US Military Eyes the Glow of Fireflies 98
GarryFre writes "According to the AP: 'Someday, the secrets of fireflies or glowing sea plankton could save an American soldier in battle, a Navy SEAL on a dive, or a military pilot landing after a mission. That's the hope behind a growing field of military-sponsored research into bioluminescence, a phenomenon that's under the microscope in laboratories around the country. This phenomenon is noteworthy because this produces light without wasting energy because it does not generate any heat. A possible military use of bio-luminescence would be creating biodegradable landing zone markers that helicopters can spot even as wind from their rotors kicks up dirt.'"
Cylumes (Score:1, Interesting)
WTF is wrong w/ break and shake cylumes? Consumer versions are pretty small, but they could be made bigger.
Your tax dollars at work, sposorng the next fad (Score:2, Interesting)
Lotsa money will go in on "strategic" grounds, and who will get what will, as usual, depend on how well connected they were before they left the army.
Welcome to the world of MIC. Want a piece of the pie too? Then join the service.
Would you like to know more?
The Office of Naval research has done this before (Score:5, Interesting)
Back in the 1950s Johns Hopkins offered a penny a piece for each live firefly you gave them. Lots of kids got pocket money, but the population noticeably dropped for the next couple of years.
See landing makers through dust? (Score:3, Interesting)
By the time the rotors are kicking up dust from the landing area, isn't it a little late to be looking down at landing markers anyway?
They've researched bioluminescence before (Score:5, Interesting)
Cheap solution: Kids in Iowa (Score:3, Interesting)
When I was a kid, we'd capture fireflies and put them in empty soda bottles. When we wanted them to light up, we'd shake the bottle real hard. I think the army can handle that.
One check please.
Re:The Office of Naval research has done this befo (Score:5, Interesting)
Back in the 1950s Johns Hopkins offered a penny a piece for each live firefly you gave them. Lots of kids got pocket money, but the population noticeably dropped for the next couple of years.
They've not only researched it, they've used it in combat. I'm afraid I don't have an online reference, but I recall reading in a National Geographic magazine in the late 70s or early 80s that Japanese and Allied officers used bioluminescent plankton and mold to read maps and documents in the Pacific theatre during WWII.
Dont let peta know :P (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Cylumes (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Your tax dollars at work, sposorng the next fad (Score:2, Interesting)
You know, of all the things the military could be spending money on, I really can't bring myself to complain about this... Funding science is pretty much the only nearly universally accepted upside to having a military.
Even better is that our military isn't small, or underfunded. Having a military like Liberia's leaves you with no room for R&D, unlike the US military, which has more money going into R&D than active duty personnel in combat operations.
Re:You are so fucking stupid. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Pukelitzer prize strikes again (Score:1, Interesting)
So, if you're not an entropy nazi, yeah, it is indeed a "cold light".