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Pentagon Working on "Human Fear" Weapons

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Fri Jan 18, 2008 03:11 PM
from the smells-like-... dept.
The Military Science
An anonymous reader writes "Animals use pheromones to attract each other for sex, and warn each other of danger. Now, Wired reports, military researchers are working to harness the 'human fear' pheromone to create a scent of terror. The pheromone could lead to smell-based terrorist sensors, and new weapons that rely on 'contagious' stress."
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Submission: Pentagon Working on 'Human Fear' Weapons by Anonymous Coward
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  • What could happen (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2008, @03:12PM (#22099264)
    I fear it might not work.

    • Re:What could happen (Score:5, Informative)

      by spun (1352) <loverevolutionar ... om minus painter> on Friday January 18 2008, @03:17PM (#22099348) Journal
      I think you may be right. The vomeronasal [wikipedia.org] organ is vestigial or nonexistant in humans, and there don't appear to be any connections between even vestigial vomeronasal organs and the brain.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Muhammar (659468)
        Our military has a long tradition of funding crackpots and loonies that do secret work on blood-curdling woodoo, see "The men who stare at goats" from Jon Ronson and "Imaginary Weapons" from Sharon Weinberger. Even the Scientology Church could learn new "spiritual tech" from our military experts.

        The idea of activating fear circuits by chemicals sounds like a pure moonshine - but there is no need for it because the military has already the equipment to project a loud shrill interference-laden high-pitch soun

    • Re:What could happen (Score:5, Informative)

      by Lumpy (12016) on Friday January 18 2008, @04:29PM (#22100806) Homepage
      actually fear weapons are quite effective...

      They did some testing and a army team facing a fight when told the enemy all has body armor piercing ammunition the dynamics of the team changed drastically and started to show signs of fear which would reduce their effectiveness as they would be much more cautious in their attack.

      Fear weapons have been used forever, they are called spreading rumors or false information that keeps your enemy at bay. The Russians did it to the United states for nearly 50 years in the cold war. They made it look and sound like they had a crapload more weapons and bigger meaner ones than they really did. It scared the shit out of the USA to the point where we even had the populace shaking in their boots and afraid of the USSR.

      • Re:What could happen (Score:5, Funny)

        by RDW (41497) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:31PM (#22099636)
        'I am not a biologist, so I'll just ask; "Is it reasonable to assume that there even is a fear scent in humans?". Is there any evidence of it's exsitence in closely related species?'

        Well, with that kind of defeatist reality-based reasoning, how can we ever hope to complete the development of the Gay Bomb?:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_bomb [wikipedia.org]
        • The odour is produced bacteria found exclusively in Dick Cheney's asscrack.

          Admit it! Even the thought of this incites fear and disgust!

  • Big fans eh? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Sciros (986030) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:13PM (#22099266) Journal
    Looks like *someone* has seen Naked Gun 2 1/2 way too many times.

  • women (Score:5, Funny)

    by EZReady (677430) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:13PM (#22099286)
    female pheromones would work for most slashdotters

  • The Pentagon (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Smordnys s'regrepsA (1160895) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:13PM (#22099288) Journal
    Turning your "War on Terror" into the "War of Terror," since 2008.

  • Irony (Score:5, Funny)

    by traindirector (1001483) * on Friday January 18 2008, @03:14PM (#22099298)

    You'd almost think that after declaring a war on terror an organization wouldn't use terror against enemies in the most literal way possible...

    • ...in the most literal way possible...

      Didn't you read the out-of-context article summary? Its not literal, its olfactic [wikipedia.org].

    • Re:Irony (Score:5, Insightful)

      by drooling-dog (189103) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:54PM (#22100046)
      Who said this is to be used on "our" enemies?

      It'll be used on ourselves, to make us more eager to accept the enemies that are provided for us, and more desperate for protection from them.

        • Re:That quote about fear (Score:4, Funny)

          by JonWan (456212) on Friday January 18 2008, @04:05PM (#22100276)
          "We have nothing to fear except Fear Itself®"

          and spiders

            • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

              by JonWan (456212)
              A million geeks on slashdot and I can't get anyone to post the rest of the quote.

              spiders, snakes, werewolves, sharks, dying alone, zombies, clowns, heights, big dogs, robots with human brains, Johnson's wife, and... fear itself.

              And on top of that I get modded up "interesting "

              Oh, Well....

  • Amongst our weapons (Score:5, Funny)

    by gardyloo (512791) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:15PM (#22099306)
    Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and pheromones...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise....

  • The tinfoil hat was comfortable (Score:4, Funny)

    by barakn (641218) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:15PM (#22099312)
    ...but now a gas mask?

  • Bio warfare? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Fluffy_Kitten (911430) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:15PM (#22099318) Homepage
    Does that not count as biological warfare?

  • terra! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Lord Ender (156273) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:16PM (#22099324) Homepage

    The pheromone could lead to smell-based terrorist sensors, and new weapons that rely on 'contagious' stress."
    Awesome. Now people who are afraid of flying will have the added benefit of getting cavity-searched as a result of their fear.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by sexybomber (740588)
      Yep, and once again, the real terrorists (who are presumably fanatical enough that they're not afraid to do what they're planning to do) will slip through.
      • I think the key word there is "presumably": as in totally unfounded. I bet that Mohammed Jihad is still pissing his pants before he goes to kill himself even if he is pretty sure he's getting 72 virgins.

  • Too unreliable (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Z00L00K (682162) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:16PM (#22099330) Homepage
    You must consider that there has to be many reasons for people to send out stress pheromones, late for work, fear of flying, claustrophobia etc.

    And there is no reason that a suicide bomber actually is afraid - that phase may have passed over months ago and the person may have actually come to terms with his/her destiny.

    So someone is barking up the wrong tree again...

  • ...new weapons that rely on 'contagious' stress.

    Hopefully they can separately trigger the "fight" and "flight" responses.

  • Fear Eh? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by mixmatch (957776) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:16PM (#22099344) Homepage
    You mean a squad of guys busting into your house with sub-machine guns doesn't cause this effect?

    • Re:Fear Eh? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sm62704 (957197) on Friday January 18 2008, @04:34PM (#22100890) Journal
      They rated you funny, and it was, but you should have been rated insightful. I just recounted an episode last summer [slashdot.org] in the next to latest journal about how I, a hazel eyed gray haired geezer had my civil rights violated by the local police, FBI and DEA.

      As I was talking to the FBI gay, er "guy" before he searched me (putting his hands on my balls, why can't they have female cops search men? UGH!), he asked why I seemed so nervous. I went from nervous to incredible, thinking "WTF is this dumbass smoking?"

      "WHAT?? Because half a dozen big armed men just accosted me!" I replied. I didn't add "You stupid fucking authoritarian dumbass cocksucker!" as I would have liked to.

      Actually I wasn't scared at all, but I was mad as hell. What I was afraid of was that they'd piss me off enough that I'd do something stupid. Like slap one of them upside the head with a hooker.

      Dumb fucking cops. Nothing in my life has made me less respectful of police officers. They're called the D.I.R.T. team and the name fits the dirty bastards, all of whom IMO belong in a prison or somewhere worse.

      Now I understand why all the rap songs are so disrespectful of the police. I mean, I'm a white old guy, imagine being a black young guy.

  • Fear is not always a bad thing... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LiquidMind (150126) on Friday January 18 2008, @03:19PM (#22099384)
    A weapon that exploits fear 'scents' could backfire just as easily. Traditionally, fear will cause someone to flee or at the very least become nervous and therefore have his/her decision-making skills crippled. But for some, fear is a great motivator. If i'm gonna get into a fight and feel extra fearful because of this exploit, i might come back twice as hard to overcome whatever is in my way.

    just a thought....

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by _KiTA_ (241027)

      A weapon that exploits fear 'scents' could backfire just as easily. Traditionally, fear will cause someone to flee or at the very least become nervous and therefore have his/her decision-making skills crippled. But for some, fear is a great motivator. If i'm gonna get into a fight and feel extra fearful because of this exploit, i might come back twice as hard to overcome whatever is in my way.

      just a thought....

      It'll also work great with protesters. Roll out a few of these "fear grenades" into a crowd, and

  • Oblig. Simpsons (Score:5, Funny)

    by TheSpoom (715771) * <slashdot AT uberm00 DOT net> on Friday January 18 2008, @03:22PM (#22099446) Homepage Journal
    Marge: What happened? You didn't do anything!

    Dr. Hibbert: Oh, didn't I? [laughs] Nothing dissolves glue better than human sweat. I knew Bart would panic and start perspiring at the sight of this button applicator!

    Bart: Couldn't you have just turned the heat up a little?

    Dr. Hibbert: [sinister] Oh, heavens no! It had to be terror sweat!

  • Why Fear? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TheLazySci-FiAuthor (1089561) <thelazyscifiauthor@gmail.com> on Friday January 18 2008, @03:22PM (#22099448) Homepage Journal
    Why don't they make a "love" weapon instead.

    After all, I thought the US was supposed to have a reputation for turning enemies into friends.
  • smell-based terrorist sensors

    Which could be a problem considering how much profit the duty-free shops make from selling overpriced perfume and the like

  • What possible anti-terrorist use is there for a sensor that can smell fear? Presumably this would detect people who are frightened, or those using DARPA's new perfume, "Terror #5."

  • how about a Gay Bomb? (Score:3, Funny)

    by cutecub (136606) on Friday January 18 2008, @04:05PM (#22100290)
    ... oh wait.

    They already thought of that. [wikipedia.org]

    What a shiny brave new world we live in!

    -S

  • Surreal (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Deadplant (212273) <deadplant_caNO@SPAMhotmail.com> on Friday January 18 2008, @04:16PM (#22100526)
    So congress is now officially, literally, irrefutably funding terrorism?

  • What's actually happening is... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) (613870) on Friday January 18 2008, @05:12PM (#22101474) Journal
    This is, of course, pure BS. It's just psyops. The goal is to make press releases about all kinds of non-existent technological advances in an attempt to discourage certain people from even trying to board aircraft.

  • Miranda/Serenity (Score:3, Interesting)

    by phrostie (121428) on Friday January 18 2008, @06:03PM (#22102270)
    am i the only one who see's a parallel with Josh Weldon's Miranda from the Movie Serenity?

    this is just messed up

  • Terrorist sensors? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Bones3D_mac (324952) on Friday January 18 2008, @07:33PM (#22103276)
    Doesn't this sound vaguely like the Cylon "detector" from Battlestar Galactica? Same crap from the sounds of it. Right up there with those E-meter things the scientologists use to evaluate your thetan levels.

    I wonder if that measurement of the flow rate of ketchup we paid for ever yielded any results...

  • PTSD (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Nezer (92629) on Saturday January 19 2008, @06:57AM (#22107480) Homepage
    As someone who is now in the process of recovering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder this, literally, scares the shit out of me.

    It is simply stunning that someone can think this is a good idea. Fear is one of the strongest and most primal of all human emotions. Use of such a weapon (if it can even be developed) would be considered flat-out torture in my book. Anyone that has lived through the hell that is PTSD where your in a constant and uncontrollable state of fear would probably agree.

    I think it's safe to say that such a weapon would inflict some sort of trauma on the victims. Research suggests that 25% of the population will suffer from PTSD when exposed to a traumatic event (sorry I can't recall where I read this so it could be BS). A weapon that has the potential to leave 25% of victims exposed to this sort of delayed hell is incredibly irresponsible. PTSD can lie latent for many, many years (in my case it's been nearly my whole life).

    Just to reiterate, this is a really fucking terrible idea. Don't fuck with fear...

    Furthermore, scared people do some crazy shit. This is a very good and very powerful survival mechanism.
    • How is this consistent with the US supporting the UN chemical weapons convention? http://www.cwc.gov/ [cwc.gov] http://www.un.org/Depts/dda/WMD/cwc/ [un.org] "The Convention prohibits all development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical weapons. It requires each State Party to destroy chemical weapons and chemical weapons production facilities it possesses, as well as any chemical weapons it may have abandoned on the territory of another State Party"

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