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Whole-Brain Emulation
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# Whole-Brain Emulation Portal: Mind & Cognition Stage: Speculative concept Evidence: Speculative Template: Concept Risk: Unknown Reversibility: Irreversible Last reviewed: Feb 2026 == Summary == The idea of scanning and simulating a brain in enough detail to reproduce its function is a long-horizon concept with no experimental pathway in humans and deep unknowns about what would be captured. == Key takeaways == * Emulation would require mapping and simulating the brain far beyond current connectomics. * It is unknown whether structural scans capture what makes a mind function. * Claims of near-term uploading outrun both the neuroscience and the computing. == The concept == Whole-brain emulation proposes to measure a brain's structure and dynamics in enough detail to run a model that behaves like the original. It is a thought experiment that organizes questions in neuroscience and computing more than a research program. Even mapping a complete mammalian connectome is at the frontier, and a static wiring diagram may omit the molecular states, timing, and body context that shape function. == Why it is speculative == There is no demonstrated path from a scan to a functioning emulation, and no agreement on what resolution would suffice or how anyone would verify success. The topic also raises unresolved questions of identity and continuity that are philosophical as much as technical. It belongs on the map as a horizon, clearly separated from near-term neurotechnology. == Open questions == * What level of detail, if any, is sufficient to reproduce function? * How could an emulation ever be validated? == Watchlist == * Whole connectome maps * Molecular-state imaging * Validation frameworks == References == * Whole Brain Emulation: A Roadmap — Sandberg & Bostrom, Future of Humanity Institute, 2008. https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/brain-emulation-roadmap-report.pdf. The reference technical roadmap framing the requirements and unknowns. == Categories == [[Category:Mind & Cognition]] [[Category:mind uploading]] [[Category:connectomics]] [[Category:philosophy]]