Scientists have discovered that the human brain inherently uses Bayesian inference, a statistical method combining prior knowledge with new evidence, to interpret visual stimuli. This research suggests that understanding this mechanism can advance fields like artificial intelligence and clinical neurology.
Scientists now possess a mathematical model that closely mirrors the way the human brain interprets visual data.
Researchers have confirmed that human brains are naturally wired to perform advanced calculations, similar to e a high-powered computer, to make sense of the world through a process known as Bayesian inference.
In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, and the University of Cambridge developed a comprehensive mathematical model that This model encompasses all the necessary components to perform Bayesian inference.
Dr. Reuben Rideaux. Credit: Reuben Rideaux
Bayesian inference is a statistical method that combines prior knowledge with new evidence to make intelligent guesswork. For example, if you know what a dog looks like and you see a furry animal with four legs, you might use your prior knowledge to guess it’s a dog.
This inherent capability enables people to interpret the environment with extraordinary precision and speed, unlike machines that can be bested by simple CAPTCHA security measures when prompted to identify fire hydrants in a panel of images.
The study’s senior investigator Dr Reuben Rideaux, from the University of Sydney’s School of Psychology, said: “Despite the conceptual appeal and explanatory power of the Bayesian approach, how the brain calculates probabilities is largely mysterious.”
“Our new study sheds light on this mystery. We discovered that the basic structure and connections within our brain’s visual system are set up in a way that allows it to perform Bayesian inference on the sensory data it receives.
“What makes this finding significant is the confirmation that our brains have an inherent design that allows this advanced form of processing, enabling us to interpret our surroundings more effectively.”
The study’s findings not only confirm existing theories about the brain’s use of Bayesian-like inference but open doors to new research and innovation, where the brain’s natural ability for Bayesian inference can be harnessed for practical applications that benefit society.
“Our research, while primarily focussed on visual perception, holds broader implications across the spectrum of neuroscience and psychology,” Dr Rideaux said.
“By understanding the fundamental mechanisms that the brain uses to process and interpret sensory data, we can pave the way for advancements in fields ranging from artificial intelligence, where mimicking such brain functions can revolutionize machine learning, to clinical neurology, potentially offering new strategies for therapeutic interventions in the future.”
The research team, led by Dr. William Harrison, made the discovery by recording brain activity from volunteers while they passively viewed displays, engineered to elicit specific neural signals related to visual processing. They then devised mathematical models to compare a spectrum of competing hypotheses about how the human brain perceives vision.
Reference: “Neural tuning instantiates prior expectations in the human visual system” by William J. Harrison, Paul M. Bays and Reuben Rideaux, 1 September 2023, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41027-w
Yeah, we’re pretty focused on warhead stockpile maintenance, perfect shorts and trying to breed choco bananas in local field conditions. Sometimes putting small stuff in big heatsinks.
That wasn’t evolution. That was God.
Evolution doesn’t exist. Adaptation does. No frog ever become a cat. But frogs adapted to changing living conditions, just like every other species.
Well said!
Human brain evaluation possible keep 130 servers data information
Possible communicate with Humans
Brain 🧠 by brains weaves on Graund and between galactic.
Your headline states that evolution is responsible for brain behaviour discovered by a team of scientists. You made that up. The only place the word evolution is used is in your headline. As a matter of fact, one of the scientists quoted in your piece states that the brain was “designed” in this manner, an argument that favours intelligent design, not evolution.
Your headline is a deliberate attempt to prop up a hypothesis that grows increasingly weaker by the decade. Tsk, tsk.
I think that our brains have decreased in size over time because of how we are not using it the way we did before.. due to the already provided information by “Artificial” Intelligence. Like the internet. Ready information. Now days people really don’t have to figure things out, it’s already provided. So in order for people’s brain to get bigger they would have to exercise it more. Like any muscle.
Evolution can’t create anything, it’s intimate.
Follow the evidence, in the beginning God created… you are intelligently designed.
*inanimate
I like how the article’s title has nothing to do with the content of the article. It’s unfortunate how any discussion of complex life almost always draws out the need to defend evolution. It’s because people know deep down evolution cannot be responsible for something like a supercomputer human brain, but people grip to the theory because the only alternative is recognizing a power higher than themselves that will hold them accountable some day: Jesus.
“Evolution Wired Human Brains To Act Like Supercomputers”
No, human brains are not like machines. But it is (psychopathic) machine people with their BIASED “science” who want everyone else to believe that lie and most people believe in this lie proving they are demented machine people too … https://www.rolf-hefti.com/covid-19-coronavirus.html
“When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker, a raving lunatic.” — Dresden James