Saturday, April 09, 2005

Researchers use laser light to remote control flies

"Yale University School of Medicine researchers have found a way to exercise a little mind control over fruit flies, making the flies jump, beat their wings, and fly on command by triggering genetic 'remote controls' that the scientists designed and installed in the insects' central nervous systems, according to a new report in the 8 April issue of the journal Cell."

This may have some really fun practical uses, too. For example, I'd like to control my own swarm of horseflies. I could have them assault certain vapid celebrities -- like, say, Paris Hilton -- at photos ops. Or have cockroaches scamper all over George Bush's face the next time he delivers a speech.

The possibilities are endless.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

OhmigodYES. Fly, my pretties, fly!~

Anonymous said...

"Susana Lima and Gero Miesenbock hope that the remote control system will provide a valuable way to study how nerve-cell activity and connections are related to specific behaviors, from simple movements to more complex behaviors like learning, aggression, and even abstract thought."

Yeah, right. They just want to rule the world, is all. Seriously, I found this to be one of the scarier "science-meets-science-fiction" stories I've read for some time. Especially pernicious, it seems to me, is the combining of genetic engineering and mind-control to produce controllable organisms. I hadn't realized that genetics was anywhere near capable of something like this.
--WMB

Unknown said...

How will we distinguish your cockroaches from the ones that already fill the space between Bush's ears