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PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
In the end the CIA concluded that Star Gate had yielded not a single instance of information that helped the agency guide intelligence
operations, so it canceled the project. (Rumors persisted that the CIA
used remote viewers to locate Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War,
although all efforts were unsuccessful.)
BRAIN SCANS
At the same time, scientists were beginning to understand some of the
physics behind the workings of the brain. In the nineteenth century
scientists suspected that electrical signals were being transmitted inside the brain. In 1875 Richard Caton discovered that by placing electrodes on the surface of the head it was possible to detect the tiny
electrical signals emitted by the brain. This eventually led to the invention of the electroencephalograph (EEG).
In principle the brain is a transmitter over which our thoughts are
broadcast in the form of tiny electrical signals and electromagnetic
waves. But there are problems with using these signals to read someone's thoughts. First, the signals are extremely weak, in the milliwatt
range. Second, the signals are gibberish, largely indistinguishable
from random noise. Only crude information about our thoughts can be
gleaned from this garble. Third, our brain is not capable of receiving
similar messages from other brains via these signals; that is, we lack
an antenna. And, finally, even if we could receive these faint signals,
we could not unscramble them. Using ordinary Newtonian and Maxwellian physics, telepathy via radio does not seem to be possible.
Some believe that perhaps telepathy is mediated by a fifth force,
called the "psi" force. But even advocates of parapsychology admit that
they have no concrete, reproducible evidence of this psi force.
But this leaves open the question: What about telepathy using the
quantum theory?
In the last decade, new quantum instruments have been introduced
that for the first time in history enable us to look into the thinking brain.
PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
In the end the CIA concluded that Star Gate had yielded not a single instance of information that helped the agency guide intelligence
operations, so it canceled the project. (Rumors persisted that the CIA
used remote viewers to locate Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War,
although all efforts were unsuccessful.)
BRAIN SCANS
At the same time, scientists were beginning to understand some of the
physics behind the workings of the brain. In the nineteenth century
scientists suspected that electrical signals were being transmitted inside the brain. In 1875 Richard Caton discovered that by placing electrodes on the surface of the head it was possible to detect the tiny
electrical signals emitted by the brain. This eventually led to the invention of the electroencephalograph (EEG).
In principle the brain is a transmitter over which our thoughts are
broadcast in the form of tiny electrical signals and electromagnetic
waves. But there are problems with using these signals to read someone's thoughts. First, the signals are extremely weak, in the milliwatt
range. Second, the signals are gibberish, largely indistinguishable
from random noise. Only crude information about our thoughts can be
gleaned from this garble. Third, our brain is not capable of receiving
similar messages from other brains via these signals; that is, we lack
an antenna. And, finally, even if we could receive these faint signals,
we could not unscramble them. Using ordinary Newtonian and Maxwellian physics, telepathy via radio does not seem to be possible.
Some believe that perhaps telepathy is mediated by a fifth force,
called the "psi" force. But even advocates of parapsychology admit that
they have no concrete, reproducible evidence of this psi force.
But this leaves open the question: What about telepathy using the
quantum theory?
In the last decade, new quantum instruments have been introduced
that for the first time in history enable us to look into the thinking brain.