In what seems like a science fiction thriller premise that has come to life in a Korean lab, scientists at the IBS Center for Nanomedicine say they can control minds using nanoparticles.
The scientists say the microscopic devices were injected into the brains of lab mice, and then using magnetic fields, the particles were manipulated — and thus so were the rodents — to demonstrate various behaviors.
According to the researchers, mice were manipulated into becoming friendly; some were encouraged to eat more and others were encouraged to eat less, all by playing with the particles.
In the past, similar manipulation has been achieved using bulky wired systems that included invasive surgery and external controllers.
“This is the world’s first technology to freely control specific brain regions using magnetic fields,” says Jinwoo Cheon, senior author and director of the IBS Center for Nanomedicine.
They call the technology Nano-MIND and say it could someday be deployed for applications as far ranging as controlling computers to curbing depression.