MRI scan displaying cross-section of the human brain

Cognotechnology is an emerging field that is technology applied to the cognitive domain, and is the result of a convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology and information technology, according to Gerald Yonas, vice president and principal scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (US Department of Energy). Image File history File links Picture of a human brain rendered with an fMRI scanner. ... Image File history File links Picture of a human brain rendered with an fMRI scanner. ... Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - also called magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) - is a method of creating images of the inside of opaque organs in living organisms as well as detecting the amount of bound water in geological structures. ... The human brain is the center of the central nervous system in humans and the primary control center for the peripheral nervous system. ... // Technology [from Gr. ... The term cognition is used in several different loosely related ways. ... A mite next to a gear set produced using MEMS, the precursor to nanotechnology. ... Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. ... Categories: Information technology ... It has been suggested that Sandia Base be merged into this article or section. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government responsible for energy policy and nuclear safety. ...

While only a nascent field, the director of the prestigious US National Science Foundation, Rita Colwell, stated in 2003 that "the interface between nano, bio, info and cognotechnology is where the exciting discoveries are occurring."^[1] The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency responsible for supporting basic science research mainly by providing research funding. ...

Potential applications

According to Yonas, nanotechnology makes it feasible to use brain implants to moderate behavior or brain functioning, allowing brains with disorders or brains that have been damaged to function normally.^[2] The term brain implants usually refers to devices of a technological nature that are connected directly to a biological subjects brain - usually placed on the surface of the brain, or attached to the brains cortex. ...

Another developing field of cognotechnology focuses on remote sensing brain function. Sensed brain function will include the intention to commit deception, and according to Yonas, is likely to be used for more efficient identifying of potential terrorists at, for example, airports. In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the supervisory center of the nervous system. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Look up terrorist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Terrorist may refer to: Terrorism, violence (especially against civilians) that is militarily insignificant but aimed at undermining morale it also tends to reduce peoples love life dramatically by causing erectile disfunction The Terrorist, a 1998 film based on the life of a...

Some fields of cognotechnology have the potential to be used in possibly controversial ways, such as modifying the behavior of criminals or pacifying enemy combatants. Behavior refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. ... A crime in a broad sense is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... A combatant (also referred to as an enemy combatant) is a soldier or guerrilla member who is waging war. ...

Yonas gave an address on cognotechnology and these areas currently being researched at a 2001 daylong symposium sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general science organization and the publisher of the prestigious academic journal Science. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an organization that promotes cooperation between scientists, defends scientific freedom, encourages scientific responsibility and supports scientific education for the betterment of all humanity. ... Science is the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. ...

See also

• Cognitive Science
• Neurotechnology
• Frey effect
• Mind control

Cognitive science is usually defined as the scientific study either of mind or of intelligence (e. ... Neurotechnology is the set of tools that analyze and influence the human nervous system, especially the brain. ... The Frey effect, also known as the microwave hearing effect, or the microwave hearing phenomenon, was first reported by persons working in the vicinity of radar transponders during WWII. The Frey effect, was named after the American neuroscientist Allan H. Frey, who first extensively studied its nature in the Cold... Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ...

References

1. ^  New, William (April 18, 2003). "Science agency seeks place at 'cutting edge' of data mining" National Journal's Technology Daily.
2. ^  Brown, Doug (Dec. 19, 2001). "Drexler warns terror symposium nanotech has 'extreme downsides'" Small Times Magazine.