Re:Is This Economist Too Far Ahead of His Time?
by SubiculumCode on Thursday October 20, 2016 @01:35AM
(#12749939)
I attended a primer lecture on tbe immune system. Holy hell.
At least 200 different types of T cells. At least 200 other types of immune cells. Then there are all their interactions, signaling, locating, memory functions. I honestly dont know if one can ever get a handle on the complexity.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Is This Economist Too Far Ahead of His Time?
by AstralStorm on Thursday October 20, 2016 @03:35AM
(#12750358)
It is not complexity, but diversity. The functions those cells perform are mostly understood as are most mechanisms by which they work. There are many variants of a similar function and mechanism.
That said, immunology is still quite young too, but compared to it neuroscience is not even born.
Re:Is This Economist Too Far Ahead of His Time?
by SubiculumCode on Thursday October 20, 2016 @11:42AM
(#12753299)
For a large part we understand how two particles can interact. Simple rules.
Put together 200 of those particles, predictions become very difficult and complex.
Re:Is This Economist Too Far Ahead of His Time?
by laughingman123 on Thursday October 20, 2016 @05:35AM
(#12750867)
Alan Kay's inspiration for OOP and message passing seems to have come from working in microbiology.
Maybe thinking/finding about how biology does its computation will be important for machines that can scale very well?