News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Scientific American magazine, a top U.S. periodical, has listed an Israeli medical breakthrough as one of the '50 most significant scientific breakthroughs in 2007.'  Two Israeli scientists, Professor Eshel Ben-Yaakov and Dr. Itay Baruchi created a 'brain in a Petri dish' consisting of millions of neurons which simulates how information or memories are stored in humans and animals as part of their research in treating Parkinson's disease.

The pair says they hope their neurons system will soon be used to do other experiments involving the brain, such as determining how different medications affect it, and even hope to create a biological computer by connecting a network of neurons to a regular computer.