Researchers at University of Limerick's Bernal Institute worked with an international team of scientists to create a new type of organic material that learns from its past behavior.Working during lockdowns, the team developed a two-nanometer thick layer of molecules, which is 50,000 times thinner than a strand of hair and remembers its history as electrons pass through it.The newly discovered dynamic organic switch displays all the mathematical logic functions necessary for deep learning, successfully emulating Pavlovian "call and response" synaptic brain-like behavior.To emulate the dynamical behavior of synapses at the molecular level, the researchers combined fast electron transfer (akin to action potentials and fast depolarization processes in biology) with slow proton coupling limited by diffusion (akin to the role of biological calcium ions or neurotransmitters).We are already busy expanding this next generation of intelligent molecular materials, which is enabling development of sustainable alternative technologies to tackle grand challenges in energy, environment, and health," explained Professor Thompson."