Jesse Maxfield

News Analysis Assignment 1

1. Cite the name of the news source, the article title, the date, and the byline (the reporters
name). Paste a link to the article here (in Canvas).

Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science

Pioneering brain implant restores paralysed man's sense of touch
October 16, 2016
Linda Geddes

http://www.nature.com/news/pioneering-brain-implant-restores-paralysed-man-s-sense-oftouch-1.20804

2. What are the main conclusions of the scientist(s)?

Advances have been made in giving a paralyzed man a limited sense of touch, thanks to a
electric implant that stimulates his brain and allows him to feel pressure-like sensations in the
fingers of a robotic arm. Even with these advances, it is still unlikely that full sensation could be
imbued to a robotic arm.

3. What are some possible impacts this information could have on society or on individuals?

Using this information and reinstating even a basic sense of touch to someone with paralyzed or
missing limbs could transform their lives and make a big differences in how they feel about their
connection to the outside world.

4. Are other scientists, or policy-makers, mentioned as being in disagreement with the research
scientists? If so, what might make you tend to take their doubts seriously (or not take them
seriously)?

I didn't see anything in the article that was openly in disagreement with the research, but
Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, a neurological surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania
and a co-author of the current study, gave us more insight to show that the findings are not
perfect. Electrically stimulating the brain region that received sensory information form the rest
of the body, can produce touch-like sensations, according to experiments in people undergoing
brain surgery for other reasons. She said these were relatively crude efforts. People have
described feeling a buzz or a vibrating sensation, but it isnt a natural thing and it usually
crosses multiple fingers.

The specific example she gives, and describes, makes me take her doubts seriously. It makes
sense that you can cause some feelings, but she makes a good point of how natural are these
feelings?

5. Are scientists mentioned in the article affiliated with a nonpartisan group, like a University or
Government, or affiliated with a for-profit corporation? If the latter, do you suspect that altered
their conclusions?

Yes, all the scientist mentioned are apart of a nonpartisan group. We have: Robert Gaunt, a
biomedical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh who led the study. Dustin Tyler, a biomedical
engineer at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, a
neurological surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and a co-author of the
current study (who I have previously mentioned). And, Andrew Jackson, a neuroscientist at
Newcastle University, UK. As far as these individual scientists Universitys they come from, I do
not believe they the Universities altered their conclusions. Something that may have played a
bigger role in altering their conclusions is the funders of the project. The Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, which is an agency of the United States Department of Defense
responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military and directly manages
a $3.2 billion budget. As far as what may have been altered, it isn't feasible to know.

6. In what ways did the article change and expand your views of the topic? If it did not change or
expand your views, describe what you knew about the subject before reading the article.

This article expanded my views of the topic in a number of ways. I didn't even know that giving
feeling to prosthetic arms was even possible, seeing as all feeling has to do with the brain. I
didn't know that scientist and doctors could even experiment on human brains, in a safe way. As
a result, I learned that scientists can give electric implants that stimulate the brain, which allow
pressure like sensations in the fingers of a robotic arm. I never even thought about how much
physical feelings in our hands can benefit and enrich our live.

7. Do you think the reporter did a good job or a bad job of giving background for the story?
Please give an example to support your opinion.

I thought this reporter did a good job of giving background informations for the story. What gave
this story interest and application to me was the story of Nathan Copeland, who has not been
able to feel or move his legs and lower arms since a car accident snapped his neck and injured
his spinal cord when he was 18. Even this brief story, and the experiments they have done on
Nathan gave this story enough interest to keep reading. Its amazing how Biology, Biomedical
Engineering, and medicine can enrich lives today.