Remote Control Worms With Laser Light, Using FOSS 78
Kramer747 writes "to share a new tool I've developed for neuroscience that uses optogenetics to remotely control the neurons of a worm as it swims or crawls. Its called CoLBeRT, Controlling Locomotion and Behavior in Real Time. With the instrument I can induce the worm to stop, accelerate, lay eggs or experience the illusion of touch. All source code to run the instrument is GPLd and available. Science News and Scientific American both have stories. The project homepage is at colbert.physics.harvard.edu." I hope that name also constitutes a successful bid to get on the actual Colbert show!
Good PR department (Score:5, Funny)
The CoLBeRT project is dedicated to its namesake, Stephen Colbert, who manipulates the neurocircuits of millions of Americans daily using only the light from their monitors.
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You REALLY need to get out more.
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Then I read the arti, and realized it would only be dangerous to techs.
Explains the Fremen control of sandworms (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Explains the Fremen control of sandworms (Score:5, Interesting)
But all Herbert dreamed up was hooks. Not half as cool as worms with freaking lasers on their heads.
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Not half as cool, but the fremen could control them worms in a sandstorm and be more or less invisible.
Which was kind of important at the end of the only good book in the series ;)
Fricken' sharks are filing a lawsuit (Score:1)
For patent infringement.
If you can't get on the Colbert Report with this (Score:3)
Minions! (Score:5, Funny)
I can see why C. Elegans was used. I know of that worm. It's been mapped: Every neuron teased apart, and it's connections to the others documented.
Re:Minions! (Score:4, Funny)
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Tonight on CW:
Squirm
1976, Horror
During a storm, the power lines are broken and touch the ground, calling up millions of earthworms and turning them into vicious man-eaters that are unleashed upon a small, unsuspecting American fishing village in Georgia.
How timely.
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I can control advanced primates with optical stimulation. I can make them forgo social interaction, practice sleep deprivation and prevent them from reproducing as their brains are redirected to sexually self stimulate instead.. I call the device a video monitor with a porn feed.
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I see very little practical use for controlling worms.
Horatio, here are some [webmd.com] ideas for future.
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Obviously you haven't played Penumbra Overture.
Once we have figured out how to make worms the size of semi-trucks then the shit will hit the fan and no bunker will be safe!
Old hat (Score:4, Funny)
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You mean you have to use your hands?
That's like a baby's toy!
"Illusion of touch" (Score:2)
With the instrument I can induce the worm to stop, accelerate, lay eggs or experience the illusion of touch
That's what you think it does. What it actually does is sear the alien intelligence's brain with intense, burning pain.
At least we now know who to turn over when the screwworm motherships arrive.
Uh oh. (Score:1)
Colbert? There's Stewart, too. (Score:2)
Actually, Stirman, not Stewart. Anyway, there is a second independently developed system [nature.com] that does approximately the same thing, just without Harvard's PR department behind it.
It would be collegial to mention that this other project exists, no? (Especially since their software is also available, and since you know it exists.)
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Good point! I'm adding a link to them now. FYI, harvard PR department had nothing to do with this. Just me.
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Added to the links page:
http://colbert.physics.harvard.edu/links.php [harvard.edu]
I'm still basically writing the website, so there is more stuff coming.
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Very sporting of you!
Maybe this will bring in a new era of competitive worm-games: you control your team (or single worm) with your system, and Stirman controls the other side with his. (You just need to put them in a microfluidic device and set up your system on one side and theirs on the other....)
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Jeff is actually an expert at microfluidics! He could pull it off. Check out his other papers.
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If he designs the arena, it might help him make up for your 50% faster response time.
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you control your team (or single worm) with your system, and Stirman controls the other side with his.
no, no, no. You control a team of 4 worms. And arm them with all kinds of miniature weapons trying to blast opponent's worms!
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So you never brush your teeth or wash yourself, since that kills bacteria?
You never clean your bathroom or take antibiotics?
You never swat at mosquitos or kill ants staging a home invasion?
You never eat either? Or are you a scavenger? (Except even scavenging results in the small deaths of microscopic creatures.)
Valuing all life is an untenable position that simply cannot be put into practice. If you value life, an admirable tenet, you still have to decide which kinds of life to value. Just saying "I val
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Not at all. That's the beauty of open source - if the worms don't like it, they are free to fork it and start a competing project!
Did a double take when I read the headline... (Score:5, Funny)
I think I need new glasses. I first read the headline as "Remote Control Women With Laser Light, using FOSS"
Read what you will into what that says about my subconscious. I'm making an appointment with my eye doctor this week.
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Do not look at Remote Control Women With Laser Light, using FOSS with remaining eye.
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That's exactly how I read it too.
Maybe it's the fact that I went on the first date I've been on in a few years yesterday.
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World Domination (Score:1)
Why use lasers? (Score:2, Funny)
Why it's useful (Score:4, Interesting)
One of the big questions in science is how neurons control behavior. It's a tough thing to answer when you can't control the neurons. (E.g. "tell me what this software program works without using it or altering the source code.")
So this is a big help in figuring out how neurons control worm behavior. Since we don't know much about how neurons control the behavior of anything, this is a big step forward!
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"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" -- A. Einstein
Big Deal. What I want to know is, (Score:2)
With the instrument I can induce the worm to stop, accelerate, lay eggs or experience the illusion of touch.
Can you make'em dance? http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=dancing+worms [google.com]
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Sure. It would take awhile to get the choreography down. I believe the Stirman group made videos of a paralyzed worm that wiggles its head and tail, and we have also done the same, although I don't have any videos of that up.
We actually discussed this in lab and I think "All the single ladies" would have been a good song choice since the worms are also single (albeit hermaphrodites).
Ultimately we decided not to pursue this, even though it would have been a great visual. Unfortunately, scientists today oper
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do you have a map of the neuron connections mapping which neuron does what and how ?
I think it would be helpful to have a graphical map which shows the pathways for each function and how the light activates them.
also is there any good mapping of what an individual worm neuron does ? how does it use chemical and electrical functions to execute commands.
*shrug* (Score:2)
It has long been established that you can control cats' movements using nothing but a laser pointer.
As seen on XKCD (Score:2)
http://xkcd.com/729/ [xkcd.com]
Yay (Score:1)
That could take the Worms games series to a whole new level. Fuck Kinect!
Worms now cool! (Score:1)
Yeah but... (Score:2)
Can get them to swim with lasers attached to their friggin' heads???
I just want to know (Score:2)
I just want to know how they got the frikkin "lasers" on the worms' heads!
(Also, what exactly are "remote control worms"?)
I welcome the opportunity... (Score:1)