A BRIEF HISTORY OF HACKING OUR BRAINS

1800s

Craniometry is used in the medical profession to determine intelligence and various other health markers by measuring a patient’s skull.

1924

German psychiatrist Hans Berger records the electrical activity of the human brain using electroencephalography (EEG) technology.

1962

Joseph Altman, a scientist from MIT, discovers our brains continue to form new nerve cells into adulthood.

1970s

Scientists learn about the functioning of the human brain from CT scans, pet scans, and MRIs.

1980s

The cochlear hearing aid becomes the first widely adopted implantable brain device.

2001

The Human Genome Project maps our genes, paving the way for the simple blood test now available to detect certain hereditary neurological disorders.

2019

Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink, announces plans to conduct human trials of brain-computer interface technology.