Josh Villa was 26 and driving home with a friend when his car mounted the kerb and flipped over. Villa was thrown through the windscreen, suffered massive head injuries and fell into a coma. Almost a year later, there was still little sign of improvement. He would open his eyes, but he was not responsive to any external stimuli in his environment. He was then enrolled in a six-week study in which an electromagnetic coil was held over the front of his head to stimulate the underlying brain tissue. Such transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been investigated as a way of treating migraine, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and depression, with some promising results, but this is the first time it has been used as a potential therapy for someone in a coma- like state. Certain improvements were observed; for instance, he began to say single words. The case has been described as “intriguing,” but it has also given rise to a lot of cautionary warning.