This is an interesting new development in what was a couple of years ago an alre...

This is an interesting new development in what was a couple of years ago an already observed phenomenon by half of the same team:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/313/5792/1402

However, I think their publishing the idea that these patients were "conscious" is morally questionable. The reasons for this are expressed far more elegantly that I could manage by Parashkev Nachev in the following response:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/sci;315/5816/1221a.pdf