Respectable science journal Nature today reports that running an electric current from one side of your head to the other can actually make you smarter. "A current of two thousandths of an ampere (a fraction of that needed to power a digital watch) applied for 20 minutes is enough to produce a significant improvement [in verbal skills]," according to research undertaken in the US. Apparently a smaller current of one thousandth of an amp had no effect. If, as the study suggests, a tiny trickle charge can boost mental agility by 20 percent, just think what a bigger current might do! Wait here. Sneak is just nipping out to buy a swimming cap, a set of jump leads and a heavy-duty car battery...

26 Oct 2004