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Prosthetic rat-hippocampus goes into clinical tests

7
Stefan JonesPerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
07:01 PM ET (US)
My $.02:

Right now, I think they're at the "duplicate it without understanding it" phase. They don't know, can't know, WHAT memories are being formed.

This synchs in a bit with the wired-cat-eye bombshell from a few years back. By festooning a cat's thalamus with sensors, they could decode what a cat saw. (In the form of a low-res image.) But it was just a raw, unprocessed image. Further up the neurological chain of perception, they'd probably get meaningless data-jumbles. Gists, rather than bitmapped graphics. So, no dream-reading or thought reading would be possible.

So, it'll probably be a generation or two before newborns have their hippocampi replaced with DMCA-compliant substitutes that keep them from remembering copyrighted works without the proper purchase key.
Edited 03-12-2003 07:02 PM
6
JohnRPerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
05:18 PM ET (US)
Okay, seriously, isn't this a step towards someone trying to copywright memories? It seems to me that if they can perfect this device for human use, the next step is possibly to learn how to generate false memories, and implant them.
5
JohnRPerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
04:42 PM ET (US)
I was going to post something witty, incisive and culturally relevant, but I forgot what it was.
4
Stefan JonesPerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
03:21 PM ET (US)
Watch for prosthetic hippocampi to figure in schizophrenics' delusions Any Day Now.
3
CraniacPerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
03:16 PM ET (US)
Let's not forget Sterling's law: Anything you can do to a rat, you can do to a human! (as long as you don't tell anyone)
2
erniePerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
03:07 PM ET (US)
Full steam again with human trials! What could go wrong?
1
Joey deVillaPerson was signed in when posted
03-12-2003
02:48 PM ET (US)
Right now, the screenplay writer for "Memento II: I did *that*?" is screaming "aw, CRAP!"
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