Doris Tsao: recording more neurons won't crack the brain — the field needs new frameworks
patrickmineault · x · 2026-11-12
Neuroscientist Doris Tsao offers a critical take on systems neuroscience in a thread around visualizations of Hubel's tungsten electrode:
- She honors David Hubel's legacy but argues the dark side of it may be what Sydney Brenner's famous quote warned about;
- Simply listening to many neurons, showing random stimuli, and hoping for the best won't explain the brain — "it's not 1962 anymore";
- The field needs new ideas, a conceptual framework for how the brain works as a whole, and an intentional research program to test them.
A prominent researcher publicly pushing back on the field's dominant paradigm.
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