So, this little diagram represents a single neuron.

I assure you, this is very tiny. It's just six microns on a side.

I wouldn't ask they would.

Cone

Conic Sweep

Conical

It's the gene that makes jellyfish glow green at night, and we've stuck it into these two neurons, and now they too are glowing green, and you can see two neurons connected to each other.

In the retina, there are two different types of light detecting cells rods and cones.

There are 100 billion neurons in the adult human brain.

(Louder cheer)

Look at my neurons.

The rods are used for seeing in low light conditions, and there is only one kind of those.

Those little blue dots on the top are the transmitters released by the axon, and then they activate all of these receptors, and all of that machinery in the next neuron, and ultimately that causes the neuron to fire.

look at my neurons.

And each neuron itself is largely unique.

So let me see if I can draw a three dimensional cone.

Polyconic

In other words, if somebody touches me, my hand, neuron in the somatosensory cortex in the sensory region of the brain fires.

Each neuron is connected via synapses to up to 10,000 other neurons in your brain.

That's the beauty of democracy.

Oh, let me just start that over, because it needs to be recorded

Now the intersection of this plane, which is now not orthogonal or it's not perpendicular to the axis of this three dimensional cone.

Let's see if we can learn a thing or two about conic sections.

You know, it's fun and it's important.

Like synapses between neurons.

Now to bring home the point of how close it is the relationship between the grid of neurons and the topographical arrangement of the activity of the neurons and our mental experience

When you see a color, each cone sends its own distinct signal to your brain.

(Laughter)

Let's look at neurons.

And for every one I know, I drew this myself. Thank you.

What kinds of changes happen?

Why on earth are they called conic sections?

But the reality is it doesn't look like that.

I edited out the last bit when I asked, Where is the neuron? and she says, The neuron?

They're also called spikes, but they're just means of little pulse of electricity.

like a chain of falling dominoes.

Well, the brain, as you know, is made up of neurons.

So, most of them will fire when I'm touched in different locations.

Conical

This is the kind of data that we do have.

Here is an example of our aerial camera.

We color every neuron in, in a different color, and then we look through all of the images, find the synapses and note the colors of the two neurons involved in each synapse.

Now that you know what the conic sections are and why they're called conic sections, let's see if we can understand the actual equations of the conic sections a little bit better, and use that knowledge to be able to at least recognize them when we see the equation, and then if we see the equation, know how to plot them.

Let's see what evolution can do for us.

Here's Kallikuppam.