“A transistor that simulates some of the functions of neurons has been invented based on experiments and models developed by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in São Paulo State, Brazil, Würzburg University in Germany, and the University of South Carolina in the United States. The device, which has micrometric as well as nanometric parts, can see light, count, and store information in its own structure, dispensing with the need for a complementary memory unit. It is described in the article “Nanoscale tipping bucket effect in a quantum dot transistor-based counter”, published in the journal Nano Letters. The research was supported by FAPESP through the projects “Transport properties and quantum computation in nanostructures”, “Network for nano-optics and nano-electronics”, and “Optical and transport phenomena in nanodevices”.”