With new ‘brain-reading’ research, a once-tarnished scientist seeks redemption
Niels Birbaumer, once a prominent neuroscientist at the University of Tübingen in Germany, fell hard from his pedestal three years back. He was accused of scientific misconduct for his controversial “brain-reading” research, stripped of funding, and fired from his job. His work, which showed that people paralyzed with ALS could communicate with a brain-computer interface, was retracted by the journal that published it, PLOS Biology.
Now, Birbaumer, who has fiercely defended his previous research, hopes to see his reputation restored.
