左图看起来像是儿童彩泥,其实那些黏性的彩色海绵环是活的,甚至有一天还会拥有学习能力,它们设计用于模拟人类6层大脑皮层组织的结构和功能。科学家诱导神经元(右图)在基体支架上生长,他们把蚕丝蛋白制成的多孔基体浸入胶原凝胶,然后用食用染料给各层染上不同颜色,像七巧板一样拼合起来。通过调整基质孔隙的尺寸和方向,研究者尝试模仿真实皮质 The photo on the left looks like a child’s clay. In fact, the sticky colored sponge rings are alive and one day they even have the ability to learn. They are designed to mimic the structure and function of the human 6-layer cerebral cortex. Scientists induce neurons (right) to grow on a scaffold. They immerse a porous matrix made of silk fibroin in a collagen gel and dye each layer with a different color, using a dietary dye, as a tangram. By adjusting the size and orientation of the matrix pores, researchers try to mimic the real cortex