Supercomputer simulations of blood moving through the vasculature in the brain account for even the plasticity of individual blood cells. Take a look at this video by researchers from Brown University.
( Blood Flow: Multi-scale Modeling and Visualization )
Healthy red blood cells are smooth and elastic; they need to squeeze and bend through tiny capillaries to deliver blood to all areas of the brain. But malaria-infected cells stiffen and stick to the walls, creating blockages in arteries and vessels. Malaria victims die because their brain tissues are deprived of oxygen. A more complete picture of how blood moves through the brain would allow doctors to understand the progression of diseases that affect blood flow, like malaria, diabetes and HIV.
"Previous computer models haven't been able to accurately account for, say, the motion of the blood cells bending or buckling as they ricochet off the walls," said Joe Insley, a principal software developer at Argonne who is working with the team. "This simulation is powerful enough to incorporate that extra level of detail."
Take a look at just the first few seconds of the following trailer from Fantastic Voyage and see how close we were in 1966 to simulating the flow of blood.
Nanowire Memristor Networks Form 'Brains'
'He had constructed ... a brain, of metal... whose atomic structure he claimed was analogous to the atomic structure of a living brain.'- Edmond Hamilton, 1926.
US Census Will Be Online In 2020
'Most would be in English, but some would be in Spanish, some in Amerind languages, some in Chinese...'- John Brunner, 1975.
Wireless Brain-Computer Interface
'I used my implant to tell MILLIE [a mainframe computer] what we wanted and she took care of it," Art said.'- Pournelle and Niven, 1981.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
Sky City's 220 Stories Are Go
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'