Telepathy closer to becoming reality after rats’ brains ‘linked’ across continents

[nec209]

The prospect of mind-reading technology has moved a step closer after
scientists established the first brain-to-brain connection.

Using electrodes implanted in the brains of two rats, one rodent was
able to pass information to another in a cage thousands of miles away –
albeit without knowing it was doing so. The experiment, by researchers
from Duke University in North Carolina, is the first direct
communication link between two minds.

Previous studies had shown that visual and tactile information could
be transferred between a brain and a computer, for example allowing
amputees to control prosthetic limbs, but the latest research represents
a significant advance.

Although the connection was extremely basic, it raises the prospect
of more complex devices that could one day allow people to read each
other’s minds.

 

 

Read more here

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/28/telepathy-closer-to-becoming-reality-after-rats-brains-linked-across-continents/

 

 

[SciFiReal]

Those rat tests are showing amazing results all over the world. For instance rats got the ability to "sense" infrared light, connected to IR sensor via electrodes attached directly to the brain. More here: http://scifi-real.com/sixth-sense-brain-implants/

[peterpacz1]

Wow, this is very amazing, think of all of the different uses this could be used for. For example, workers in high risk environments could control their equipment using their brain, so there will be a faster response time and less margin of error (think fighter jet pilots). Also, this could make for some very nice control interfaces with surgeons operating remote equipment (for example remote surgery done using robotic implements controlled by the surgeon halfway around the world).

 

Of course, this telepathic linking of brains could also lead to a Demarchist society, as seen in the book Alastair Reynolds wrote.

[John Cuthber]

A couple of points, if connecting one rat's brain to another via wires is "telepathy" then so is using a mobile phone.

Also re "For example, workers in high risk environments could control their equipment using their brain, so there will be a faster response time and less margin of error (think fighter jet pilots)."

They tried this.

Here''s the problem

Don't think of an elephant.

 

Now imagine that I said " don't think about launching the ejector seat"...

[SciFiReal]

A couple of points, if connecting one rat's brain to another via wires is "telepathy" then so is using a mobile phone.

Also re "For example, workers in high risk environments could control their equipment using their brain, so there will be a faster response time and less margin of error (think fighter jet pilots)."

They tried this.

Here''s the problem

Don't think of an elephant.

 

Now imagine that I said " don't think about launching the ejector seat"...

Wires will be a temporary thing (just like phones were wired). However, I also think that telepathy should be something more natural and including none of just a few mechanical enhancements. It is only a matter of time until more brain functions are discovered and understood, imo.

[nec209]

Wow, this is very amazing, think of all of the different uses this could be used for. For example, workers in high risk environments could control their equipment using their brain, so there will be a faster response time and less margin of error (think fighter jet pilots). Also, this could make for some very nice control interfaces with surgeons operating remote equipment (for example remote surgery done using robotic implements controlled by the surgeon halfway around the world).

 

Of course, this telepathic linking of brains could also lead to a Demarchist society, as seen in the book Alastair Reynolds wrote.

 

The artical does not say if thought is communicated by telepathy.So they till don't know what is be communicated by telepathy.

[Bill Angel]

Here is another interesting recent experiment with rats and their brains:

 

"Researchers working at MIT have successfully manipulated the content of a rat's dream by replaying an audio cue that was associated with the previous day's events, namely running through a maze (what else). The breakthrough furthers our understanding of how memory gets consolidated during sleep but it also holds potential for the prospect of "dream engineering."

 

http://io9.com/5940068/neuroscientists-successfully-control-the-dreams-of-rats-could-humans-be-next

[Genecks]

Pais-Vieira, M., Lebedev, M., Kunicki, C., Wang, J., & Nicolelis, M. A. L. (2013). A Brain-to-Brain Interface for Real-Time Sharing of Sensorimotor Information. Scientific Reports, 3. doi:10.1038/srep01319: http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130228/srep01319/full/srep01319.html

It's an open article.

I think I'll read it later at some point. Maybe I'll give some input. I want to do some other stuff at the moment.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Genecks

[King Thando Mathe]

Thus spying of ideas of war,technology etc will bevome possible.With exponential advance as always happens with Science and Tech even "stealing of ideas" would be rife.This in turn will lead to social conflicts at community scale,academic environments even global scale.

[John Cuthber]

Thus spying of ideas of war,technology etc will bevome possible.With exponential advance as always happens with Science and Tech even "stealing of ideas" would be rife.This in turn will lead to social conflicts at community scale,academic environments even global scale.

Actually, I think society would have already gone down the pan if you were permitted to stick wires into someone's brain in order to steal their ideas.

[SomethingToPonder]

Here is another interesting recent experiment with rats and their brains: "Researchers working at MIT have successfully manipulated the content of a rat's dream by replaying an audio cue that was associated with the previous day's events, namely running through a maze (what else). The breakthrough furthers our understanding of how memory gets consolidated during sleep but it also holds potential for the prospect of "dream engineering." http://io9.com/5940068/neuroscientists-successfully-control-the-dreams-of-rats-could-humans-be-next

Do you think it could be because the rats have such a limited lifestyle because they are research animals? To elaborate i mean as you said " namely running through a maze (what else)." It's the usual technique. So would the rats not be of course inclined to dream about a big event in their life such as finally getting taken from their cage or wherever they are kept and put into a maze with lots of people which are huge to them watching. It seems plausible to me that hat could be how they achieved this.

 

It may however be the beggining of a series of studies that could may well go somewhere towards dream engineering. I think we are a long way off yet though. If they were really creating telepathic communications, The government and intelligence agencies would be experimenting on humans.

 

[jimmydasaint]

One of my close friends told me that he had a suspicion that his thoughts were being read and transmitted, years ago. At first I thought that he had flipped or undergone a mental breakdown. However, he assured me that his thoughts were being read and that these private thoughts were spoken aloud by strangers in public places. Still worried, I urged him to seek medical help. However, he is now in contact with a growing number of individuals who say exactly the same thing and seem to undergo exactly the same routines. In short, it is very similar to the tactics of the Secret Police in Eastern European countries. His suggestion to this thread is that synthetic telepathy is now old news and that he fears it will be rolled out against the world, as part of a multi-pronged attack to control populations, as we are gripped by the rise of Fascism.

 

Is this all crap? I have no idea but he did pass me to these sites for further info: http://www.stopos.info/os.pdf

http://www.google.com/patents/US3951134

 

He still seems credible after all these years...

[John Cuthber]

Is this all crap?

Yes (apart for your, quite reasonable, concern for his mental health)

They can scarcely get a meaningful signal out of a rat's brain even if they drill a hole in the skull and stick a wire in there.

How could they read the mind of a person in the street?

[MonDie]

Regarding the use of the term "telepathy":

Democritus could not have know that his word "atom" described any real thing. That didn't stop early chemists from using the term to communicate similar concepts after there was experimental evidence to support such an idea. However, it was eventually realized that so called "atoms" aren't really indivisible.

 

 

A couple of points, if connecting one rat's brain to another via wires is "telepathy" then so is using a mobile phone.

 

"Telephone" and "telepathy" are etymologically similar.

 

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=telephone

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=-pathy&allowed_in_frame=0

 

A telephone transmits sound, a telepathy device should transmit emotions.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Mondays Assignment: Die

[SomethingToPonder]

One of my close friends told me that he had a suspicion that his thoughts were being read and transmitted, years ago. At first I thought that he had flipped or undergone a mental breakdown. However, he assured me that his thoughts were being read and that these private thoughts were spoken aloud by strangers in public places. Still worried, I urged him to seek medical help. However, he is now in contact with a growing number of individuals who say exactly the same thing and seem to undergo exactly the same routines. In short, it is very similar to the tactics of the Secret Police in Eastern European countries. His suggestion to this thread is that synthetic telepathy is now old news and that he fears it will be rolled out against the world, as part of a multi-pronged attack to control populations, as we are gripped by the rise of Fascism.

 

Is this all crap? I have no idea but he did pass me to these sites for further info: http://www.stopos.info/os.pdf

http://www.google.com/patents/US3951134

 

He still seems credible after all these years...

 

 

Could ou provide me with more information on your friends background regarding "his thoughts being read"

Does he think they use some kind of device/machine? Or does he think that people can "see" his thoughts.

If it was anything to do with the government and they actually could do this, Do you think they would be stupid enough to say his thoughts aloud in front of him, Or are they doing that just to mess with him.

 

It's crap in my opinion, Id tell him to get looked at for schizophrenia. Ask him if he thinks shows on the TV are sometimes aimed at him or meant for him to see.