Scientists ‘read minds’ with brain scans

Neuroscience might never lead marketers to discover the brain’s ‘buy button’ but scientists at the University College London claimed this week to have taken the first steps towards building a “mind-reading device”.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanners, the UCL team discovered they could use brief recordings of brain activity to predict which of two objects volunteers were viewing – with 80% accuracy.