- Home
- Blog
Biocomputing, explained in depth.
Long-form guides to organoid intelligence and computing with living neurons: the biology, the hardware, the learning, the ethics and the road ahead. Every claim is sourced.
What is organoid intelligence? The complete guide to computing with living neurons
Organoid intelligence (OI) uses lab-grown human brain organoids on electrode arrays as living computers. Learn how it works, key results, limits and ethics.
Read the guide
Biocomputing vs silicon: why living neurons could fix AI's energy problem
The brain runs on about 20 W while data centers used ~415 TWh in 2024. How biocomputing compares with GPUs on energy and learning, plus the honest caveats.
Read article →
How brain organoids are grown: from stem cell to firing network
Brain organoids are grown from human stem cells that self-organize into 3D neural tissue. Learn the stages, guided vs unguided methods, limits and maturation.
Read article →
Microelectrode arrays explained: how we listen to and talk with neurons
Microelectrode arrays record and stimulate neurons through grids of tiny electrodes. Learn how MEAs work, CMOS vs passive designs, spike sorting, 3D organoids.
Read article →
How neurons learn in a dish: closed-loop training, DishBrain and the free energy principle
Cultured neurons can change behavior through closed-loop feedback. Learn how DishBrain taught neurons Pong, the free energy principle and the sentience debate.
Read article →
Reservoir computing with brain organoids: how Brainoware recognised speech
Reservoir computing pairs a fixed dynamical system with a trained readout. Learn how Brainoware used a brain organoid as the reservoir, its results and limits.
Read article →
The ethics of organoid intelligence: consent, consciousness and responsible research
Organoid intelligence ethics explained: donor consent for iPSC lines, whether brain organoids could be conscious, genomic privacy and a checklist for labs.
Read article →
The future of biocomputing: the roadmap, open problems and what comes next
Where biocomputing goes next: scaling brain organoids, vascularization, 3D interfaces, NWB data, cloud access, first applications and realistic milestones.
Read article →
Biological computing: from DNA molecules to living neurons
Biological computing uses DNA, engineered cells and living neurons to store and process information. Learn the three types, key milestones, and real limits.
Read article →
Bio-silicon hybrid computing: how living neurons and chips work together
Bio-silicon hybrid computing links living neurons to chips in a closed loop. Learn the architecture layer by layer, real systems like DishBrain, and uses.
Read article →
Can brain organoids become conscious? What science can and cannot tell us
Can brain organoids become conscious? What theories of consciousness predict, why tests are hard to apply, what organoids lack and what labs should measure.
Read article →
Do biological computers have moral status? Sentience, rights and where to draw the line
Do biological computers have moral status? A balanced guide to sentience, human origin, precaution, graded views and how organoid computing should be governed.
Read article →
Who owns a living computer? Donor consent, cell lines and the lessons of HeLa
Who owns a biocomputer built from donated human cells? The donor-to-service chain, the HeLa story, Moore v. Regents, consent models, privacy and royalties.
Read article →
Is it wrong to switch off a biological computer? Welfare, end of life and responsible retirement
Switching off a biological computer means ending a living culture. What that involves, whether organoids can suffer, and how labs can retire them responsibly.
Read article →