In one of my favorite sci-fi movies, Pacific Rim*, giant monsters emerge from an inter dimensional rift in the Pacific ocean to wreak havoc on human populations. So humans build equally giant robots to—-as the Honest trailer puts it-—punch those monsters in the face. Two (or more) pilots must synchronize their minds to operate the giant robot, which I assumed was merely a useful plot device to narrate pilots’ backstories. But recent studies suggest that actually primate brains are better able to control robots when their minds are linked and synchronized. So far they’ve only tested out the power of tandem-brainpower on robotic arms (and presumably not giant ones), but I’m impressed.
*I feel bad for people who haven’t seen this movie—-most films ignore parasites, and I really appreciated that the Pacific Rim monsters also had giant ectoparasites. It just goes to show, developing effective, sustainable pest control is a nontrivial problem (think of bed bugs). It says a lot that these monsters have developed the ability to build and traverse inter dimensional rifts, but haven’t yet figured out how to rid themselves of parasites. Profound, eh?