We've spent a lot of time this week discussing how we can use technology to change our bodies. But according to new research, one of the gadgets we rely on daily is already having a measurable effect on our brains.
Researchers at Örebro University in Sweden found that cellphone usage increases the brain's production of transthyretin, a protein found in cerebrospinal fluid that cushions and protects the brain. The researchers don't know if the increased presence of the protein is good or bad for the brain, or what kind of effects it might have in the long run.
Regardless of the effects, this observation is pretty wild. We've talked a lot about how gadgets will change our bodies, but how will our bodies change to accommodate those gadgets?
Maybe increased transthyretin production is brain's last-ditch effort to fight off cancer. Or maybe it's the first of many adaptations we'll see as we let technology become a part of ourselves. [Wired]
This week, Gizmodo is exploring the enhanced human future in a segment we call This Cyborg Life. It's about what happens when we treat our body less as a sacred object and more as what it is: Nature's ultimate machine.