Single Neuron Wired To Muscle Un-Paralyzes Monkeys 180
GalaticGrub writes "A pair of paralyzed monkeys regained the ability to move their arms after researchers wired individual neurons to the monkeys' arm muscles. A team of researchers at the University of Washington temporarily paralyzed each monkey's arm, then rerouted brain signals from a single neuron in the motor cortex around the blocked nerve pathway via a computer. When the neuron fired above a certain rate, the computer translated the signal into a jolt of electricity to the arm muscle, causing it to contract. The monkeys practiced moving their arms by playing a video game."
Re:Better title would be.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Indeed, while that neuron surgery thing sounds amazing, I was more shocked at the fact that monkeys actually play videogames.
Then I realized... Are the monkeys smarter than we thought or are we just dumberer than we think we aren't not, now what I meen?
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Sooo... What if they connected a human's brain (Score:5, Interesting)
If so, can we control its entire body?
If so, can we do it remotely, through a wire to a cell phone.
If so, how long until someone decides to use monkeys as freedom fighters?
Yes, science should never go down this path, but hey, it is still possible to look down the paths
Re:Better title would be.... (Score:1, Interesting)
Actually, I think it's not that amazing, given the game they were playing:
"As a test of the rewiring, the researchers had each monkey play a simple video game. By moving its wrist, the monkey could manipulate a cursor on a computer screen. Moving the cursor into a box at the side of the screen earned the monkey a reward."
Re:oo oo oo oooo snort (Score:4, Interesting)
where's the video (Score:3, Interesting)
Where's the video of the mokeys playing video games with the bionic nerves?
Re:Dear God, free us from religion... (Score:2, Interesting)
(okay, that genius idea was totally Dresden Codak's, credit where credit is due.)