Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Scientists remotely hack brain, control body movements...


Scientists remotely hack brain, control body movements...
Imagine someone remotely controlling your brain, forcing your body’s central processing organ to send messages to your muscles that you didn’t authorize. It’s an incredibly scary thought, but scientists have managed to accomplish this science fiction nightmare for real, albeit on a much small scale, and they were even able to prompt their test subject to run, freeze in place, or even completely lose control over their limbs. 
Thankfully, the research will be used for good rather than evil… for now. 
The effort, led by physics professor Arnd Pralle, PhD, of the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, focused on a technique called “magneto-thermal stimulation.” 
It’s not exactly a simple process — it requires the implantation of specially built DNA strands and nanoparticles which attach to specific neurons — but once the minimally invasive procedure is over, the brain can be remotely controlled via an alternating magnetic field. When those magnetic inputs are applied, the particles heat up, causing the neurons to fire. 
The study, which was published in the most recent edition of the journal eLife, includes experiments where were performed on mice. Using the new technique, the researchers were able to control the movement of the animals, causing them to freeze, lock up their limbs, turn around, or even run. 
Despite only being tested on mice, the research could have far-reaching implications in the realm of brain research. The holy grail for dreamers like Elon Musk is that we’ll one day be able to tweak our brains to eliminate mood disorders and make us more perfect creatures. This groundbreaking research could very well be an important step towards that future.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is Mark of the Best stuff right there.

midnight rider said...

Yeah it is

midnight rider said...

That and RFID chip implants. For your fucking bank account, medical records etc...

Anonymous said...

Mark of the Beast? I thought it was Marty Feldman.

Anonymous said...

The negative implications of such research are truly frightening.

On the other hand, having directly dealt with a family member whose loss of mobility due to stroke this research also has positive implications. The potential for developing medical techniques which can resurrect mobility to stroke and other brain/spinal injury victims is equally exhilarating.

Consider the value of such advancements for all our veterans suffering from limited mobility due to brain or spinal trauma.

If you think about it ... all technology has proven to be a double edged sword.

christian soldier said...

Orwell-1984

Pastorius said...

Yes, there are unintended negative consequences to everything.

What would Liberals do if they couldn't complain about unintended consequences and blame Conservatives for them?