Neurons are incredibly important for the brain to function. They contain and send all of the information our body needs, including people’s thoughts and five senses. Harnessing neurons is a new field of study that scientists are starting to use in companies like Neuralink or in discovering innate ways our brains might be telepathic.

The most common answer to the question, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” is telepathy. The idea of reading minds without verbal communication is very interesting to many to know what everyone is thinking at all times. Of course, our brains aren’t at reading-each other’s-minds level yet, but they do have something called natural telepathy. According to Popular Mechanics,  natural telepathy is stored in the human brain, a way to connect with the people around us. It occurs when people’s brains synchronize. They show the same neural activity, and it’s called neural coupling. Neural coupling is found most often during creative activities that also require concentration, like musical collaborations. It can also be found in activities like playing a video game with someone else. So while our brains aren’t telepathic in the sense that they can read others’ minds, they can match other people’s brain activity.

Elon Musk founded a company called Neuralink whose goal is to use neurons and their brain activity to let people control things like a robot with their mind. According to Neuralink, the way the device works is by tracking the neurons and their electrical signals in people’s brains and interpreting their actions or their intended actions. They do this by using implants, set deep in people’s brains, called electrodes, that are meant to track the neurons activity. By recording the neurons, they are able to carry out the intended action simply by reading the brain, therefore enabling people to control robots with their thoughts. Neuralink also says that this technology has already been used to help three paralyzed people operate technology, like phones and laptops. One subject from Arizona, Noland, was one of three people to receive a brain implant. He takes online courses now with the implant, referred to as Telepathy which allows him to keep in contact with his loved ones. The company plans to help even more people in the future.

In total, the neurons in people’s brains are incredibly complex, and learning how to use them can completely advance and change neuroscience.