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For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore and even improve their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
Good, I need more intelligence!
An artificial windpipe, an arterial graft and a synthetic tear duct manufactured by scientists at University College London (UCL) were used in operations, despite not being approved for use in humans, the inquiry’s report said. Stephen Wigmore, professor of transplantation surgery at the University of Edinburgh who chaired the inquiry, said the findings were “quite frightening” and that patients had been essentially used as “guinea pigs.” In one case, a 26-year-old man, a drug addict living in Tehran, was implanted with a graft to bypass the femoral artery, the report said.
This amounted to clinical negligence, an expert in vascular medicine told the inquiry. “In [the expert’s] opinion it was almost inevitable that that would result in the patient would lose their limb or their life,” Wigmore said. The outcome of the procedure was not established. Other documents suggested that plastic discs had been sent to Mumbai, India, where they were implanted under the skin of a patient in need of an ear reconstruction to test that the material was bio-compatible. The report did not find evidence to show that patients had come to harm as a direct result of these breaches, but it did not rule out the possibility either. Moreover, the findings are likely to cast a shadow over the university’s reputation for pioneering medical research. “It’s very serious and it’s quite frightening to think that someone could be manufacturing this kind of device without knowing the regulations that govern it,” Wigmore said.
The inquiry into regenerative medicine at UCL was triggered by concerns about the close ties between several scientists at UCL and disgraced surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who was at the center of a major medical scandal at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. The Italian doctor was initially feted as a medical superstar after he claimed to have successfully transplanted a synthetic windpipe, seeded with a patient’s own stem cells, to create a new, functioning organ. However, the remarkable success story began to unravel when it emerged that six of the eight patients to receive synthetic tracheas had died. The plastic scaffold used in the first operation, on a 36-year-old Eritrean man, was constructed by former UCL professor Alexander Seifalian, who was dismissed last year after a tribunal in an unrelated case found that he had dishonestly obtained ￡24,000 (US$31,944) from an overseas student.
Seifalian’s laboratory was not licensed to make clinical-grade devices, the inquiry found, and no permission had been sought from the health regulator to use an unlicensed device. Normally, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) only grants such approval in compassionate use cases or in a medically urgent situation where there are no suitable alternative treatments. There is no suggestion that the 2014 death of the patient, called Andemariam Beyene, was linked to failings by UCL scientists, but Wigmore said that due to the oversight UCL is now seeking advice about whether the university could be held legally liable. The inquiry also uncovered paperwork describing an operation in which a male 26-year-old drug addict was given an 18cm polymer graft, apparently prepared by Seifalian’s team. The implant was used to bypass the femoral artery, the body’s second-largest artery, because the vessel had become chronically infected and had an aneurysm, the report said.
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Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
good, I need more intelligence!
Directives = software. Clearly, if I could access the power of a multiprocessor programmed to, say, do math, I could become "smarter", by at least one standard. Right?Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore and even improve their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
Good, I need more intelligence!
As enticing as electronic manipulation is, it cannot outsmart human abilities. Anything electronic depends upon directives, be it pre-programmed or not. Without directives, electronic devices are nothing but dumb chunks of materials until told what to do.
I love technological advances, but I am not impressed with the interference of life forms. We already have our hands full of troubles, and I do not think we need more zombies to contend with.
Something I think we all could agree on... That's rare for this board.Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
good, I need more intelligence!
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
good, I need more intelligence!
The ability to do complex math by simply thinking about it would be a boon, indeed. The ability to print that out as soon as one put it in order in his or her mind would be wonderful. Three and four d visualization would be another real boon.Directives = software. Clearly, if I could access the power of a multiprocessor programmed to, say, do math, I could become "smarter", by at least one standard. Right?Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore and even improve their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
Good, I need more intelligence!
As enticing as electronic manipulation is, it cannot outsmart human abilities. Anything electronic depends upon directives, be it pre-programmed or not. Without directives, electronic devices are nothing but dumb chunks of materials until told what to do.
I love technological advances, but I am not impressed with the interference of life forms. We already have our hands full of troubles, and I do not think we need more zombies to contend with.
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
good, I need more intelligence!
A computer was recently given the rules of go and then learned to play without any guidance. It beat the best human go players in the world and taught them strategies never before seen. Go is vastly more complex than chess.As enticing as electronic manipulation is, it cannot outsmart human abilities. Anything electronic depends upon directives, be it pre-programmed or not. Without directives, electronic devices are nothing but dumb chunks of materials until told what to do.
I love technological advances, but I am not impressed with the interference of life forms. We already have our hands full of troubles, and I do not think we need more zombies to contend with.
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
good, I need more intelligence!
Hillary already has that technology. Shooting laser beams out of her eyes causes people who get in the way of her and Bill to mysteriously wind up dead.Those brain implants are cool and all, but hows about we get an update on the technology that will let people shoot lasers out of their eyes?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants. Could you be next?
George Dvorsky
For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates. By implanting an electrode array into the cerebral cortex of monkeys, researchers were able to restore — and even improve — their decision-making abilities. The implications for possible therapies are far-reaching, including potential treatments for cognitive disorders and brain injuries.
But there's also the possibility that this could lead to implants that could boost your intelligence. Here's how they did it.
Uplift happens
And incredibly, it worked. The researchers successfully restored the monkeys' decision-making skills even though they were still dealing with the effects of the cocaine. Moreover, when duplicating the experiment under normal conditions, the monkeys' performance improved beyond the 75% proficiency level shown earlier. In other words, a kind of cognitive enhancement had happened.
The researchers hope to apply their findings to treating brain injuries or diseases where larger areas of the brain have been affected (such as dementia or stroke). The researchers are confident that their technology could be contained on an implantable chip.
Looking ahead to the future, and assuming safety and ongoing efficacy, it may even be possible to apply a similar intervention to healthy humans. Which could lead to prosthetically enabled intelligence augmentation.
Their results were published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
good, I need more intelligence!
