Computer bits are binary, with a value of zero or one. By contrast, neurons in the brain can have many internal states, depending on the input that they receive. This allows the brain to process information in a more energy-efficient manner than a computer. University of Groningen (UG) physicists are working on memristors made from niobium-doped strontium titanate, which mimic the function of neurons. Their results were published in the Journal of Applied Physics on 21 October.