July 15, 2009 -- A technique based on how brain neurons behave could dramatically speed up computer simulations of the universe, said U.K. researchers. Cosmologists have long used computers to simulate what the universe looks like and how it evolved. But modelling the universe in detail is an extremely time consuming process. Therefore researchers, led by postgraduate student Cesario Almeida from the University of Durham, have used an artificial neural network (ANN) to speed up the process of creating mock catalogues of galaxies. Their findings appear on the arXiv physics website. ANN simulates the way brain neurons connect and compute information, and it can be used to solve a range of astronomy, mathematics and engineering problems. By comparing mock galactic catalogues with actual observations, such as the ATLAS sky survey currently being conducted by the Herschel space observatory, cosmologists can assess how well their models perform. The observatory, which was launched into space in May 2009, will map 600 square degrees or just over 1 percent of the sky - an area that contains around one billion galaxies. Related Content:
Current top-of-the-line computers would take around 100 years to recreate this area of sky. Almeida and colleagues used the ANN to create their mock galactic catalogue in several wavelengths of light. Overall, they found the ANN-derived universe matched previous, well-known models with an accuracy of between 80 and 90 percent. It was best at simulating galaxies in the near-infrared part of the spectrum. "At all the wavelengths considered we find that the luminosity functions predicted by the ANN are in excellent agreement," they write. Associate Professor Andrew Hopkins of the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Sydney, says the technique could speed up research in the field of cosmology. "It's certainly exciting that it can speed up this process," he says. "It opens up a new approach to try and attack these problems because it can work very quickly on a large number of simulated galaxies." "It's an important cog in a very large wheel and sidesteps a lot of messy detail." Related Links: High-Speed Crash Makes Hot, 'Sterile' Galaxies Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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