brain scan

Computers That Read Your Mind

A new software shows promise for predicting human thought patterns—time to whip out the tin foil hat?

Tin Foil Hat: No need to whip out that tin foil hat quite yet.  iStockphoto
Get out your tin foil hats, paranoids. Your fears are one step closer to reality. Berkeley scientists are reporting in Nature that they have developed software, which, in conjunction with an fMRI scanner, can read your mind. And 80 to 90% of the time, the machine was right. Okay, settle down. These are early reports and there are more than a few caveats.

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Is Foolproof Lie Detection in the Cards?

Researchers seeking more reliable lie detection methods are experimenting with brain scan technologies.

Researchers seeking more reliable lie detection methods are experimenting with brain scan technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). First they must create a scenario in which study subjects will lie predictably. Then they observe blood flow within subjects' brains as they alternately fib and tell the truth. The result: Scientists are starting to identify the specific areas in the brain where lies are formed.


1. What You're Told

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