Our brain is arguably the most powerful computer in the known universe.
We effortlessly carry out computations, like rapidly recognizing objects
in the environment, that are beyond the capabilities of the most
powerful non-biological computers. In this talk, I will describe how
brains are constructed, compare the specific ways computers and brains
are alike and different, and explain why the methods of theoretical
physics can help us to understand these differences.
Charles F. "Chuck" Stevens, MD, PhD,
is a neurobiologist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla. Dr.
Stevens uses electrophysiology, molecular biology, functional imaging,
electron and light microscopy, comparative neuroanatomy, and theoretic
approaches to elucidate how neuronal circuits compute. He is Vincent J.
Coates Professor of Molecular Neurobiology at the Salk Institute and
Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and of Neuroscience at the University
of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. He received his B.A.
degree in psychology at Harvard University, his M.D. degree at Yale
University, and his Ph.D. degree in biophysics at the Rockefeller
University for studies with Keffer Harline. He was a member of the
faculties at the University of Washington Medical School and at Yale
Medical School before joining the Salk Institute. Dr. Stevens is a
member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences.