News and analysis on the implications of brain science.

Robot Soldiers Will Be a Reality—and a Threat

by Jonathan D. Moreno

Wall Street Journal | May 11, 2011

Given the obvious dangers, fully autonomous offensive lethal weapons should never be permitted.

The Truth About Lie Detectors

by Vaughan Bell

The Observer | April 21, 2012

'Lie detectors' are highly fallible, yet suspects are more likely to tell the truth when wired up to them. So should we trust this flawed technology?

How Advertisements Manipulate Behavior

by Wolfgang Stroebe

Scientific American | April 20, 2012

Can subliminal advertisements influence our behavior? New research says yes—but only under certain circumstances. 

Event

Sunday Lecture - The Neurobiology and Ethics of Voluntary Amputation

Conway Hall | April 25, 2012

On May 13 at Conway Hall in London, Mo Costandi will detail the neurological origins and ethical issues arising from Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), an extremely rare condition in which sufferers feel an overwhelming urge to amputate an otherwise perfectly healthy limb

Gene hunt is on for mental disability

by Ewen Callaway

Nature | April 17, 2012

Pioneering clinical genome-sequencing projects focus on patients with developmental delay.

When Memory Commits an Injustice

Eyewitness mistakes lead to tragic errors in court, but new methods could help

by Jonah Lehrer

Wall Street Journal | April 13, 2012

An Australian study offers new insight into ways to increase the accuracy of police lineups.

Will we ever have a fool-proof lie detector?

by Ed Yong

Discover Magazine | Aptil 9, 2012

A look at the current state of lie-detection. Existing devices are far from perfect, yet they are already used in trials "with varying success." 

Scientists judge a jury's brains

by Alan Boyle

msnbc.com | March 27, 2012

An fMRI study from Japan's National Institute of Radiological Sciences looks for brain regions associated with sympathy in jurors’ brains.  

Neuroscience and the Law Series Continues to Draw Judges
Since 2007, the Dana Foundation has supported a grant to the AAAS to hold seminars for state and federal judges on emerging issues in neuroscience, as part of the Foundation’s Neuroscience and Law series. The seminars are designed to provide judges with a better understanding of the role that advances in neuroscience may play in making legal determinations.

Since its inception, the series has gained a national prominence, with waiting lists of judges wanting to attend. In 2009, the American Bar Association’s Judicial Education Award was given to the AAAS for the series. It was the first time the award was offered to a non-judicial group.

Webcasts
•    Hank Greely, Stanford University (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Judy Illes, University of British Columbia (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Paul Root Wolpe, Emory University (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Paul Zak, Claremont Graduate University (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Steve Hyman, Harvard University (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Molly Crockett, University of Cambridge (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Molly Crockett, University of Cambridge and Patricia Smith Churchland, UC San Diego (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, University of Southern California and Sarah Jayne Blakemore, University College London (11/2010, Neuroethics Society Meeting, San Diego, CA)
•    Mind and Matter: Ethical Challenges of Deep Brain Stimulation (11/13/2008, Dana Center in Washington, DC)