Geekery

Scientists are inside your brain, reading your thoughts

Posted on 23. Nov, 2009 by Jake in Unusual

You may find it either exciting or scary to hear that neuroscientists are working on ways to be able to use machines to map what you are thinking. They call it ‘neural decoding’, and it entails the use of brain scans and pattern-detecting software to predict what you your next thought is going to be. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, apparently we are that predictable.

Most recently, scientists have been able to create a crude visual reproduction of a movie clip that one of their subjects had been watching just by viewing their brain activity. This development became the talk of the recent Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago, where some scientists claimed that neuroscience is close to being able to read memories and predict the future. So soon we will be able to tell where we put our keys but where we are going to put our keys tomorrow. Handy.

Needless to say, this new technology has started alarm bells ringing. Are governments going to use it to read our minds? Are the shape-shifting lizards going to use it to control our thoughts when a one-world government comes into being? No! Instead, scientists have been quick to be clear on the limitations of ‘neural decoding’, and have emphasised how important it could become through allowing us to communicate better with the speech-impaired, or stroke victims. It could even be used to diagnose eating disorders and other psychology-based health problems. And I have to admit the idea of this technology one day being used to visualising, say, an artist’s thoughts is kinda cool.

There is still quite a way technology could be used to actually visualise our thoughts. And as of yet, machines still cannot read our minds. But in the meanwhile, maybe try to keep your thoughts clean just in case.

Tags: brain scan, cognitive, mind, mind reading