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The six-million dollar question Jeremy Laurance FORTY years ago, the first bionic human Steve Austin featured in the hit US TV science-fiction series The Six Million Dollar Man. Today, he has become science fact. New technologies that “intervene” in the brain, building superhuman capabilities and enabling users to operate weapons or wheelchairs with the power of thought alone, are on the market or under development. Trends 
Virgin Galactic aims to test fly ship in space this year
Total recall: Japanese robot can find lost things
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The six-million dollar question FORTY years ago, the first bionic human Steve Austin featured in the hit US TV science-fiction series The Six Million Dollar Man. Today, he has become science fact. New technologies that “intervene” in the brain, building superhuman capabilities and enabling users to operate weapons or wheelchairs with the power of thought alone, are on the market or under development. Electrodes implanted deep in patient’s brains have been shown to stabilise the shaky movements of Parkinson’s disease and “creativity caps” that deliver magnetic pulses to the head are in use to boost memory and mathematical ability. Scientists have demonstrated how a person in New York with a device implanted in their nervous system can control a robotic arm in the UK, moving it around and sensing the position of objects just by thinking about it. But the rapid advance of the research is raising concerns that meddling with the brain could change people’s personalities, create bionic supermen for military applications or be used to control minds with disturbing implications for society. Today, the Nuffield Council for Bioethics launches a consultation on the ethics of the new technolgies, the global market for which it says is worth $8bn and “growing fast.” “Intervening in the brain has always raised hopes and fears. Hopes of curing terrible diseases and fears about trying to enhance human capability beyond what is normally possible,” said Thomas Baldwin, Chair of the Study and Professor of Philosophy at the University of York. “This challenges us to think what makes us human and why we think and behave in the way we do.” The most advanced technology is deep brain stimulation — the implanting of electrodes in the brain — which has shown dramatic results in improving movement control in Parkinson’s disease. But some patients have developed severe side effects, including personality changes, increased sexual urges and criminal behaviour. One study found half of those treated reported a deterioration in their marriage or relationships. “If that is replicated in further studies that will be alarming,” said Professor Baldwin. An electric coil worn in a cap or attached to the head with a band which delivers magnetic pulses to the brain has been shown to relieve the symptoms of severe depression in patients and boost mental performance in young adults. Known as the “creativity cap” and employing a technology called transcranial magnetic stimulation, it is available from online retailers. It suppresses some brain activity enabling the individual to focus on a particular task. Alena Buyx, of the Nuffield Council, said: “A trial in the UK showed it improved performance in maths and there have been calls for it to be introduced for children in education. We know of children prescribed ritalin (a drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to boost their school performance. Should we try to create individuals with superhuman abilities?” In Scotland, doctors have launched the first trial in the world of neural stem cells injected into the brain to replace damaged brain cells as a treatment for strokes. But there are fears the therapy could lead to brain tumours or changes in mood, behaviour and ability. “Do these technologies alter our notions of personal responsibility? If someone is caught shoplifting, can they claim their brain implant made them do it?” said Dr Buyx. Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, who has used himself as a guinea pig for implants in his nervous system with which he has controlled remote devices, said: “Military applications are being tested but are not yet in use. They involve remote control of vehicles and weaponry with the soldier in a safe location and the weapon in the battlefield. It blurs the distinction between man and machine. Who is making the decisions, who is responsible?” The development of the technologies for use in warfare might be troubling for some. But the potential to help sufferers from diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders, is huge. “This is a big problem area and there is the possibility of helping an enormous number of people in different ways,” Professor Warwick said. Case study: ‘Spike’ in the brain helped to beat paralysis Matthew Nagle was paralysed from the neck down after a knife attack severed his spinal cord. The 21-year-old from Massachusetts in the US was left unable to move or breathe on his own. But in 2004, three years after the attack, he had an electrode array implanted in the surface of his brain — with each electrode “spike” penetrating 1.5mm below the surface. The implant enabled him to pick up objects, open emails, change television channels and play computer games. The electrodes were linked to the outside of his skull, where they were connected to a computer which was programmed to recognise his thought patterns and translate them into movements he was trying to achieve. He operated a cursor on the computer screen and succeeded in moving it to switch buttons on and off. He was also able to control a prosthetic arm. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature. The implant was removed after a year, in accordance with the protocol for the trial. Matthew Nagle died in 2007. A second patient, aged 55, who had been paralysed since 1999, also had the implant but was less successful at operating devices remotely. At least a dozen companies in the US are working on brain-computer interfaces, many for the US military. Although there are hopes the technology could help people whose brains are damaged by illness or injury, there are also fears implants might be used to control challenging behaviour in patients with Alzheimer’s disease or mental problems, by inhibiting antisocial tendencies and programming in “acceptable” responses. — The Independent MIND CONTROL HOW NEW TECHNOLOGIES WILL WORK
Patients with Parkinson’s disease have been enabled to control their movements with electrodes implanted deep in their brains attached to a battery that emits regular impulses. The same technology is being investigated as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and obesity. Research is underway into enabling disabled people to
control a wheelchair through thought alone. Patients with severe depression are being treated with an electric coil worn in a cap or band on the head that “stuns” part of the brain. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is also being tested in Alzheimer’s disease. The US military is investigating brain/computer interfaces that let a soldier control a vehicle on the battlefield remotely through thought alone. Stroke patients in Scotland have become the first to have neutral stem cells implanted in their brains to test whether they can be made to grow and replace the damaged cells, so the patients recover speech and movement. |
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Trends PALO ALTO, California: Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, expects to test fly its first spacecraft beyond the Earth's atmosphere this year, with commercial suborbital passenger service to follow in 2013 or 2014, company officials said. Nearly 500 customers have signed up for rides on SpaceShipTwo, a six-passenger, two-pilot spaceship being built and tested by Scaled Composites, an aerospace company founded by aircraft designer Burt Rutan and now owned by Northrop Grumman. Total recall: Japanese robot can find lost things TOKYO: Forgot where you put your glasses? A Japanese robot can find them for you, and guide you to where they are. The red and white robot, named EMIEW2, is about the size of a six-year-old child and glides everywhere on wheels at the bottom of its legs, its round, white face with two black eyes vaguely reminiscent of the iconic “Hello Kitty”. — Reuters |
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THIS UNIVERSE Keeping in view that a microwave oven heats the food adopting the formula of friction between the molecules of food particles, thereby releasing radiation, is it safe to eat food heated/prepared in microwave ovens? It is wrong to say that heating in a microwave oven is due to the friction of molecules that are agitated by the microwave radiation. Agitation of molecules is primarily caused by the interaction of the electrical dipole moment of water molecules with the electrical field of the microwave radiation. We have to remember that heat is nothing but rise in the random velocity of molecules. There might be some reason for not consuming too much food that is left over for a long time and is reheated in a microwave oven, but friction between molecules would be a wrong accusation. Readers wanting to ask Prof Yash Pal a question can e-mail him at palyash.pal@gmail.com
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