But it's evil, John

[Bob Of Burleson]

Wow, Will Leading Scientists Boycott
the Humonguous Human Brain Project?

By Gary Stix
ScientificAmerican.com

Scientists don’t usually lodge a protest against projects funded to the tune of 1.2 billion euros. They usually try to make nice with the organizers to get in on the action.

No one is taking to the streets this time, but more than 200 people (and climbing), among them prominent scientists, are using the megaphone of the Internet to enter a protest about a much-publicized Big Science endeavor. (The count was at 245 signers,mid-afternoon EST, up from 199 in the morning—almost all, if not all, appear to be scientists.)

Outrage was embodied in the form of an open letter to the European Commission over what the signers claim are the misguided goals of the massive Human Brain Project. Those who signed come from institutions like Oxford, University College of London and the Max Planck Institute.

The Human Brain Project is an attempt to create a computerized facsimile of the entire brain, down to the level of individual molecules, within a 10-year time frame. It has always been viewed with skepticism by some neuroscientists, who view its objectives as impossibly ambitious. The project is principally the brainchild of neuroscientist Henry Markram, who wrote for Scientific American on the topic. (A detailed story on the protest by Ian Sample appears in The Guardian. Also, check out this great book excerpt by Sebastian Seung that we ran on Markram and his desire to create a digital brain. Our coverage on this has been ongoing. Maybe also give a look here and here.)

Here’s a snippet of the letter that was drafted by scientists to convey their discontent:

..we wish to express the view that the HBP [Human Brain Project] is not on course and that the European Commission must take a very careful look at both the science and the management of the HBP before it is renewed. We strongly question whether the goals and implementation of the HBP are adequate to form the nucleus of the collaborative effort in Europe that will further our understanding of the brain.

The letter calls for an independent review of the Human Brain Project or perhaps a reallocation of funding to an array of broad-based neuroscience projects that do not just focus on a SimBrain. If either of these options is not forthcoming, the scientists who signed the letter pledge to not participate in the project.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tal ... n-project/