--- title: "Scientists Control Venus Flytrap With Implanted Computer Brain" description: "A team of scientists successfully took control over a Venus Flytrap, a cultivated carnivorous plant, by implanting a tiny microchip in it." date: "2022-02-24" modified: "2022-02-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-control-venus-flytrap-with-implanted-computer-brain" categories: - "Computers" - "Computing" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "neurons" - "the digest" - "venus flytrap" --- # Scientists Control Venus Flytrap With Implanted Computer Brain ![A team of scientists successfully took control over a Venus Flytrap, a cultivated carnivorous plant, by implanting a tiny microchip in it.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Snapped Shut It's "Little Shop of Horrors" meets "Terminator." A team of scientists successfully took control over a Venus Flytrap, a type of cultivated carnivorous plant, by implanting a tiny microchip in it. This "artificial neutron" was able to force the plants to open and close — conventionally a way for them to devour its prey — mimicking the brain's methods of processing and transferring information. "The human brain is one of the most advanced computers ever made," Simone Fabiano, an associate professor at Linköping University in Sweden and senior author of a [new study]() published in the journal *Nature*, [told *Cosmos*](). "It has a massive amount of memory and is excellent at processing information and making decisions while consuming very little energy," he argued. "On the contrary, man-made supercomputers are bulky and consume a lot of energy." https://youtu.be/0PXhl--IkSw ## Mimicking Biology The team's artificial neurons mimic biological ones by spiking the concentration of ions in an organic electrochemical transistor. That approach comes with a number of advantages, they say, including substantial energy savings over conventional silicon-based circuitry. The researchers' neurons fired electrical currents inside the cells of Venus Flytraps to trigger the plants' natural reflexes and force them to snap shut. Outside of flesh-eating plants, such tech could have a vast number of other uses as well, from implantable medical devices to intelligent soft robotics. "Neurons, together with synapses, are the building blocks of our brain," Fabiano told *Cosmos*. "“Being able to mimic the functioning of biological neurons with electronic devices could enable the development of artificial intelligence technologies." It's a small step in the direction of fully simulating "the efficiency of our brain," she explained, "but I believe we are on the right track to demonstrate printed, small-scale artificial neural networks." **READ MORE:** [Venus flytraps doing the neuron dance]() \[*Cosmos*\] **More on artificial neurons:** *[Researchers Teach Human Brain Cells in a Dish to Play "Pong"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()