The US Military Plans to Hack the Human Brain to Teach a Second Language Faster
It is not easy being a spy or a soldier: you have to be completely foucsed in dangerous situations, assess information in the field, speak many foreign languages, and also handle all kinds of technical weaponry and equipment. Learning how to do all of this needs a lot of training, which is why the US Department of Defence research wing wants to figure out other ways to make their workers learn the vital skills faster – even if they have to zap them to get the job done. To explore all the possibilities, Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA has awarded more than US$50 million in their funding to eight teams which are researching on how electrical stimulation of the nervous system can help them facilitate learning. The four-year program is called TNT(Targeted Neuroplasticity Training), aims to be the identity safe and also optimal neurostimulation methods which can activate what is called synaptic plasticity, the ability of synapses to weaken or strengthen, and by doing so, ...