- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Melbourne Village Today
By the People, for the People
Petri Dish of Human Brain Cells Learns to Play Iconic '90s Video Game
Cortical Labs teaches 200,000 human brain cells to play Doom, raising concerns about the future of AI and biomputation.
Published on Mar. 9, 2026
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
Researchers at Cortical Labs in Melbourne, Australia have taught a petri dish containing 200,000 human brain cells how to play the classic 1993 video game Doom. This comes after the team previously taught a group of 800,000 neurons to play the simpler game of Pong in 2022. While the brain cells can move the main character around and shoot at enemies, the researchers admit the cells play like a complete beginner. However, the breakthrough is in the successful translation of the digital game into the biological language of neurons, demonstrating the flexibility of biomputation technology.
Why it matters
This experiment raises concerns about the potential implications of brain-computer interfaces and the rapid advancements in AI and biomputation. Some fear this could lead to a "sci-fi" future, while others see it as an important step in understanding the capabilities of biological computing. The successful mapping of a complex 3D game like Doom onto a neural network shows the rapid progress being made in this field.
The details
Cortical Labs used its CL1 system to map the digital world of Doom into patterns of electrical stimulation that the 200,000 human brain cells could interpret and respond to. While the cells can move the main character, shoot at enemies, and demonstrate some learning, the researchers acknowledge the cells play at a beginner level. The key breakthrough is in solving the interface problem between digital and biological systems.
- In 2022, Cortical Labs taught 800,000 neurons to play the game Pong.
- In March 2026, Cortical Labs taught 200,000 human brain cells to play the video game Doom.
The players
Cortical Labs
A Melbourne-based research company that is pioneering the field of biomputation, or the use of biological systems like neurons to perform computational tasks.
Dr. Brett Kagan
A researcher at Cortical Labs who explained the challenge of translating the complex 3D game of Doom into the biological language of neurons.
Dr. Alon Loeffler
A researcher at Cortical Labs who stated that the neurons' ability to play Doom demonstrates the flexibility of biomputation technology.
What they’re saying
“Right now, the cells play a lot like a beginner who's never seen a computer. And in all fairness, they haven't.”
— Dr. Brett Kagan, Researcher, Cortical Labs
“The neurons' ability to play Doom demonstrates the flexibility of biomputation.”
— Dr. Alon Loeffler, Researcher, Cortical Labs
What’s next
Cortical Labs plans to continue exploring the capabilities of biological computing systems and what other complex tasks they may be able to perform.
The takeaway
This experiment highlights the rapid progress being made in the field of biomputation and raises important questions about the future implications of brain-computer interfaces and AI systems that can learn and adapt in biological ways.
