Which Mental Superpower Would You Choose?

June 28, 2018 • by Marc Airhart

In this episode of Point of Discovery, we talk to neuroscientist Laura Colgin about the potential, and possible pitfalls, of new technologies that connect the human brain to a computer.

Illustration of a brain connected to a computer

What if people who lost a particular brain function—say, an Alzheimer's patient who can no longer make new memories—had the same option as many people who've lost limbs or other body parts—the chance to use technology to supplement what's no longer there? Or what if you could boost a healthy person's brain, essentially giving them mental superpowers, like the ability to become a Kung Fu master by downloading new skills directly to your brain?

Scientists are now working on brain-machine interfaces, systems that connect the human brain to a computer to do something neither the brain—nor the computer—can do alone. In this episode, we talk to neuroscientist Laura Colgin about the potential, and possible pitfalls, of these new technologies.

Share


An illustration of a seagrass meadow, with the sediment cross-sectioned to reveal roots. There are two small black microhpones resting on the top of the sediment, connected by a cable running back to a metal box.

Podcast

Can Tiny Bubbles Help Save the Planet?

A juxtaposition of two head shots of a young woman and young man, against a burnt orange backdrop.

The Graduate School

Graduate Students Win at 2025 Empower Your Pitch Competition

Neural connections within the brain

College of Liberal Arts

UT Awarded NIH Center Grant for Big-Data Technology to Map the Brain