Pentagon recruiting sharks

"Now it emerges the Pentagon is funding research with the ultimate hope of turning real sharks into "stealth spies" capable of gliding undetected through the ocean. It involves placing neural implants in the fish, to transmit their controllers' bidding."

"The research, to be reported in the UK's New Scientist this week, builds on experimental work to control animals by implanting tiny electrodes in their brain, which are stimulated to induce a behavioural response."

"The Pentagon hopes to exploit sharks' natural ability to glide quietly through the water, sense delicate electrical gradients and follow chemical trails," says the report. "By remotely guiding the sharks' movements they hope to transform them into stealth spies, perhaps capable of following vessels without being spotted."

"The project is being funded by the Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, which pioneered the internet as a platform for robust communications."

I remember reading somewhere (and I think 60 Minutes did a report as well) on a program they had back around the Vietnam era, where they were training dolphins to kill. This, on the other hand, has much greater potential. If they succeed in controlling creatures with brain implants, there's no reason they won't do the same with humans.

Imagine if they could implant soldiers with implants that limit fear, or stimulate or supress other natural responses, what that would mean in the battlefield. There are countless possibilities that come to mind that would be too good to pass up. The more science learns about brain functions, the more potential to control animals and humans, to do things against their will. Intelligence agencies would consider it a dream come true. No more having to convince or forceful persuade people in other countries to commit treason for our purposes. No more having to tolerate "incorrigibles" here at home. A simple implant, slipped in during a normal operation without the patient being aware, could produce an army of "moles" in hostile organisations and nations where infiltration by agents is extremely difficult. Think of the potential if we could implant world leaders or their subordinates, to cause confidence or fear, during times of critical decisions, all to our advantage.

Fantasy? Perhaps, but the potential benefits will certainly move current research in that direction. Whether such a future is possible, is only limited to our current understanding of brain functions, and that knowledge grows daily.