Ian Sample, science correspondent
Friday February 9, 2007
The Guardian

The brain scan that can read people's intentions


Call for ethical debate over possible use of new technology in interrogation

Using the technology is 'like shining a torch, looking for writing on a wall'. CT image: Charles O'Rear/Corbis

A team of world-leading neuroscientists has developed a powerful technique that allows them to look deep inside a person's brain and read their intentions before they act.
The research breaks controversial new ground in scientists' ability to probe people's minds and eavesdrop on their thoughts, and raises serious ethical issues over how brain-reading technology may be used in the future.