ABOUT FACTS NET Science

 

It has been going on for thousands of years. People have even paid money to have someone do it. Other people may have died because of it. What am I talking about? I am talking about reading minds. Throughout the centuries there have always been people who have claimed that they had the ability to do this. In some places it was a chancy thing to do. In ancient China, if the Emperor found out that you were wrong, or didn't really have this ability. you might find yourself without a head. But if you could convince a leader that you could really do this, you became invaluable, especially in war. Imagine if you could get the King to believe that you could read the mind of the leader of an opposing army and then let him know their plans.

There are a few people today who claim to be able to read minds and even contact the dead. One or two have become quite famous. Many people thought that this was true and were quite impressed with these personalities. Actually it was a cruel hoax. What was actually happening was that microphones were planted in or under the seats where the audience sat and much information was recorded before the show. Today, microphones can be very tiny and they are wireless, making them almost invisible.

The question is, will machines make mind reading accessible to everyone? Could you imagine going into a business meeting and having your mind scanned while you are talking? You wouldn't even be aware of this invasion of privacy. Lets look at the trend in computer type devices. They are getting much more powerful and much smaller every day. There are now machines that can be controlled by brain waves. People who lack the ability of motion can now control computer screens with their thoughts. Pilots in planes are now able to aim missiles by just looking at the target. Monkeys have been trained to move a robotic arm with the power of thought. We are getting very close to actually reading someone's thoughts. Experimenters in Japan and the U.S. have been able to discern what patterns people are looking at and even distinguish between the pattern being observed when one pattern is placed on top of the other. Some scientists claim that they already have the ability to read minds using sophisticated machines that show which area of the brain is being used, but that the machines haven't been used for this purpose yet. I think the days of privacy are swiftly drawing to a close. Of course there are some benefits to this, but the pros are far outweighed by the cons. One the benefit side, it might be possible to determine if someone is the guilty party in a crime or whether someone in a coma can actually perceive their surroundings. On the other hand, even your most private thoughts would be open to public scrutiny. People running for public office and the rich and famous would most likely be the first targets. Can you imagine the paparazzi running around with small, portable, mind reading machines aimed at famous people and making recordings of their thoughts as they shout out embarrassing questions to get their prey to think of certain things?

What is more likely to happen, is that these machines will be outlawed or you will need to apply for a special license to own one. The government on the other hand, will be fully armed with these machines and ready to use them for almost any reason. There is a type of light machine available that some executives have purchased that looks more like a light sculpture than a machine. Supposedly it changes colors when someone is lying. Imagine getting people together in your office for a business deal. You have the old light sculpture either on your desk, or in an open desk draw when you can observe it without others seeing it. Now you ask someone about the assets of their company and when they tell you, the sculpture changes colors. Ah, they are over valuing their company's assets. This would be a pretty handy gadget.

In 2004 NASA developed a machine that could understand words that were spoken silently. It does this by analyzing nerve signals in our mouths and throats. So how does this work? It seems that we put out biological signals when speaking and the same signals are put out even if we are reading to ourselves. These signals can be read by sensors attached under the chin and on the side of the Adam's apple. Technically this is not mind reading but it is very close.

One of the strangest things of all has occurred recently. Some scientists now believe that we all have the ability to read other people's minds. You may wonder what they base this on, I know that I did? They took monkeys (poor monkeys) and hooked up electrodes to different parts of their brains. When they gave the monkey a banana they noticed that certain parts of the brain showed activity. Then they noticed when they gave a banana to another person or a different monkey when the monkey with the electrodes watched, the same parts of the brain showed activity. Their conclusion was that the monkey with the electrodes was subconsciously reading the mind of the banana eater and enjoying the banana. I am not so sure I go along with this, but who am I to ague with people who possess doctorates in that field?

It is just a question of time whether machines will available to read minds or the human mind will be trained to use abilities that we didn't even know that we possessed to read minds. So be careful what you are thinking about and remember, someday secrets will be a thing of the past.