If you’ve ever landed in the emergency room with a broken bone, fallen and hit your head, or been pregnant, then you already know how important medical imaging technology can be. https://futurism.com/sight-unseen-mri-medicine/

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Sight Unseen: Advanced Imaging Will Solve
the Greatest Mysteries of the Human Body
November 20, 2017 Health & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & MedicineHealth & Medicine
An Inside Look
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2. If you’ve ever landed in the emergency room with a broken bone, fallen and hit your head, or
been pregnant, then you already know how important medical imaging technology can be. If
you’ve been diagnosed with appendicitis, a stroke, or any kind of tumor, those scans may
have saved your life.
While medical imaging technology has given us the power to “see” inside the body, the tools
of tomorrow will be more powerful still. The science behind this technology has evolved by
leaps and bounds in the last few decades, but in order to apply those innovations to medical
equipment, researchers need support.
If progress in this area has been slow, it hasn’t been for lack of ideas — it’s been a lack of
funding. Now, there are signs that this might be changing, and researchers can already
envision the implications of giving medical professionals better ways to see in the body. To do
so would change more than the future of medicine: It would irrevocably change how we see
ourselves.
Sight Unseen — Today
For centuries, the only way to see inside the body was through exploratory surgery, which has
always come with risks — like an infection, hemorrhaging, and so on
Then, in 1895,Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-raysWilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays, giving physicians a tool that could let
them “see” the human skeleton without a single incision. And X-rays were only the
beginning. Computed tomography (CT) scans take several X-rays and combine them to form a
composite image, providing a more detailed internal view of organs, tissues, and bone.
Positron-emission tomography (PET) scans identify changes at the cellular level: After a
patient ingests a radioactive tracer, the scan tracks it as it moves through the body. This can
be helpful not just for diagnosing a disease, but monitoring one that may progress, like
metastatic cancer.
While these scans are essential to the practice of medicine, they aren’t without risk — even a
simple X-ray exposes patients to a small dose ofionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiationionizing radiation, which can build up and
pose health risks over time. So medical professionals do their best to use the scans sparingly.
In some cases, medical professionals can use other imaging techniques that don’t require any
radiation at all. Ultrasounds, for example,use high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound wavesuse high-frequency sound waves to produce images
of organs within the cavities of the body. They’re useful to help doctors diagnose conditions
like ovarian cysts and gallstones. Inserting a catheter orgastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tubegastrostomy tube becomes easier
when the technician can guide them in via ultrasound. Of course, ultrasounds are most often
associated with pregnancy, as they are used to construct real-time images of the fetus.
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3. The downside, however, is that the images that ultrasounds produce aren’t particularly high-
quality. The lack of detail means that, while an ultrasound might be able to detect a structure
on or near the ovary, di erentiating between a malignant tumor and a simple cyst usually
requires imaging at a higher resolution or even a biopsy. The quality of the ultrasound image
also varies depending on the skill of the sonographer, which could make the images less
reliable, which could be a life-threatening issue.
While collectively these techniques have informed how doctors treat patients, there’s one
technique that stands out above the rest: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The MRI can
provide a glimpse at the tissues and organs of the entire body, and it’s one of the best ways to
take images of the brain.
First developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970sFirst developed in the 1970s, MRIs use a combination of radio waves and magnetic fields to
render images of our internal organs, soft tissues, bones, ligaments, and cartilage. The human
body is full of proton-containing water molecules which will align when exposed to a
magnetic field. They flip-flop at di erent rates depending on what tissues of the body they
happen to be in. That’s how the MRI generates an image in which organs are (more or less)
distinct from one another.
While MRIs are useful for finding abnormalities in blood flow within the brain, a close
relative, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can provide insights into the activity
of cells in the brain.
And that, we suspect, is where many of the unsolved mysteries of the human body begin.
Much More to See
Research into medical imaging technology receives less attention than you might expect, even
though patients benefit greatly (and very often their lives depend upon) this research. Less
than two percent of grants from the National Institutes of Health are awarded to academic
radiology departments,Richard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard EhmanRichard Ehman, a diagnostic radiologist and director of the Mayo
Clinic Advanced Medical Imaging Technology lab, told Futurism.
As it stands today, modern medical imaging methods are extremely useful for clinicians, so
rather than devising new techniques, most researchers’ energies have been dedicated to
refining existing techniques. Inan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withan interview withNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNature, Roderic Pettigrew, the director of
the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging said that today’s MRI machines are so specific
that they can “track the di usion of water molecules in the brain with such precision that you
can compute their trajectories along fibre pathways,” giving physicians more information to
better diagnose, monitor, and treat a number of neurological conditions.

4. The most cutting-edge MRI machines are found in research facilities, but that’s not what
you’d find at your local hospital. As healthcare systems struggle under pressure to cut costs
without compromising the quality of patient care, entire radiology departments languish and
lag. Replacing anMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is priceyMRI machine is pricey, so it’s easy to understand why hospitals are using
older models. Some US hospitalsstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use filmstill use film.
“Most physicians would have a hard time imagining how they would take care of patients
without these tools,” Ehman, of Mayo, said. While it’s unlikely that any Western medical
practitioners lack the capability to take basic images of the body, complacency and a lack of
research attention to new imaging techniques have hampered innovation. Stagnation is
preventing us from seeing more.
And there is so much more to see.
Image Credit:Getty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty Images
All the Better to See You With

5. Over the past 30 years, the design of MRIs has evolved to be faster, quieter, and more
powerful — in large part because computerprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten fasterprocessors have gotten faster. Their evolution is
far from over, and a team at the University of California Berkeley has set out to prove it. The
team, composed of physicists and engineers, was recentlyawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAINawarded a $13.43 million BRAIN
InitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiativeInitiative from the National Institutes of Health to develop the next generation of fMRI,
dubbed the NexGen 7T, by 2019.
A MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in TeslasA MRI machine’s strength is measured in Teslas (T), which indicates the power of a magnetic
field. When the magnetic field of our body (the tissues of which contain positively-
charged water moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater moleculeswater molecules) interacts with the magnetic field of the MRI, the tissue gives o a
signal. The higher the power of the external magnet, the higher the intensity of that signal —
and in turn, the higher the resolution of the images the MRI produces. Today, the world’s
strongest MRI machines (which are generally isolated in research facilities and academic
medical centers) aresomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10Tsomewhere between 7T and 10T. Those that are most routinely used for
patient care are much less powerful, clocking in ateither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3Teither 1.5T or 3T. Machines of that
resolution are decently fast and accurate, good enough for most routine diagnoses: at 3T, an
MRI can detect verysmall lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis,small lesions in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis, which a less
powerful machine could miss.
But what if MRIs could allow us to go deeper, to see more — and to do so with breathtaking
clarity? What could we glean about the progression of a neurodegenerative disease like
multiple sclerosis (MS) if we could see nerves lose their protective myelin in real-time? If we
could see the structures of the brain in greater detail, what could we learn about depression,
anxiety, schizophrenia, or autism? If we could clearly see every nook and cranny, down to the
axons and neurons, could observe the brains’ many processes as they happened, could we
finally solve what some philosophers have called the “hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?hard problem of consciousness?”
To inch us closer to doing so, researchers at UC Berkeley will need to achieve “a total redesign
of nearly all of the [MRI] scanner components, not just an incremental change,” team lead
David Feinberg said in the press release announcing the grant.
Another pair of researchers from UC Berkeley recently devised a way to make MRIs more safe
and e ective for children — a longstanding problem in the field. A physicist, electrical
engineer, and a radiologist teamed up to create3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils3D-printed, flexible coils that fit onto
garments. The resulting images were also remarkably crisp, which would benefit adults, too.
Now the team is working with GE to further develop its design, possibly making up part of the
next generation of MRI coils.
The applications for advanced imaging techniques go beyond our current uses. As Ehman
noted, there are a number of measurements clinicians need to assess through the course of
diagnosing and treating their patients. One example is that of measuringpressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within thepressure within the
human bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman bodyhuman body. Getting these readings can require invasive, uncomfortable procedures, such as
a spinal tap, that come with their own risks. As medical imaging once cut down the need for
surgery, perhaps one day it could eliminate the need for needles, gauges, cu s, and catheters.
Better imaging could also help us see elements of our own biology we never even knew
existed. Invariably, more answers lead to more questions. And that will likely inform the path

6. of medical research for decades to come.
Image Credit:Getty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty ImagesGetty Images
Other innovations in medical imaging may be a bit more dazzling to the average patient. At
Massachusetts General Hospital, physicist Matthew Rosen is leading research into the clinical
tools that are often paired with MRI machines, such as contrast dyes. His team is developing
synthetic, biocompatible nanodiamonds that could replace contrast agents that are
traditionally metal-based.
“Nanodiamonds have the potential to revolutionize the field of molecular imaging,” RosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosenRosen
saidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaidsaid in a press release, adding that their tiny size could enable radiologists to track any
process at the cellular and subcellular level.
The team has only conducted lab-based tests and haven’t yet figured out how to best
introduce the nanodiamonds into the human body (possible routes, as with any tracer, would
include ingestion, infusion, or injection), according to a study Rosen and his teampublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublishedpublished
inininininininininininininNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature CommunicationsNature Communications in March. There’s a long way to go before patients will have the
option of taking a shot of medical-grade bling.

7. 
Abby Norman
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https://futurism.com
Technological progress made over the past century has transformed how we work, how we
socialize, and how we date. The same goes for medicine, and for medical imaging in
particular. That progress seems poised to continue — advanced computing, artificial
intelligence, automation, and deep learning will improve medical technologies involved in
everything from scans to surgery.
“I think that, in the future, we may look back at this time and it will seem that we were
making very limited use of our best imaging technologies,” Ehman said (there are many
complex reasons for this, he noted, including limited federal funding and the challenges of
implementing new healthcare technologies). But Ehman remains hopeful that, despite these
challenges, the future of medical imaging technology will transform medicine once again.
Perhaps we can’t count on a renaissance, but having crystal clear vision will no doubt supply a
few answers — and we should stay eager to be dazzled by them.
Disclaimer: the editor of this piece was a recipient of the Mayo Clinic’s 2017 journalist
residency for surgery, which connected the author to sources quoted in this piece. The
residency was paid for by the Mayo Clinic; however, neither the clinic nor any of its a liates
have editorial review privileges.
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9. Experts: Artificial Intelligence Could Hijack
Brain-Computer Interfaces
Getty Images
November 20, 2017 Enhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced HumansEnhanced Humans
IN BRIEF
Brain-computer interfaces have been around for a good while. However, recent developments have shown how BCIs could do more than just
help people with disabilities. These brain hacking devices could make us better humans in the future.
BRAIN HACKING
Ever since Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk announced his plans to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI)through his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralinkthrough his Neuralink
startupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartupstartup, BCI technologies have received more attention. Musk, however, wasn’t the first to propose the possibility of enhancing
human capabilities through brain-computer interfacing. A number of other startups are working on a similar goal, including Braintree
founder Bryan Johnson with Kernel. Even the U.S. Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is
working on one.
Now, according to a collaboration of 27 experts—neuroscientists, neurotechnologists, clinicians, ethicists and machine-intelligence
engineers—calling themselves the Morningside Group, BCIs present a unique and rather disturbing conundrum in the realm of
artificial intelligence (AI). Essentially designed to hack the brain, BCIs themselves run the risk of being hacked by AI.

10. “Such advances could revolutionize the treatment of many conditions, from brain injury and paralysis to epilepsy and schizophrenia,
and transform human experience for the better,” the experts wrote ina comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal a comment piece in the journal NatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNatureNature. “But the technology
could also exacerbate social inequalities and o er corporations, hackers, governments or anyone else new ways to exploit and
manipulate people. And it could profoundly alter some core human characteristics: private mental life, individual agency and an
understanding of individuals as entities bound by their bodies.”
The experts used the analogy of a paralyzed man who participates in a BCI trial but isn’t fond of the research team working with him.
An artificial intelligence could then read his thoughts and (mis)interpret his dislike for the researchers as a command to cause them
harm, despite the man not having given such a command explicitly.
The explained it further:
CONCERNS OF ETHICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
In order to prepare for this eventuality, the Morningside Group proposed four ethical considerations that need to be addressed:
privacy and consent, agency and identity, augmentation, and bias. “For neurotechnologies to take o in general consumer markets,
the devices would have to be non-invasive, of minimal risk, and require much less expense to deploy than current neurosurgical
procedures,” they wrote.
Technological developments mean that we are on a path to a world in which it will be possible to decode people’s mental
processes and directly manipulate the brain mechanisms underlying their intentions, emotions and decisions; where
individuals can communicate with others simply by thinking; and where powerful computational systems linked directly to
people’s brains facilitate their interactions with the world such that their mental and physical abilities are greatly enhanced.

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“Nonetheless, even now, companies that are developing devices must be held accountable for their products, and be guided by certain
standards, best practices and ethical norms.” These become even more crucial when considering how “profit hunting will often trump
social responsibility” when it comes to the pursuit of technology, according to human history.
One of the potential uses for BCIs is in the workplace. As Luke Tang, the general manager for AI technologies accelerator TechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCodeTechCode,
noted in a commentary sent to Futurism: “I believe the biggest vertical in which this technology has a play is in the business setting –
the brain-machine will shape our future workplaces.” Concretely, BCI technologies could improve remote collaboration, increase
knowledge, and enhance communication.
For the latter, BCI would work as a “[t]echnology that can translate your thoughts into speech or actions will no doubt prove
transformative to today’s tech-enabled communication methods. Brain-machine technology can lead to a faster and more accurate
flow of communication.” Tang said.
It’s precisely this ability to delve into a person’s thoughts that could present a challenge for BCIs as technologies like artificial
intelligence become significantly more advance. In order for us not to lose all the potential that BCIs can o er, it’s important to have
the right considerations. “The possible clinical and societal benefits of neurotechnologies are vast,” the Morningside researchers
concluded. “To reap them, we must guide their development in a way that respects, protects and enables what is best in humanity.”
Disclosure: Bryan Johnson is an investor in Futurism; he does not hold a seat on our editorial board or have any editorial review
privileges.
References: Newsweek, Nature

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