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You are right IRA, this is a small set of words they have managed to deal with for the moment. But they manage to do so with some variation.
Maybe (probably ?) they will be able to deal easily with the kind of word chosen so far to build a large dictionary of fMRI patterns.
And that will be expensive, MRI machine cost a lot of money.
I was wondering about more complex “ideas”, where the moral sense of the person will come in play. Will there be significant differences between a suicide-bomber ready to blow and airplane full of infidels to reach heaven and pilgrims on their way to Mekka or Lourdes or any other holy land?
Will there be differences between an orgasm and religious ecstasy?
OLDcola,
I just used my time in the shower to think about sweet Megan’s brain !! Why could they so easily predict info w/o first scanning her brain to set up a control ?
I’m fairly sure that the scientists knew in advance exactly which 10 illustrated objects would be shown to Megan,
AND from past studies of experimental subjects , they obviously possess statistical mean data on normative brain wave patterns associated with a sequence of these 10 stimulus/response patterns —
thus Megan’s wave patterns can be compared to the historical data, and one may presume that Megan is thinking about specific objects where the variation from the historical mean is lowest
does that make sense ?
all of this involves only a sample of 10 — and there is no attempt to relate cognitive object recognition to any other behavioral or psychological contexts. That’d obviously be a more complicated project.
Well, I wouldn’t stay at what is popular or not (here or elswhere) and I do accept that the supernatural have been a source of inspiration, I’m a fan of religious art (music in particular) and mythologies (greek being the best around of course.
What I’m expecting is that the God of the Gaps will have less and less roles to play as we understand better the world.
Looking forward to hear about your writing IRA.
PS and please, keep it OldCola, else it doesn’t make sens
I disagree regarding the supreme value of reason and knowledge. Surely, in a wordly, utilitarian sense, we are neurally programmed to use rational mental algorithms.
However, fundamentally, I think that the supernatural is man’s most reliable guiding force, the source of creative fire. I know it’s a bit unpopular to say that on science blogs, but methinks it’s true.
(and as I said –> my fiction writing, that’s also a conversation for another day)
enjoyed this conversation, COLA
I tend to agree, but I expect that people will use, more and more, knowledge/reason rather then beliefs when it comes to make decisions.
Any little bit of info leading this way is to celebrate.
and to play off of my own quote re sci fi :
“There will always be supernatural beliefs”
(how + why are the neuro-electric patterns interwoven, within individual brains and between brains and among biological life in general ? au quel but?
what are the spirituo-logical quanta/quala underlying neuro-electric patterns and making them possible?
and so on …)
have a good weekend, COLA
Well, I’m not expecting to see this kind of techniques used as lies detectors in the near future, except in a lazy way as the case reporter from India.
Almost kidding here.
I see much more interest in the human/computer interfaces, let’s say a innovating remote control for the TV set
I suggest that you bookmark immediately a quite important resource: Quick Instructions For Building An Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie (AFDB). It may become a must use to avoid Remote Mind Control Technology and it is already useful to avoid telepathic interferences, if such a thing exists.
Now, speaking about Science-Fiction, “thoughts identification” was Science-Fiction, a few months ago. You can always go further then the actual level and write Science-Fiction, say based on a portable MRI scanner installed in an airport to scan travelers intentions. And use it as a positive or negative element, to save lives (from suicide bombers) or destroy lives (by making people miserable).
You say:
Do you really think that scientists need to legitimate research by linking it to anti-terrorism? I don’t.
Some subjects may cover anti-terrorism, but there are always other applications, within a similar frame; say anti-bioterrorism and fighting epidemics. For both aggressions, one artificial the other one natural, (almost) the same tools are necessary: a fast an reliable identification techniques set and convenient strategies to treat people and limit spreading of the infectious agent. Should we worry more about bioterrorism of HIV spreading? The second one is much more scary for me.
Legal/ethic issues is an interesting topic. Far beyond my special interest on the field. AFDB (or better) will be available as far as lawyers and judges and Guantanamo-like structures are not involved.
I think the most sexy part of the documentary is our increasing ability to connect the dots between consciousness and brain/neuronal states, which steadily erodes supernaturalistic beliefs.
lots more to say
on the scientific end, very impressive that the scanner + statistical computation reported the 10 exact mental objects that sweet “I’ll do anything that CBS asks me to do” MEGAN was thinking about
WITHOUT any previous scanning of her brain to set up a CONTROL pattern for her neuro-cognitive behavior.
on the legal end, I followed up on the AMITI SHARMA murder story (btw
Praveen Khandelwal the second boyfriend has also been imprisoned for life), it’s interesting that the Indian newspapers mentioned the forensic analysis of the ARSENIC but not the brain fingerprinting. Plus, the fact that arsenic was found in Amiti’s belongings was likely the most damaging evidence.
here’s an article from ibnlive:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pune-mba-students-get-life-for-poisioning-friend/67037-3.html
also, do you know A.Kolber’s Neuroethics + Law blog ?
he also featured the 60 minutes video in his latest entry
AND he also had a good entry last Sept about the India arsenic murder:
http://kolber.typepad.com/ethics_law_blog/2008/09/brain-based-lie.html
there’s an anecdotal detail about the murder that LIT UP my brain WAVES:
Amiti laced “prasad” with arsenic and then gave it to Udit Bharati. Well. prasad is generally associated with religious rites, it is food prepared as an act of devotion and then given to a god. Originally, in Vedic traditions, it is linked to the principle of unselfconscious, spontaneous generosity.
Clearly, this is one spiritual tradition that’s gone awry.
(and you know, I’m thinking about writing a work of fiction related to this brain fingerprinting/Indian murder story … but that’s a conversation for another day)
speaking of science fiction,
I think that the Ethics professor in Georgia speaks much too soon when he says “there is no longer any science fiction”. There will always be science fiction — especially the dark and twistedly dystopic kind — as long as scientists continue to to legitimate research by linking it to anti-terrorism.
(anyway, does anyone really think that “terrorists” themselves won’t find pernicious + innovative ways to use neuro technology? I can well imagine the use of bioneural chips + long-distance brain control devices to play terrifying psychological games with the minds of government leaders + ordinary citizens.
Also, won’t terrorists be able to develop neuro-blocking techniques to prevent mind reading by prosecutors — at least in the distant future?
in the video, that Marcel Just seems to really enjoy selling a 21st C. version of “The Good News Bible” — if I were a sci-fi actor playing the part of a messianic scientist, I’d definitely check out MJ”s facial gestures + language at 1:18 and 4:58.
OLD COLA, I know this has been a lot to read in EN, but your intellect seems voracious, so I’m sure you ate it up in one gulp.
See ya, IRA
newron, IRA, newron
thank you OldCola
your English ear is probably better than mine,
did she say neuron or moron ??????
this is the kind of television piece that will probably seem very simplistic + amusing in 40 years (that’s how they talked about the brain in 2009 ??????)