Neuroscience is now big business, with discoveries coming thick and fast. The time to worry about the future of our brains is now, says Steven Rose.
Ronald Bailey argues that in the neuroethic debate, critics have not not made a strong case for "why individuals, in consultation with their doctors, should not be allowed to take advantage of new neuroscientific breakthroughs to enhance the functioning of their brains."
The last refuge of secrets and lies - the brain - may be about to reveal all. Scientists are finding ways to use the brain's activity to expose truths a person may try to hide. The techniques could revolutionize police work, improve national security, and threaten personal privacy.
Glenn Harlan Reynolds analyzes the recent attention to the ethics of neuroscience research.
The authors argue that while genetics may yet threaten privacy, kill autonomy, make society homogeneous and gut the concept of human nature, "neuroscience could do all of these things first."
The Economist warns that society should pay as much attention to the dangers of neuroscience as it is paying to genetics and human cloning.
The author covers discussions at a conference sponsored by the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics on 'Neuro Ethics', a new field that is concerned with the social, legal and ethical implications of modern research on the brain.
An excellent coverage of some of the ethical and social implications of research into brain-machine interfaces. The author takes a look at its potential for mind-control or intelligence augmentation, i.e. making humans into cyborgs.