors behind the study, the Brazilian neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, hopes that by improving on the “brainet”, as he calls it, individual brains will be able to do a myriad of tasks that previously weren’t possible. As to what those tasks are or could be, he wouldn’t say.

Possible future use cases, if used in humans, could include telepathy between humans, animals and/or machines. The study, though, seems like the first stages of such a process so I wouldn’t hold your breath for something like this hitting the market in the next decade. Though I must say, if you think about it, communication over the centuries has been increasingly shortened and these days we can communicate with anyone, anywhere, effortlessly and instantaneously. The logical next step after wearable tech (which happens to have been all the craze at this year’s CES trade show event in Las Vegas) would be biotech. Get ready.

—————-

Schedule your Portuguese Demo Lesson.

Street Smart Brazil offers one-on-one and group classes online via webcam. We have a fantastic team of tutors, exclusive class materials, and complete programs from absolute beginner to fluent.  See what our customers are saying.

Share ... Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Email this to someone
email

Related Posts:

  • War Vocabulary in Portuguese
  • Articles in Portuguese - Portuguese lesson
  • Use the Infinitive in Portuguese instead of -ING in English

About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to see your pic by your comment? Get a free custom avatar at Gravatar.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • Brazil
  • Brazilian music
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Business Culture
  • Culture and History
  • Flashcards
  • Food
  • Grammar
  • Idiomatic Expressions
  • Learning Languages
  • Pronunciation
  • Resources
  • Video lessons
  • Visiting Brazil
  • Vocabulary

Schedule a Trial Session

Testimonials

I’ve been extremely happy with my classes through your program. My instructor is great and very good at formulating lessons which are challenging but also accessible for a beginner like me. She’s also… Read more
Bernard
I always wanted to learn a second language, but as much as I tried, I couldn’t manage to do it on my own. Much to my surprise, after learning with Street Smart Brazil, I find myself speaking in sente… Read more
Michael
Street Smart Brazil has excellent and flexible training. It was able to meet our needs for ongoing Portuguese study. They also are constantly evolving their offerings which keep me involved and learn… Read more
Doran
I can highly recommend learning Portuguese with Street Smart Brazil. I have very good tutoring. My teacher is competent and nice. Her classes are great and she challenges me every single time in a ver… Read more
Marina

Find Resources

Make your learning fun and easy with good resources.
Learn More

51 Portuguese Idioms – Speak Like a Brazilian

You will learn each expression inside a real-life context: everyday situations that could happen to any of us.
Purchase Now >

Recent Posts

  • Learn the Numbers in Portuguese: All you need to know
  • The Difference Between ESTE, ESSE, ISSO in Portuguese
  • 4 language learning hacks for your Portuguese
  • War Vocabulary in Portuguese
  • Valentine’s Day in Brazil – Dia dos Namorados

Search

Cart

Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Preparation Course

Footer Subscribe

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese

Footer Video CTA

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all the new video lessons

Subscribe

https://youtu.be/Q8ONwVoTG9M

Footer Full CTA

Book a Trial Lesson today to get started.

Get Started Now

Footer CTA

Street Smart Brazil

  • About
  • Shop For a Portuguese Class
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Portuguese Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Preparation Course

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese


Street Smart Brazil, LLC

phone 415.573.8180
email info@streetsmartbrazil.com
Oakland, California

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2014–2022 Street Smart Brazil, All Rights Reserved | Website by Web Savvy Marketing