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Elon Musk’s Neuralink received approval last week from the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct human clinical trials, which one former FDA official called “really a big deal.” I do not disagree, but I am skeptical that this technology will “change everything.” Not every profound technological advance has broad social and economic implications.

With Neuralink’s device, a robot surgically inserts a device into the brain that can then decode some brain activity and connect the brain signals to computers and other machines. A person paralyzed from the neck down, for example, could use the interface to manipulate her physical environment, as well as to write and communicate.

This would indeed be a breakthrough — for people with paralysis or traumatic brain injuries. For others, I am not so sure. For purposes of argument, as there are many companies working in this space, assume this technology works as advertised. Who exactly will want to use it?

One fear is that the brain-machine connections will be expensive and that only the wealthy will be able to afford them. These people will become a new class of “super-thinkers,” lording over us with their superior intellects.

I do not think that this scenario is likely. If I were offered $100 million for a permanent brain-computer connection, I would not accept it, if only because of fear of side effects and possible neurological damage. And I would want to know for sure that the nexus of control goes from me to the computer, not vice versa.

Besides, there are other ways of augmenting my intelligence with computers, most notably the recent AI innovations. It is true that I can think faster than I can speak or type, but — I’m just not in that much of a hurry. I would rather learn how to type on my phone as fast as a teenager does.

A related vision of direct brain-computer interface is that computers will be able to rapidly inject useful knowledge into our brains. Imagine going to bed, turning on your brain device, and waking up knowing Chinese. Sounds amazing — yet if that were possible, so would all sorts of other scenarios, not all of them benign, where a computer can alter or control our brains.

I also view this scenario as remote — unlike using your brain to manipulate objects, it seems true science fiction. Current technologies read brain signals but do not control them.

Another vision for this technology is that the owners of computers will want to “rent out” the powers of human brains, much the way companies rent out space today in the cloud. Software programs are not good at some skills, such as identifying unacceptable speech or images. In this scenario, the connected brains come largely from low-wage laborers, just as both social media companies and OpenAI have used low-wage labor in Kenya to grade the quality of output or to help make content decisions.

Those investments may be good for raising the wages of those people. Many observers may object, however, that a new and more insidious class distinction will have been created — between those who have to hook up to machines to make a living, and those who do not.

Might there be scenarios where higher-wage workers wish to be hooked up to the machine? Wouldn’t it be helpful for a spy or a corporate negotiator to receive computer intelligence in real-time while making decisions? Would professional sports allow such brain-computer interfaces? They might be useful in telling a baseball player when to swing and when not to.

The more I ponder these options, the more skeptical I become about large-scale uses of brain-computer interfaces for the non-disabled. Artificial intelligence has been progressing at an amazing pace, and it doesn’t require any intrusion into our bodies, much less our brains. There are always earplugs and some future version of Google Glass.

The main advantage of the direct brain-computer interface seems to be speed. But extreme speed is important in only a limited class of circumstances, many of them competitions and zero-sum endeavors, such as sports and games.

Of course, companies such as Neuralink may prove me wrong. But for the moment I am keeping my bets on artificial intelligence and large language models, which sit a comfortable few inches away from me as I write this. 

© 2023 Bloomberg LP

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Mysterious Planetary-Mass Objects May Form in Young Star System Clashes

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March 12, 2025

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Mysterious Planetary-Mass Objects May Form in Young Star System Clashes

Free-floating planetary-mass objects have been observed drifting through young star clusters, raising questions about their origins. These objects, with masses around 13 times that of Jupiter, have been identified in large numbers within regions like the Trapezium Cluster in Orion. The discovery of 40 binary planetary-mass objects, referred to as Jupiter-Mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs), has challenged existing theories about their formation. Their presence has led scientists to investigate whether they originate like planets or stars, as neither process can fully explain their characteristics.

Formation Linked to Star System Collisions

According to a study published in Science Advances on February 26, simulations suggest that these objects may form during violent interactions between circumstellar disks surrounding young stars. Deng Hongping of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory at the Chinese Academy of Sciences told Phys.org that planetary-mass objects do not align with the typical classifications of stars or planets, indicating a distinct formation process linked to young star clusters.

New Insights into Rogue Planetary Objects

As reported, previous theories suggested that free-floating planetary-mass objects were planets ejected from their home systems due to gravitational interactions. However, the discovery of binary JuMBOs contradicts this, as the likelihood of such an event occurring without breaking the pair is low. Alternative explanations, such as them being brown dwarfs, have also been questioned, as binary rates decrease significantly for lower-mass stellar bodies.

Simulations Reveal a Different Mechanism

High-resolution hydrodynamic simulations by the research team demonstrated that circumstellar disk collisions at high speeds could create tidal bridges of gas and dust. These structures collapse into filaments that fragment, forming planetary-mass objects. The study found that 14% of these objects emerge in binary or triplet systems, providing a possible explanation for the large number of JuMBOs observed in Orion.

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New Dark Matter Hypothesis Suggests Ionisation Clue in Milky Way’s Core

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March 12, 2025

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New Dark Matter Hypothesis Suggests Ionisation Clue in Milky Way’s Core

Unusual activity at the centre of the Milky Way has raised new questions about dark matter, potentially pointing to a previously overlooked candidate. Researchers suggest that a lightweight, self-annihilating form of dark matter could be influencing cosmic chemistry in ways that have gone unnoticed. This theory proposes that when two of these dark matter particles collide, they annihilate each other, producing electrons and positrons. The presence of these particles in dense gas regions may explain why the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) contains a significant amount of ionised gas. Scientists argue that this ionisation effect could be an indirect way of detecting dark matter, shifting the focus beyond its gravitational influence.

New Dark Matter Hypothesis

According to a study published in Physical Review Letters, a research team led by Shyam Balaji, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at King’s College London, suggests that dark matter with a mass lower than a proton may be responsible for the high levels of ionisation observed in the CMZ. Speaking to Space.com, Balaji explained that unlike traditional dark matter candidates, which are mainly studied through gravitational interactions, this form of dark matter might be detectable through its impact on the interstellar medium.

Dark Matter and Ionisation

Dark matter is believed to make up 85 percent of the universe’s mass, yet it remains undetectable by conventional methods due to its lack of interaction with light. The research indicates that even if dark matter annihilation is rare, it would be more frequent in galaxy centres where dark matter is expected to be denser. The team suggests that the ionisation observed in the CMZ is too strong to be explained by cosmic rays alone, making dark matter a compelling alternative explanation.

Future Observations and Implications

Balaji highlighted that existing observations do not contradict this hypothesis, and upcoming space missions, including

COSI gamma-ray telescope set to launch in 2027, could provide further evidence. If confirmed, this would open a new avenue for studying dark matter, not just through its gravitational effects but also through its chemical interactions within the galaxy.

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World’s First Modular Quantum Computer Operates at Room Temperature

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March 12, 2025

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World’s First Modular Quantum Computer Operates at Room Temperature

A quantum computer capable of functioning at room temperature has been developed, marking a major advancement in the field. Named Aurora, the system operates using light-based qubits and connects multiple modules through fibre optic cables. This approach aims to address key challenges in quantum computing, including scalability, fault tolerance, and error correction. The technology, designed by Xanadu, a Toronto-based quantum computing company, demonstrates the potential for networked quantum computers that do not require extreme cooling measures.

Photon-Based Quantum Computing at Scale

According to a study published in Nature, Aurora is the first quantum system that operates at scale while being entirely photonic. Traditional quantum computers rely on superconducting qubits that require near-absolute zero temperatures to function effectively. These systems face significant challenges due to heat generation and complex cooling infrastructure. By utilising photonic qubits instead of superconducting ones, Xanadu’s researchers have created a system that integrates seamlessly into existing fibre optic networks.

Networking Smaller Quantum Units

As reported, Christian Weedbrook, CEO and founder of Xanadu, explained that the industry’s primary challenges lie in improving quantum error correction and achieving scalability. The system has been designed with smaller, interconnected modules rather than a single large unit. Speaking to the publication, Darran Milne, CEO of VividQ and an expert in quantum information theory, noted that while dividing a quantum system into multiple components may improve error correction, it has been seen whether this approach will ultimately reduce errors or compound them.

Potential Applications and Future Development

The system integrates 35 photonic chips linked by 13 kilometres of fibre optic cables. Researchers believe this framework could enable large-scale quantum data centres, facilitating applications such as drug discovery simulations and secure quantum cryptography. According to Xanadu, future efforts will focus on minimising optical signal loss in fibre connections to enhance performance.

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