5 ms·

That mechanism, by the way, is microwave heating of the brain -- thermal expansion causes cranial pressure to rise, and by carefully modulating the microwaves t

That mechanism, by the way, is microwave heating of the brain -- thermal expansion causes cranial pressure to rise, and by carefully modulating the microwaves those pressure signals are interpreted as sound by your inner ear.

Enginerrrd 5y ago
I previously have read that it's more specifically heating and cooling of the inner ear itself.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  It's the entire head that is being heated, but perhaps the inner ear is the critical spot.
  - R0b0t1 5y ago
    The entire head is being heated, slightly, but it can only cool by dissipating that heat to the environment. This happens slowly enough I do not see it as possible to achieve audible frequencies with such a heating/cooling cycle. The auditory effects have to be generated by RF, possibly frequency phased modulation, interacting with the inner ear.
    - nitrogen 5y ago
      The ear could be acting as a high-pass filter, so you don't need to cool, you just need to vary the rate of heating. Of course, that would mean that the temperature would be rising over time.
DyslexicAtheist 5y ago
It seems the burning skin sensation is used in "Active Denial System" weapons researched and tested by the US (mainly for "crowd control"): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-denial-technology#.Umk9zsvD-pp https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-den... The Soviets focused on the non-thermal applications of microwave radiation which can cause a variety of symptoms making them plausibly deniable. A 1976 report by the Pentagon reviewed Soviet research: https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-Reading-Room-Nuclear-Biological-and-Chemical/FileId/39946/ https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-R... This article from few days ago has a lot more info than the CNN post: https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-microwave-attacks https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-micro... from the GQ article: > "The report detailed Moscow’s investigation of the effects of microwaves on the nervous system. Soviet, and later Russian, scientists found that exposing an animal’s brain to microwaves changed the frequency at which neurons fired. Neurons also became suddenly out of sync with one another. Some brain cells in mice were found to have withered. Nerves became damaged. The radiation also showed the potential to disturb the sacrosanct blood-brain barrier and, according to the DIA, resulted in “the alterations of brain function.” The most common symptoms reported in humans who had been exposed to microwaves for long periods of time sounded familiar: headache, fatigue, perspiration, dizziness, insomnia, depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. > Like Frey, Soviet researchers found that turning the intensity of the beam up or down could produce differing effects in its target. A target’s unique physiology—a slightly different curvature of the skull, for example—also determined how this directed energy would affect them. A weapon that created an ever-changing kaleidoscope of neurological symptoms would have a powerful psychological dimension. If everyone’s symptoms are all slightly different, victims might question whether they’d all been exposed to the same thing—or if they’d been hit at all."
- permo-w 5y ago
  aren’t we constantly being bombarded by microwaves from our phones, laptops, TVs, etc? this worries me
  - nitrogen 5y ago
    Dose matters, no need to worry.
  - foxyv 5y ago
    You are also emitting microwaves as blackbody radiation. In order to cause heating they need extreme intensities only found on radar dishes and inside a microwave oven. Radio waves can be harmful when they reach high enough intensities. However the phones and laptops are just fine. VERY old tube televisions on the other hand could be pretty dangerous. They were essentially particle accelerators and could generate X-rays. Newer tube televisions and LCD displays are completely safe, unless you count the possible disruption of sleep by producing light 16-24 hours a day. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/09/when-televisions-were-radioactive/570916/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/09/when-...
R0b0t1 5y ago
Unlikely. The symptoms presented in the article may be due to this, but the auditory effect is related to effects on the inner ear and bones.

Enginerrrd 5y ago

I previously have read that it's more specifically heating and cooling of the inner ear itself.

sudosysgen 5y ago
It's the entire head that is being heated, but perhaps the inner ear is the critical spot.
- R0b0t1 5y ago
  The entire head is being heated, slightly, but it can only cool by dissipating that heat to the environment. This happens slowly enough I do not see it as possible to achieve audible frequencies with such a heating/cooling cycle. The auditory effects have to be generated by RF, possibly frequency phased modulation, interacting with the inner ear.
  - nitrogen 5y ago
    The ear could be acting as a high-pass filter, so you don't need to cool, you just need to vary the rate of heating. Of course, that would mean that the temperature would be rising over time.

DyslexicAtheist 5y ago

It seems the burning skin sensation is used in "Active Denial System" weapons researched and tested by the US (mainly for "crowd control"): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-denial-technology#.Umk9zsvD-pp https://www.dvidshub.net/video/304622/solid-state-active-den... The Soviets focused on the non-thermal applications of microwave radiation which can cause a variety of symptoms making them plausibly deniable. A 1976 report by the Pentagon reviewed Soviet research: https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-Reading-Room-Nuclear-Biological-and-Chemical/FileId/39946/ https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-R... This article from few days ago has a lot more info than the CNN post: https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-microwave-attacks https://www.gq.com/story/cia-investigation-and-russian-micro... from the GQ article: > "The report detailed Moscow’s investigation of the effects of microwaves on the nervous system. Soviet, and later Russian, scientists found that exposing an animal’s brain to microwaves changed the frequency at which neurons fired. Neurons also became suddenly out of sync with one another. Some brain cells in mice were found to have withered. Nerves became damaged. The radiation also showed the potential to disturb the sacrosanct blood-brain barrier and, according to the DIA, resulted in “the alterations of brain function.” The most common symptoms reported in humans who had been exposed to microwaves for long periods of time sounded familiar: headache, fatigue, perspiration, dizziness, insomnia, depression, anxiety, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. > Like Frey, Soviet researchers found that turning the intensity of the beam up or down could produce differing effects in its target. A target’s unique physiology—a slightly different curvature of the skull, for example—also determined how this directed energy would affect them. A weapon that created an ever-changing kaleidoscope of neurological symptoms would have a powerful psychological dimension. If everyone’s symptoms are all slightly different, victims might question whether they’d all been exposed to the same thing—or if they’d been hit at all."

permo-w 5y ago
aren’t we constantly being bombarded by microwaves from our phones, laptops, TVs, etc? this worries me
- nitrogen 5y ago
  Dose matters, no need to worry.
- foxyv 5y ago
  You are also emitting microwaves as blackbody radiation. In order to cause heating they need extreme intensities only found on radar dishes and inside a microwave oven. Radio waves can be harmful when they reach high enough intensities. However the phones and laptops are just fine. VERY old tube televisions on the other hand could be pretty dangerous. They were essentially particle accelerators and could generate X-rays. Newer tube televisions and LCD displays are completely safe, unless you count the possible disruption of sleep by producing light 16-24 hours a day. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/09/when-televisions-were-radioactive/570916/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/09/when-...

R0b0t1 5y ago

Unlikely. The symptoms presented in the article may be due to this, but the auditory effect is related to effects on the inner ear and bones.