Worm uploaded to a computer and trained to balance a pole

(Vienna University of Technology) The tiny worm C. elegans is the only living being whose neural network has been analyzed completely. It can therefore be transferred to a computer, creating a virtual copy of the worm which behaves in exactly the same way to external stimuli. Such a 'virtual worm' can learn amazing tricks -- its neural network can even be used to balance a pole, which is a standard control problem in computer science.