How to turn up a laser pointer?

Blasting the brain with lasers is an emerging technology in neuroscience. For medical research, a postdoctoral researcher has been firing lasers into the brains of mice throughout the day. But he was also well aware that the continued presence of high-power lasers could cause severe brain damage. In between harmless laser pointers and laser weapons are powerful high power laser pointer, commonly used in astronomy, thermal experiments, and remote lighting. While strong laser pointers are too weak to be considered weapons, many are capable of popping balloons and burning through cardboard or thick plastic. If you're looking for information on how to choose a strong laser pointer, read on to find out how to choose it. Unfortunately, the European experience is that the labels on many laser pointers are wrong, especially the cheap ones. Laser pointers advertised as having less than 1 mW of power are often found to be more powerful. People who sell such mislabeled products not only risk being prosecuted under Department of Health regulations, but are also in breach of the Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Protection Act.