SMRTR Science & EngineeringApr 21, 2026MIT Technology Review

This tool could show how consciousness works

SMRTR summary

Scientists have long struggled to understand how brain activity creates thoughts, emotions, and sensations — a challenge known as the "hard problem of consciousness." A new experimental approach using transcranial focused ultrasound could help answer that question. This noninvasive tool sends sound waves through the skull to stimulate specific brain structures, letting researchers test two competing theories about where and how consciousness actually forms in the brain.

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