 மனித உடலிலே இயற்கையாகவே காணப்படும் நோய் எதிர்ப்பு காரணிகளினால் புற்றுநோயையும் எதிர்கொள்ள முடியும் என்று விஞ்ஞானிகள் கண்டறிந்துள்ளனர்.
அதாவது மனித நிர்ப்பீடனத் தொகுதியில் காணப்படும் ரி-கலங்கள்(T-Cells) புற்றுநோய்க்கு எதிராக போராடும் வல்லமை கொண்டுள்ளவை என்றும் இவை சைற்றோரொக்சிட் குடும்பத்தை சேர்ந்த மனித நிர்ப்பீடனத் தொகுதியில் ஒரு பகுதியாக அடங்கியுள்ளன என ஆராய்ச்சி மூலம் விஞ்ஞானிகள் கண்டுபிடித்துள்ளனர்.
இந்த ரி-கலங்கள் அடிப்படையில் ஆறு வகையாக காணப்படுகின்றன. அவை ஒவ்வொன்றும் வெவ்வேறு தொழில்களுக்கென சிறத்தலடைந்து காணப்படுவதாகவும் அவர்கள் மேலும் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
இக்கலங்களின் மேற்பகுதியானது கிளைக்கோ புரதத்தினால் ஆனவையாக காணப்படுவதனால் புற்றுநோய்க்கு எதிராக தனித்துவமான பிறபொருளெதிரிகளை உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆற்றலை கொண்டுள்ளன எனவும் கண்டறிந்துள்ளார்கள்.
புற்றுநோய்க்கு எதிராக பயன்படுத்த புதிய ஆயுதமா ரி-கலங்கள் கிடைத்துள்ளமையினால் விஞ்ஞானிகள் முழு வீச்சில் ஆராய்ச்சியை தொடர்ந்தும் மேற்கொண்டு வருகின்றனர்.
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Monday, February 13, 2012
புற்றுநோய்க்கு எதிராக போராடும் ரி-கலங்கள்(T-Cells)
Living Well
 “Just as a tree starts to blossom during the proper season, so the doer of sinful deeds inevitably reaps the horrible fruit of their actions at the appropriate time.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.8)
“How can God exist if so many bad things happen to good people? The struggles from cancer are a glaring indication. The fact that the body could grow something that starts to attack you from the inside - spreading to the vital organs and sapping your energy until the life is extracted from you, forming a slow and painful death - how can any loving God allow that to happen? What about the people who don’t worship the Lord at all, who think they are the doers in action, responsible for every single result that manifests - how are they able to get everything handed to them in life if they don’t even acknowledge God’s existence? Doesn’t that represent a flaw in the theory of theology? Shouldn’t you have to worship God in order to succeed?”
These are certainly important issues that when left unaddressed can derail the progress of even the most sincere spiritualist. Fortunately, if the proper set of information is consulted, not only will the Supreme Lord’s position be properly known, but what was previously erroneously considered good fortune and favorability will be understood to be hellish life. When there is hellish life, there is no question of favoritism from any higher power. Since the Supreme Lord’s actual position is that of the reservoir of pleasure, the fountainhead of all beautiful forms, a vision that is so sweet that the living entity purified through proper exercise of penance, austerity and sacrifice can’t get enough of it, it is understood that any forgetfulness of this person automatically creates an unpleasant situation, regardless of what the external conditions may say.
Picture living in a palatial mansion. You worked hard to acquire enough money to live comfortably. You didn’t worship at all; you didn’t think of God except for the times when death affected a close friend or family member. Everything is there for you in this house: a spouse, children, appliances, a steady dose of food and entertainment. Now ask yourself this: are you happy? Is securing the amenities in life the ultimate goal? You may have been inclined to think so previously, but now that you have everything, you’re definitely left feeling a little empty. There has to be more.
Why is that? The animals, those without the intelligence to deny the existence of God, let alone conjure up His image, never have to work for anything and yet they get the same amenities. The bird is happy living in the nest on a branch, the pig in its slop, the tiger in the jungle, and so on. In fact, the basic conditions are present from the time of birth; they don’t have to be created through hard work.
The human being may not realize this, but they are meant to transcend the base instincts of the animal, for that is why intelligence exists. If this weren’t the case, then living like an animal would be the right way to go. Just eat, sleep, mate and defend to feel the pleasures of life. What need is there then for culture, education, philosophy, science and so many other things that stimulate the mind?
The person lacking the spiritual association lives miserably. They may have billions of dollars in the bank and no financial worries, but that supreme happiness eludes them. Moreover, they can lose everything in a second, including their own life. The spirit soul exists through the many shifts of the body, thus it is the essence of identity. At the time of death, the soul continues on, but the body just lies there. The soul continues to roam from body to body, while the inanimate material possessions can’t do anything on their own.
 With a life focused only on material enjoyment the mind turns feverish. With each new object acquired comes a new attachment. It may be neat to fly in an airplane to visit exotic destinations, but what if you didn’t need that to be happy? If one person is satisfied with a little and another with a lot, the former is automatically superior. They live a more efficient lifestyle, as they require less to operate. With each new requirement comes the difficulty in acquiring and securing that object. For instance, if I can’t live without my cell phone, I need to make sure to work enough to pay the bill for it each month. I also must back up my contacts, email, music, books and videos. These tasks are made easier with the increased use of the cloud, but even that requires a connection to the internet, which must be paid for by someone.
Each attachment brings a new obligation, which gradually builds up to a hellish life. The vacation is preferred to time at work because of the lack of obligation. Reduced work equates to increased freedom, thereby giving the person with less attachments more freedom. In the Vedic tradition, the topmost spiritualist is the sannyasi, who is in the renounced order. More than just a way to stay free of attachments and the allures of sex life, sannyasa allows for freedom of motion, a limit on obligations to free up time for fulfilling life’s ultimate purpose.
And what purpose is that? It is to connect with God. For that to happen, He must be understood. To know Him properly, one must follow a bona fide path, one laid down by past spiritualists who attained the proper realization. We know that they were successful based on their experiences which are documented. Though we have trouble accepting information not experienced personally, through applying a little faith and exercising the principles espoused, the same experience of spiritual happiness can be had within this very lifetime.
 There is still the issue of misery and pain, which makes it difficult to accept the fact that there is a God. How could God create cancer? How can God allow such horrible things like murder and rape to happen? These are the negative reactions that are obvious to notice, but the actions that led to them are overlooked. In karma, every reaction arrives at the proper time. The planting of a seed brings a flower sometimes many months later. If the impatient person were to chastise the plant for not producing the fruit right away, would their behavior be intelligent? Is it wise to yell at an unbaked pie before it goes into the oven?
The reactions to work come at the appropriate time, like the blossom of flowers on a tree. The nature of the reaction is commensurate with the intensity of the action. You can look at so many examples to see how this works. If you stay awake all night, you may think there are no repercussions, but when you have difficulty waking up the next morning, the negative reaction is coming your way. The more ghastly acts like murder, rape and so on bring the worst type of reactions, though again at the proper time.
As far as God sanctioning the negative reactions, if He were to eliminate the unfavorable consequences, then there would be no action. Moreover, sometimes what we think is unfavorable turns out to be favorable. If we miss an assignment in school or say something hurtful to someone else as a child, our superiors will scold us. Getting yelled at is never fun. At the time it is considered the most miserable experience. Should the child yell at God for allowing that admonishment to occur, would the behavior be wise? When the same person grows up and learns to avoid the behavior that caused the scolding, they will reach a more positive condition. Thus what was previously unfavorable turned out to be favorable. What you were cursing God about before, you now appreciate as a valuable life lesson.
Lost in the complexity of action is the reality that any outcome can occur. For instance, if I decided to play a video game for fun, there is every chance of me playing that game over and over again and never winning. After my repeated failures, is it wise to lament how miserable life is, how God never allows me to win? The decision to play the game was in my hands, and I knew going in that success wasn’t guaranteed, and yet somehow I am blaming God for my problems after the fact.
The entire material creation operates in a similar manner. The system of karma is the most fair, as it is meant to distribute the proper results at the appropriate time. The desire to exercise freedom in the absence of God’s association results in the creation of a playing field where there is every type of possible outcome. If not for the full range of possible outcomes, there could not be material activity. Everyone would just sit in silence, not doing anything the whole time.
 The spirit soul is meant for activity, however. This property is built into its constitution. The soul’s dharma is to serve, and the more pure the beneficiary of that service, the higher the benefit to the worker. No one is more pure than God, whose original form is so sweet that it is addressed as Krishna, which means all-attractive. Stare at the beautiful youth, who holds a flute in His hands and wears an enchanting smile. Dedicate your life to remaining by His side. Chant His holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
In the many good and bad outcomes, if there is no Krishna consciousness, the situations are identical. Thus for someone who avoids bhakti-yoga, or devotional service
In karma the extremes of life arise constantly, but in God consciousness the dualities are removed. Instead, every situation becomes favorable, even those previously thought to be horrendous. Knowledge of the time of quitting the body, whether voluntarily or through succumbing to the effects of disease, brings an increased eagerness to at least contemplate the position of God and whether or not He exists. Maharaja Parikshit, a famous historical ruler, was unfairly cursed to die within seven days by a brahmana. Rather than get angry at God for his ill fate, he used the opportunity to hear about the essence of spiritual life, devotional service to Krishna. Shukadeva Gosvami then spoke to the king the Shrimad Bhagavatam
Anyone who has the opportunity to contemplate the meaning of life and why God would create this world is very fortunate. Through following a few simple instructions, like chanting
In Closing:
Why do the evil seem to get away?
No pain for the harmful things they say?
How can God create cancer, the worst disease?
Should not the suffering of His children He ease?
Incorrect is our assumption of living well,
Soul’s fortune is what counts, as the Vedas tell.
Every reaction comes at appropriate time,
Severity matches error’s nature in kind.
Beyond duality find condition,
Chant Krishna’s name, reach highest position.
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மகிழ்வித்து மகிழ்
இவ்வுலகில் உள்ள அனைத்து நெஞ்சங்களும் ஒரு சிறிய பாராட்டுக்காகத் தான் ஏங்கிக்கிடக்கின்றன!
உணர்ச்சி வெளிப்பாடு என்பது ஒரு தனி மனிதன், தான் ரசித்த, அனுபவித்த அல்லது தன்னைச் சுற்றி இருக்கும் சூழ்நிலைக்கு ஒப்பத் தன் மனநிலையை வெளிக்காட்டுவது.
இதைத் தான் ஆங்கிலத்தில் body language என்பர். இவ்வாறான உணர்ச்சி வெளிப்பாடு தான் மகிழ்ச்சி.
”உன் துன்பத்தை பகிர்ந்து கொள்
அது பாதியாகக் குறையும்;
உன் இன்பதைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்
அது இரு மடங்காகும்”
அது பாதியாகக் குறையும்;
உன் இன்பதைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்
அது இரு மடங்காகும்”
இந்த கூற்று மகிழ்தலும், பிறருடன் மகிழ்ச்சியைய் பகிர்தலும், பிறரை மகிழ்வித்து அதனால் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைதலும், அந்த மகிழ்ச்சி என்ற உணர்வை இரு மடங்காக அனுபவித்தமைக்கு சமம் என்று கூறுகிறது.
ஒருவனுக்கு எதன் மூலம் மகிழ்ச்சி ஏற்படுகிறது என்று பார்த்தால், வரையறுத்துக் கூறுவதற்கு அது எளிமையானது அல்ல.
இவ்வுலகில் உள்ள மனிதர்களுள் ஒருவர் மற்றொருவரைப் போல் இருத்தல் அரிது. அவருடைய தோற்றம் வெவ்வேறு; பழக்கம் வெவ்வேறு; குணம் வெவ்வேறு; நடை உடை பாவனை வெவ்வேறு; குரல், எண்ணம், சிந்தனை, ஆசை அனைத்தும் வேறு வேறு.
அதேபோல் ஒவ்வொரு மனிதனின் மகிழ்ச்சிக்கான காரணகுறியும் வெவ்வேறு.
சிலருக்கு வேலை கிடைத்தால் மகிழ்ச்சி; சிலருக்கு வேலை செய்யாமல் நேரத்தை வீணாக்குவதில் மகிழ்ச்சி.
சிலருக்கு பரிட்சையில் நிறைய மதிப்பெண் பெற்றால் மகிழ்ச்சி; பலருக்கு இந்திய கிரிக்கெட் அணி கோப்பை வென்றால் மகிழ்ச்சி.
நாடக மேடையான இவ்வுலகில் பல வகையான கதாப்பாத்திரங்கள் இருப்பது போல் ஒருவர் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைவதற்காண சூல்நிலையும் செயலும் பல வகைப்படும்.
வேலை கிடைப்பது, நிறைய சம்பாதிப்பது, அதிக மதிப்பெண் பெறுவது, இந்திய அணி கோப்பை வெல்வது – இவை அனைத்தும் ஒருவர் சந்தோசமாகவும் மகிழ்ச்சியாகவும் இருப்பதற்குரிய சூல்நிலை தான்.
அதில் தவறு ஒன்றும் இல்லை.
ஆனால் ஆத்ம பூர்வமாண மகிழ்ச்சி என்பது, தான் மகிழ்வது மட்டும் அல்லாமல், பிறரையும் மகிழ்வித்து, அவர்கள் மகிழ்ச்சியில் மனநிறைவு அடைவதுதான்.
அந்த மனநிறைவு தான் உண்மையான மகிழ்ச்சி.
நம் தமிழ் மாந்தர் தோன்றிய காலதில் இருந்தே பிறரை மகிழ்வித்து மகிழ்வதில் மனநிறைவு அடைந்திருந்தனர்.
தமிழ் சங்ககாலத்தில் புலவர் பெருமக்கள் பலர் இருந்தனர். அப்புலவர்களுக்கும், நம் தமிழ் மண் வேந்தர்களுக்கும் இடையே இருந்த‘மகிழ்வித்து மகிழ்’ என்ற பண்பாடு மிகவும் இனிமையானது.
தமிழ் புலவர்கள் மன்னர்களைச் செந்தமிழில் பாடி, போற்றி மகிழ்ந்தனர். புலமைச் சொற்களால் தன்னை மகிழ்வித்த புலவருக்கு பொன்னையும் பொருளையும் பரிசாகக் கொடுத்து மகிழ்ந்தான் மன்னன்.
முல்லைக்குத் தேர் கொடுத்த பாரியின் வள்ளல் குணத்தை நாம் அனைவரும் அறிவோம். தான் ஒரு வள்ளல் என்று உலகம் தன்னைப் போற்ற வேண்டும் என்பதற்காகவா பாரி தன் பொற்தேரை மொளவல் கொடிக்குக் கொடுத்தான்?
இல்லவே இல்லை!!
படர இடம் இல்லாமல் முல்லைக் கொடி தவிப்பதைக் கண்ட பாரியின் மனம் வெம்பியது. முல்லைக் கொடி செழித்து வளர்வதே தனக்கு மகிழ்ச்சி என்றான்! தன் தேரைக் கொடுத்தான்! மகிழ்ச்சியோடு தன் மனைக்குத் திரும்பினான்.
தான் தானமாக வாங்கிய அரிசியைச் சிட்டுக் குருவிகளின் பசிக்கு இரையாகக் கொடுத்து மகிழ்ந்தான் புரட்சிக்கவிஞன் பாரதி.
தனக்குக் கிடைத்த அரிய நெல்லிக்கனியை ஒளவைக்குக் கொடுத்து அந்தப் பிராட்டி அதிக நாள் மகிழ்ச்சியாக உயிர் வாழ்வதில் மனநிறைவு அடைந்தான் மன்னன் அதியமான்.
’வாடிய பயிரை கண்டபோதெல்லாம் வாடினேன்’ என்று வள்ளலார் கூறியது போல், பிறர் துன்பத்தைக் கண்டு துவண்ட தமிழர்கள் பிறர் இன்பத்தில் தான் தனது உண்மையான இன்பம் இருக்கிறது என்பதை உணர்ந்திருந்தனர்.
கொடுப்பது மட்டும் மகிழ்ச்சி அல்ல. பிறருக்கு விட்டுக்கொடுப்பதிலும் மகிழ்ச்சி அமைந்துள்ளது.
வளர்ந்து வரும் நாகரிக உலகில் தன்னைப் பற்றி சிந்திக்கவே மனிதனுக்கு நேரம் இல்லாமல் போயிற்று!
தனது மகிழ்ச்சியையே முழுமையாகக் கொண்டாட முடியாத நிலை. இதில் அடுத்தவரை மகிழ்வித்து தான் அதில் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைவது என்பது கானல் நீர் கண்ட கதைதான்.
போட்டிப் போட்டுக்கொண்டு நகரும் இந்த எந்திர உலகில் மக்கள் ஒருவரை ஒருவர் பாராட்டிக் கொள்ளவும், வாழ்த்தவும் நேரம் செலவழிப்பதில்லை. தன் வேலை தன் வாழ்க்கை என்று ஓடிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது.
மனிதன் மறந்துவிட்டான்,
”we are human-beings not human-doings”
நல்ல மனங்களைத் தேடித் தத்தளிக்கும் இவ்வுலகில் உள்ள அனைத்து நெஞ்சங்களும் ஒரு சிறிய பாராட்டுக்காகத் தான் ஏங்கிக்கிடக்கின்றன.
மற்றவரைப் பாராட்ட வேண்டும் என்ற எண்ணம் எல்லாரிடமும் காணப்படாது. தன்னலம் இல்லாத உள்ளம் படைத்தவரால் தான் பிறரை வஞ்சகம் இல்லாமல் பாராட்ட முடியும்.
அவ்வுள்ளம் படைத்தவரால் மட்டுமே பிறரை மகிழ்வித்து மகிழ்ச்சி அடைய முடியும்.
நம்மால் முடிந்ததைப் பிறருக்குக் கொடுப்போம்; கொடுப்பதில் மகிழ்வோம்!
பிறர் எண்ணங்களையும் செயலையும் பாராட்டுவோம், பாராட்டுவதில் மகிழ்வோம்!
நாமும் மகிழ்வோம்; பிறரையும் மகிழ்விப்போம்!
S. சவிதா
S. சவிதா
½ a second before tsunami Rare Photo
YOUR DAILY SURVIVAL KIT FOR THE NEW YEAR
Today, I am giving you a D A I L Y S U R V I V A L K I T
to help you each day............
Toothpick ... to remind you to pick the good qualities in everyone, including yourself.
Rubber band ... to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.
Band-Aid ... to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else's.
Eraser ... to remind you everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.
Candy Kiss ... to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment everyday.
Mint ... to remind you that you are worth a mint to your family & Me.
Bubble Gum ... to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
Pencil ... to remind you to list your blessings every day.
Tea Bag ... to remind you to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.
This is what makes life worth living every minute, every day
Wishing you love, gratitude, friends to cherish, caring, sharing, laughter, music, and warm feelings in your
Antidepressants and pregnancy: Women must consider the impact of drugs on baby, and of depression on baby, themselves
Upon learning they are pregnant, most women dutifully nix the alcohol, sushi and caffeine. But what about antidepressants?
Headlines about the potential risks of antidepressants on a developing fetus, including miscarriage, premature birt and newborn breathing problems, have produced angst for many moms on medication. But of greater concern, some experts say, are the harmful effects of untreated depression on the baby, including low birth weight, irritability and developmental delays.
"There's no path that's really risk-free," said Pec Indman, a San Jose, Calif.-based therapist who specializes in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. "Illness has risk, and treatment has risk."
Which is riskier, of course, is the tough question.
Dozens of studies exploring the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy, especially the popular class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, have yielded mixed results and suffered from design limitations.
A chief limitation is that it's not clear whether adverse outcomes are the fault of the medication or the depression itself, said Dr. Kimberly Yonkers, professor of psychiatry and of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive services at Yale School of Public Health.
So far the most consistent data have linked antidepressants with preterm delivery, though studies haven't shown any long-term effects on the child, Yonkers said. A study last year that linked antidepressant use in the first trimester with a fourfold increase in the chance of a child having autism was met with a flurry of warnings from experts to not read into the findings, as it was the first and only study to make the association and there were methodological weaknesses.
One of the more common consequences of antidepressant exposure to babies is post-delivery withdrawal-like symptoms, including tremors, respiratory problems, feeding difficulties and jitteriness. In a 2006 Israeli study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a third of the antidepressant-exposed babies experienced such symptoms, compared with none in the control group, though most symptoms resolved themselves within a few days.
Other potential dangers pose a very small risk.
Writing last month in the British Medical Journal, European researchers found that taking SSRIs during the second half of pregnancy can more than double the risk that newborns will develop persistent pulmonary hypertension, a condition that prevents babies from getting enough oxygen into their bloodstream and, if severe, can result in multiple organ damage and death.
But that means the risk jumps from 1.2 in 1,000 babies to 3 in 1,000 babies, which is still very rare.
To compare, the risk of any woman developing a blood clot during pregnancy is 2 in 1,000 and of having a stillbirth is 6 in 1,000, said Dr. Avi Patil, who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine at Duke University Medical Center.
"Many more women will have depression in pregnancy that needs to be treated than will have this adverse event," said Patil, who in December published a review article in the journal Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey examining data on common antidepressants taken during pregnancy.
Left untreated, depression itself could harm gestating babies. Babies born to depressed moms have shown elevated cortisol levels and reduced serotonin levels, plus depressed moms are less likely to seek regular prenatal care or take prenatal vitamins and more likely to smoke or drink alcohol, Indman said. They also are more likely to experience postpartum depression, hampering their ability to interact with their new baby, which can interfere with development.
Studies have associated depressed moms with preterm delivery, low birth weight and low Apgar scores (a test to measure the health of a newborn). Untreated anxiety has been linked to babies with inconsolable crying, sleep problems and developmental delays, Indman said.
Women with mild depression might consider gradually tapering off their medication dose before they conceive (if they have the luxury of planning) or in the third trimester (if they don't) to decrease the risk of withdrawal symptoms in the newborn, Patil said. But if it's likely the mom will relapse, it's best to stay on. He recommends patients seek guidance from their OB-GYN and mental health providers to determine the best course of action, including alternative therapies.
It's never a good idea to discontinue medication abruptly. In a 2000 study of women who stopped taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills upon learning they were pregnant, 70 percent reported adverse physical or psychological effects, 30 percent had suicidal thoughts and 10 percent were admitted to hospitals.
"It was pretty sad," said study co-author Adrienne Einarson, a nurse who has published extensively on the topic. "It can be more harmful for women not to be treated, but no one seems to look at it that way."
Einarson, who is semiretired as assistant director of Motherisk, a counseling service for pregnant women based at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, worries the stigma and misinformation about the risks might dissuade women from taking medication they need. Injury lawyers haven't helped; last year, a family won a $2.5 million settlement from GlaxoSmithKline after a jury found it negligent for not warning the mom's physician of the risks of taking Paxil during her pregnancy. Her son was born with a heart defect.
Several studies have linked paroxetine, the generic form of Paxil, to heart malformations, but others have found no greater risk, Einarson said.
"Now they're going to think for the rest of their lives that it was her fault because she took Paxil," she said.
More information: Resources: postpartum.net; womensmentalhealth.org
(c)2012 the Chicago Tribune
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Distributed by MCT Information Services
"Antidepressants and pregnancy: Women must consider the impact of drugs on baby, and of depression on baby, themselves." February 10th, 2012.http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-antidepressants-pregnancy-women-impact-drugs.html
Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek
Robert Karl Stonjek
Friday, February 10, 2012
UK Report Suggests Soldiers Could One Day Plug Their Weapons Right Into Their Brains
Dangerous-sounding neuroscience
Where the Metal Meets the Mind A new report from the UK's Royal Society suggest several ways neuroscience can be leveraged to enhance defense technologies--including via weapons that meld with the mind. JanneM via Flickr
A group of forward-thinking military scientists want to plug soldiers’ weapons directly into their brains, and this time DARPA is nowhere to be found. The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of scientific thought, issued a report today on the applications of neuroscience in the military and law enforcement contexts. Discussed therein: new performance-enhancing designer drugs, brain stimulation to boost brain function, and weapons systems that plug directly into the brain.
The wide-ranging document reportedly covers a lot of ground, including the ethical issues surrounding the use of neuroscience in defense. It seems to focus less on ways to impact the enemy directly, and more on the enhancement of soldiers’ fighting abilities--though neurological drugs that make enemy captives more talkative or perhaps cause enemy troops fall asleep or become disoriented also get a mention.
Of particular interest in the document: transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS. The idea of passing electrical signals through the skull to the brain to boost performance isn’t new to U.S. defense dreamers, as the U.S. military has already done tests on the technology (and found it helpful in improving soldiers’ abilities to detect threats). A battle helmet that can pass weak electrical pulses through the brain could sharpen a soldier’s mind, the report suggests, upping attention spans and memory as well as attention to detail.
Similarly, electroencephalogram (EEG) could work to turn the human brain into a more efficient tool, although in a somewhat backwards fashion from tDCS. Using an array of electrodes, EEG can record brainwaves through the skull, detecting things that may not be conscious but that the brain nonetheless registers. For instance, the report cites DARPA research in which subjects looking at satellite photos were monitored with EEG. Even when the subjects missed some of the targets they were looking for in the images, the brain detected them, and that was evident in their brain waves even though it was never converted to conscious thought.
Such tools could also be used to screen recruits and identify certain mental traits, helping fighting forces more efficiently organize their ranks into fast learners, decision-makers, peacekeepers, and hardened, battle-ready special ops types. But none of these ideas is as far-out as using brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to plug soldiers’ brains directly into weapons systems.
This is based on the same kind of research that has shown that disabled individuals can move prostheses with nerve signals from the brain, but in this context such BMI technology would be used to plug the fast processing power of the brain into drone technology and other weapons technologies for faster target identification and, presumably, termination. Let’s hope the soldiers mind-melding with the killer drones aced their EEG decision-making exams.
[Guardian]
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