Scientists working with electrical components called memristors have found that the components function similarly to brain cells and so the goal of building a computer that works like a human brain appears to be one step closer. With the help of memristors, computers can be developed in a way that they can independently deviate from their programming while providing enormous energy conservation benefits.

The research plays out in a size dimension that the human imagination can hardly comprehend. The height of a memristor “turret,” lead researcher Andy Thomas says, correlates to the thickness of a hair divided a thousand times. And unlike common transistors, the memristors memorize when electricity flows through them and produce a middle layer of magnesium oxide. The connection becomes stronger the more often it’s used — similar to human nerve cells, the synapses of which react quicker the more often they are activated.