[NetBehaviour] Brain will be battlefield of future, warns US intelligence report.

[marc garrett]

Brain will be battlefield of future, warns US intelligence report.

The human brain could become a battlefield in future wars, a new report 
predicts, including 'pharmacological land mines' and drones directed by 
mind control.

Ian Sample
guardian.co.uk,

Rapid advances in neuroscience could have a dramatic impact on national 
security and the way in which future wars are fought, US intelligence 
officials have been told.

In a report commissioned by the Defense Intelligence Agency, leading 
scientists were asked to examine how a greater understanding of the 
brain over the next 20 years is likely to drive the development of new 
medicines and technologies.

They found several areas in which progress could have a profound impact, 
including behaviour-altering drugs, scanners that can interpret a 
person's state of mind and devices capable of boosting senses such as 
hearing and vision.

On the battlefield, bullets may be replaced with "pharmacological land 
mines" that release drugs to incapacitate soldiers on contact, while 
scanners and other electronic devices could be developed to identify 
suspects from their brain activity and even disrupt their ability to 
tell lies when questioned, the report says.

"The concept of torture could also be altered by products in this 
market. It is possible that some day there could be a technique 
developed to extract information from a prisoner that does not have any 
lasting side effects," the report states.

The report highlights one electronic technique, called transcranial 
direct current stimulation, which involves using electrical pulses to 
interfere with the firing of neurons in the brain and has been shown to 
delay a person's ability to tell a lie.

more...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/aug/13/military.neuroscience