Imagine injecting yourself with a brain virus that has been modified with genes from a bioluminescenct jellyfish. Then, you zap yourself with a lazer and you're instantly the happiest you've been in your entire life. It's like you're getting a big warm hug from God. That's one of a zillion weird possibilities with Optogenetics, the science of converting light into electrical stimulus directly onto neurons. One of the latest potential applications of gene therapy, I'm not at all fooled by the "disease treatment" angle since pretty much all brain science is being funded under the auspices of treating Alzheimers or Parkinsons's these days. It's extremely obvious that should this wild technology actually work, you could stimulate any area of the brain for a wide variety of reasons.
The mind - or consciousness - is a complex equation.
This is a
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When computer scientists set out to create artificial intelligence, they misunderstood something very important. The goal should not have been to create...
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This is one of the better examples of this effect. It was explored as a metaphor for consciousness by Douglass Hofstadter in "I am...
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I got my hands on the new Siri and she's better, but still lacking much "real" personality. Still, she speaks in nine languages and has a vast...
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Not to be mistaken for the lashingly luxurious Dior mascara, Ultimeyes is an iOS game that when played, your vision improves more than 30%. Their launch appears...
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Like something straight out of Avatar, Dr. Suzanne Simard proceeds to blow our minds with science. Far beyond any hippie dippie theory, Dr. Simard introduces us to the...
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These are quotes from a research abstract which are certain to be sensationalized. Ask a parent if they think playing Super Mario Brothers for hours on end increases...
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So apparently every time you sleep, your brain takes a shower in spinal fluid. New research by a team led by Dr. Maiken Nedergaard seems to show that (in mice at least)...
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The Human Brain Project raises new questions in ethics about our relationship with technology.
The power of Science strides ever...
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I'm not sure you could come up with a geekier name for an app than "MindMeld." No, this is not a visual training program for...
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This incredible short film by Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo called Sight dares to explore what our lives would be like if our eyes became...
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I enjoy drawing containers of things with labels and drawing lines or arrows between them. Today I discovered a (flash!) web app that lets you...
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No one seeks out a line to wait in. Ideally, there would be no line. You are next!
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