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Brains are amazing information processing devices. How did brains evolve? How
are they organized? What sorts of information processing principles do they
implement? How do these principles give rise to adaptive behavior and
'intelligence'?
This course tries to answer some of these questions by examining the
information processing problems that organisms face in natural environments and
how nervous systems have evolved to solve those problems.
We will explore evolutionary trends and trajectories leading from simple
behaviors in bacteria, to the emergence of nervous systems in multicellular
organisms, to the sophisticated information processing capabilities of modern
brains.
Along the way, we will also learn to design simple 'brains' for controlling the
behaviors of artificial creatures in virtual environments.
Prereqs:
Basic physics (PHYS 102 or 212) and biology (MCB 252).
An introductory course in neurobiology (e.g., MCB 414)
is recommended.
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