Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 975: Chapter 490 The same project, different treatment!_2

Although the degree of deformation is very small, with the cell membrane surface only rising about seven nanometers, this phenomenon is completely consistent with the rhythm of the passing electrical signal, confirming Tanzaki Yijiro’s speculation over the years--

The theory proposed by Hodgkin and Huxley might not necessarily be correct.

Tanzaki Yijiro believed, "A neural signal is far from just an electrical signal; it is also a mechanical one. If one only measures nerve cells with electrodes, a lot of important information will undoubtedly be missed."

Tanzaki Yijiro lived to be ninety-eight, but there was no further progress in his research. Many in the medical community believed that his discovery was not the essence of neural signaling, but merely a by-product of the neural electrical signal.

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The renowned German neuroscientist Hemberg also believed that neural transmission could not be just an electrical signal. He greatly admired Tanzaki Yijiro, yet he found another method to explain the experimental phenomena.

He posited, "Mechanical waves, changes in optical properties, and transient thermal effects originate from the lipid nerve cell membranes, not from the proteins and carbohydrate fibers beneath the membrane."

Hemberg immediately began his own experiments—compressing artificial cell membranes to study their response to mechanical shock waves.

He made some important findings: the oily lipid molecules that made up the cell membrane could usually flow and were randomly oriented but were prone to phase changes.

With just a light squeeze of the cell membrane, the lipid molecules would immediately coalesce into a highly ordered liquid crystal state.

Based on these experimental results, Hemberg deduced that the nerve impulse was a mechanical shock wave propagated along the nerve cell membrane.

As the shock wave moved, it compressed the liquid state molecules of the cell membrane into a liquid crystal, releasing a bit of heat during the phase change, just as water releases heat when it freezes. Then, after the shock wave had passed, the cell membrane would return to a liquid state and absorb heat. The whole process lasted only milliseconds, and the brief phase change caused the cell membrane to widen slightly, as Tanzaki and Iwasa observed when they irradiated a platinum plate with a laser.

From Hodgkin and Huxley to Tianzaki Yijiro, Hemberg, and later many other medical practitioners, neurologists, and even physicists, began studying neural impulses, hoping to unlock their mysteries.

Thus, to this day, there are many theories on neural signal transmission internationally, some even suggesting that the human neural network is just a summation of cell membranes, and that the true agents of perception are the individual ordinary cells.

And so on.

It was the same domestically.

If one were to search for papers on neural signal transmission, a simple search engine query would reveal numerous related experiments, conclusions, and inferences; it seemed every researcher could design related experiments, and based on the findings, write a paper with ’distinctive’ deductions.

But...

Over ninety-nine percent of these experimental studies and theories contribute nothing to the understanding of neural signal transmission. Just like different people reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from different perspectives can all make their case, and it might seem convincing, no one knew how the original author, Luo Guanzhong, truly saw it. Most analyses were meaningless.

Research into neural signal transmission, both domestically and internationally, was like this.

Yan Xuelin naturally found this rather easygoing.

After hearing the explanations from several researchers, he thought carefully before finally asking, "You’re not just trying to scam funding, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"We really plan to do the research. Director Yan, just look at our lab... It would be a waste not to conduct high-end research."

"Zhao Yi said he wanted to do this, regardless of how you all do, I’m following Zhao Yi."

"Me too."

"The same here!"

Yan Xuelin nodded as he listened.

The project on ’neural signal transmission’ could almost be equated with ’scamming funding,’ but Zhao Yi was still trustworthy.

Moreover, Zhao Yi probably didn’t care about a little funding; he could likely get as much as he wanted approved with ease.

In the end, Yan Xuelin nodded, "First, apply for the project to see how much funding you get. If it’s not enough, the institute will surely support you."

"No matter how much it’s short, we’ll support it!"

Yan Xuelin clenched his teeth as he said the last sentence.

The institute’s funds were indeed very ample, even able to equip each lab with high-end devices, but scientific investment was a bottomless pit; no matter how much money you had, it could be swallowed up if you weren’t careful.

"Then let’s apply!"

After Yan Xuelin gave his consent, Zhao Yi also made a decision, "First we apply and see how it goes. Those who don’t currently have work should prepare as well."

"I wasn’t joking earlier. If we do this, we must do it well. This is a fundamental, major project, and we are going to produce results!"

"Alright!"

"No problem!"

"Starting today, I’m going all in on this project!"

Several researchers expressed their stance one after another.

They were all very excited and anticipatory because with Zhao Yi leading the project, even the most difficult projects seemed hopeful to them.

Neural signal transmission is an extremely challenging fundamental scientific research project. They didn’t seek to completely unravel the methods of neural signal transmission; even a minor breakthrough would be considered world-class.

Soon.

Zhao Yi’s lab submitted the ’neural signal transmission’ project application to the National Scientific Research Fund.

Afterward, the waiting began.

Once the National Scientific Research Fund received the project application, it would review it for about a week. If it passed the review, they would specifically ask about the research and development plan and confirm the participants. Then, according to the situation, they would disburse the corresponding funds.

Zhao Yi pinned high hopes on the neural signal transmission project. He also thought about the issue of blindness, but he knew that even if the research yielded results, it wouldn’t quickly enable blind people to see the world through devices, as that would be a groundbreaking scientific revolution.

A scientific revolution cannot be achieved by a single research project.

Each advancement in deciphering neural signal transmission could be said to be revolutionary, and he had expectations for the research itself.

For instance, the most advanced neural research abroad can use brain waves to let blind people simply distinguish transmitted numbers.

For example, if the transmitted electrical signal is ’3’.

Through the electrical signals transmitted to their brain, blind people would know that the number transmitted was ’3’. It sounds very simple, but it’s incredibly difficult to achieve, even seemingly fantastical.

This is one of the applications of neural signal transmission research.

"The first step is to at least reach this level."

Zhao Yi didn’t know what results the first step might yield, but he hoped the research could first catch up with the international advanced level.

Then, to exceed it.

What exactly the situation will be after surpassing it is also worth anticipating.

That might be an unknown advanced realm.

...

National Scientific Research Fund.

The medical project review panel was processing the project applications.

Their method of operation was to periodically categorize similar project applications and then collectively discuss and decide.

The conference on medical scientific research projects had just ended. It was the peak period for project applications, and the medical project review panel was very busy with dozens or even hundreds of applications related to basic medical research.

Among them, there were as many as six similar applications for neural signal transmission research.

"Biomedical Research Institute, Zhao Yi’s lab..."

"Zhao Yi? Academician Zhao?"

"The submitted researchers list also includes Li Ming, Ai Lixin, Zhang Wei, Zhu Qi..."

"Their titles are researchers!"

"Five researchers, including Academician Zhao, apply for this kind of ’fund-snatching’ project... Better leave the decision to the leader!"

The medical review group discussed it and immediately submitted the project application information to their superiors, then continued to process the subsequent applications.

The next application was still for neural signal transmission research, submitted by the ’Affiliated Laboratory of Central North Medical College’, with the lab director and neuroscientist Deng Bingcheng being the applicant.

"Affiliated Laboratory of Central North Medical College is also a large medical research center."

"Deng Bingcheng, an expert in neuroscience."

"He wants to do neural signal transmission research? It must be ’fund-snatching’, but rejecting it outright probably isn’t right, is it?"

"How about this, let’s send it back and ask for a detailed application report first. If the report is formal and detailed, later we can approve a small budget of fifty or a hundred thousand..."

"Seems fine, that should do it!"

"OK!"

"Let’s do that!"