The Optic Nerve: Faster than DSL!

Technically, it's not the speed of the optic nerve, but rather the retina, collating and processing visual data before passing it up to the visual cortex.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine estimate that the human retina can transmit visual input at about the same rate as an Ethernet connection, one of the most common local area network systems used today. They present their findings in the July issue of Current Biology. This line of scientific questioning points to ways in which neural systems compare to artificial ones, and can ultimately inform the design of artificial visual systems.