4. Magnetic mind-control of mice

Using a similar approach to optogenetics, researchers introduced a protein into the neurons of mice that can trigger a nerve impulse when subjected to a magnetic field. The neurons in question were involved in the reward center of the rodents’ brains, and when placed into an enclosure, they split between magnetized and non-magnetized sections.

The mice with the so-called “Magneto” protein spent much more time in the magnetized areas than mice that did not. They also injected Magneto into the neurons of zebrafish larvae that control an escape response that causes them to coil up. When subjected to a magnetic field, they did just that.