On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, God reaches out to touch Adam. The eye locks on the small gap between their index fingers, a slice of space dividing the ethereal from man.

A similar gap challenges researchers who work with paralyzed or handicapped patients — how to synch the human brain with a machine or computer.

Surprising breakthroughs from decades of basic science were featured at the recent, all-day 2015 Bevill Neuroscience Symposium — “Brain-Machine Interfaces” at UAB, which drew 200 attendees.