Sophisticated and deadly \u201cbrain weapons\u201d that can attack or alter human consciousness, perception, memory or behaviour are no longer the stuff of science fiction, two British academics argue.<\/p>\n
Michael Crowley and Malcolm Dando, of Bradford University, are about to publish a book<\/a> that they believe should be a wake-up call to the world.<\/p>\n They are this weekend travelling to The Hague for a key meeting of states<\/a>, arguing that the human mind is a new frontier in warfare and there needs to be urgent global action to prevent the weaponisation of neuroscience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does sound like science fiction,\u201d said Crowley. \u201cThe danger is that it becomes science fact.\u201d<\/p>\n The book, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, explores how advances in neuroscience, pharmacology and artificial intelligence are coming together to create a new threat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are entering an era where the brain itself could become a battlefield,\u201d said Crowley. \u201cThe tools to manipulate the central nervous system \u2013 to sedate, confuse or even coerce \u2013 are becoming more precise, more accessible and more attractive to states.\u201d<\/p>\n The book traces the fascinating, if appalling, history of state-sponsored research into central nervous system (CNS)-acting chemicals.<\/p>\n During the cold war and after, the US, Soviet Union and China all \u201cactively sought\u201d to develop CNS-acting weapons, said Crowley. Their purpose was to cause prolonged incapacitation to people, including \u201closs of consciousness or sedation or hallucination or incoherence or paralysis and disorientation\u201d.<\/p>\n The only time a CNS-acting weapon was used at scale was by the Russian Federation in 2002 to end the Moscow theatre siege<\/a>. Security forces used fentanyl derivatives to end the siege, in which armed Chechen militants had taken 900 theatregoers hostage.<\/p>\n Most of the hostages were freed, but more than 120 died from the effects of the chemical agents and an undetermined number suffered long-term damage or died prematurely.<\/p>\n Since then, research has made significant advances. The academics argue that the ability exists to create much more \u201csophisticated and targeted\u201d weapons that would once have been unimaginable.<\/p>\n Dando said: \u201cThe same knowledge that helps us treat neurological disorders could be used to disrupt cognition, induce compliance, or even in the future turn people into unwitting agents.\u201d<\/p>\n The threat is \u201creal and growing\u201d but there are gaps in international arms control treaties preventing it from being tackled effectively, they say.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Dando is emeritus professor of international security at the University of Bradford and a leading expert on biological and chemical weapons control. Crowley is an honorary visiting senior research fellow at Bradford\u2019s peace studies and international development division.<\/p>\n