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Robot Makes People Feel Like a Ghost Is Nearby

Posted by Soulskill on from the g-g-g-g-ghost?!?! dept.

sciencehabit writes: In 2006, cognitive neuroscientist Olaf Blanke of the University of Geneva in Switzerland was testing a patient's brain functions before her epilepsy surgery when he noticed something strange. Every time he electrically stimulated the region of her brain responsible for integrating different sensory signals from the body, the patient would look behind her back as if a person was there, even when she knew full well that no one was actually present. Now, with the help of robots, Blanke and colleagues have not only found a neurological explanation for this illusion, but also tricked healthy people into sensing "ghosts," they report online in Current Biology (abstract). The study could help explain why schizophrenia patients sometimes hallucinate that aliens control their movements.

11 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. What they don't tell you ... by pollarda · · Score: 5, Funny

    What the article doesn't say is the effect is easily counteracted by the patient wearing a tin foil hat.

    Don't leave home without it.

    1. Re:What they don't tell you ... by i+kan+reed · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's science news in that we've isolated a repeatable brain interaction electrical with a specific known effect.

      That's a big deal, because it can begin to allow use to attribute direct cause to some human behaviors. Which has potential therapeutic applications, and maybe even someday can allow us to start the previously impossible task of improving on the human brain.

  2. In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by i+kan+reed · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Dualists are still staggeringly common.

    Why are so many people so adamant about the notion that consciousness can't come from the physical brain?

    1. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why are so many people so adamant about the notion that consciousness can't come from the physical brain?

      Because people are stupid.

      (If you're amazed by how many questions are answered by that statement, you might not have a functioning TV.)

    2. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by Charliemopps · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dualists are still staggeringly common.

      Why are so many people so adamant about the notion that consciousness can't come from the physical brain?

      Personally, I withhold judgment on spirituality. As silly as some religion sounds, reality is even sillier. What the catholic church has to say isn't half as crazy as what's coming out of CERN these days.

    3. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by BringsApples · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why are so many people so adamant about the notion that consciousness can't come from the physical brain?

      I might be able to answer that for you, if you can explain to me what you understand consciousness to be.

      --
      Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
    4. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by Charliemopps · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's not about how silly things sound, it's about how directly contrary to observable reality Cartesian Dualism is. I'm pretty flexible about people believing things for no reason, hell I do too, but dualism at this point, is, like creationism, plain old science denial.

      Sorry... but you've got 2 old guys claiming some crazy stuff that makes no logical sense as far as the layman is concerned. They both claim to have rock solid proof. None of witch makes any sense. Neither you, nor I, can test any of it. I, like you, chose to believe that quantum physics is real. But to lambaste the religious side for being stupid? I'm sorry, I'm just not there.

      I have faith that physicists have done their work well, and are impartial and not lying to me. But my mother that attends church feels the same way about her pastor. I do not have enough time left in my life to turn around and learn the skills I'd need to actually verify what scientist have told me, nor the money to buy the equipment. So I therefor am going on faith, just like my mother. It would be the hight of hypocrisy for me to scold her for doing the exact same thing I'm doing.

      I'm not saying you should dump this science nonsense and start going to church. I'm saying you should get off your high horse and let people believe what they want to.

    5. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by cat_jesus · · Score: 5, Informative

      I have faith that physicists have done their work well, and are impartial and not lying to me. But my mother that attends church feels the same way about her pastor. I do not have enough time left in my life to turn around and learn the skills I'd need to actually verify what scientist have told me, nor the money to buy the equipment. So I therefor am going on faith, just like my mother. It would be the hight of hypocrisy for me to scold her for doing the exact same thing I'm doing.

      You have just committed a fallacy of equivocation. You are using two different meanings of the word faith here and trying to say that they are the same when they are not.

      For example, when I drive through a green light without looking I have "faith" that others are not going to drive through the red light and hit me. This is based off of experience and is one defintion of faith, which is a trust based on experience.

      Religious faith is different. It is a belief that is not based on proof.

      Now you may say that you are talking about faith in the individuals(scientists and preachers) which is the same as trust in the individual, but that is a little disingenuous. You are basically relying on extreme ignorance and a severe lack of curiosity in the "believer". In other words you are claiming in this case that you are ignorant of the scientific method and of the importance of evidence. You are also claiming that your mother is ignorant of these things as well as the lack of evidence of the claims of religion.

      I sincerely doubt that you and your mother are that stupid.

      Don't feel bad. Fallacies of equivocation are very easy to fall into in the English language.

    6. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by i+kan+reed · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ha.

      No I don't.

      Familiarity with the history of biblical archeology(how many Noah's Arks have they found now? 12?), translation(hey this version of the inerrant truth means something completely different than this version of the inerrant truth), history, and exegisis is exactly why I dismiss them.

    7. Re:In spite of this and other similar phenomena... by narcc · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Both examples pretty clearly demonstrate the physical nature of our consciousness

      Ah, but they don't! That's the rub.

      The first example is no different than saying that damaging the yolk coil on my old TV proves that the pictures are produced entirely within the set and that all those 'radioists' are a bunch of religious fools.

      To the second, you could replace 'drug addiction' with 'need to pee'. The desire to satisfy a physical discomfort doesn't tell us anything about the nature of consciousness other than the fact that people generally prefer to be comfortable.

      Like I said before, you can reject dualism for any number of reasons, just not those.

      --
      Required reading for internet skeptics
  3. And I would have gotten away with it, too... by Red4man · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... if it weren't for you meddling kids!!

    --
    Sock Puppets: damn_registrars=pudge_confirmer=jimmy_slimmy=raiigunner=cml4524=a_klavan=red4men=ronpaulisanidiot