Give Zebrafish Some Booze and They Stop Fearing Robots 58
Zothecula writes "With some help from a robotic fish, scientists have discovered that zebrafish are much like humans in at least one way – they get reckless when they get drunk. OK, 'drunk' might not be technically accurate, but when exposed to alcohol, the fish show no fear of a robotic version of one of their natural predators, the Indian leaf fish. When they're "sober," they avoid the thing like crazy. The researchers believe that the experiments indicate a promising future for robots in behavioral studies."
LOL (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:LOL (Score:5, Funny)
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A robot?! Here, hold my beer and watch this.
Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker? (Score:2)
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sleeping like koalas
The aquatic version of a dirt-nap?
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sleeping like koalas
The aquatic version of a dirt-nap?
a wetnap?
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I have a rare condition, Crohn's disease, which required emergency removal of most of my colon. I therefore have little room for normal bowel evacuation storage - it sometimes presents with an unpleasant urgency.
As it was, I found myself in the Australian outback (Kiwiville, though I doubt the Aussies would claim it), and having urges that I ignored as long as possible.
Upon returning to the mainland, as soon as I saw some brush, I announced my intention to "acquaint myself with the local herbiculture". Th
Mad Libs (Score:3)
What... (Score:1)
"The researchers believe that the experiments indicate a promising future for robots in behavioral studies."
Wouldn't drugging the subjects of the study invalidate any data collected about their behavior?
Re:What... (Score:5, Informative)
I have had to euthanize a few of my old, terminally ill zebra danios before. The method I use is to put the sick fish into a small container and add a little bit of clove oil, which causes them to become lethargic and go into sleep mode. Afterward, alcohol is added, vodka or whatever, and the fish never wakes up.
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Now I am hungry.
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I wonder if the robot fish will be dispensing the alcohol. An aquatic version of bender [youtube.com]?
In related news ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: In related news ... (Score:1)
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LOL!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
The researchers believe that the experiments indicate a promising future for robots in behavioral studies.
The lesson here is clear: simply inebriate (or medicate) the populace and our nature aversion to robots that are too lifelike becomes a thing of the past. Voila; "uncanny valley" problem solved! :p
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The researchers believe that the experiments indicate a promising future for robots in behavioral studies.
The lesson here is clear: simply inebriate (or medicate) the populace and our nature aversion to robots that are too lifelike becomes a thing of the past. Voila; "uncanny valley" problem solved! :p
Hey, it works for fat chicks...
Re: it works for fat chicks. (Score:4, Funny)
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No. That's the moped effect. They're fun to ride as long as no one sees you.
A sack of flour comes in handy...
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I dunno. I was pretty wasted the last time I watched Polar Express, and I still found it pretty unwatchable.
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Alcohol is a depressant. Unlike LSD, it has a history of promoting unsafe and stupid actions in a high percentage of human users. Again, mostly unlike LSD, even people who are highly experienced, stick to reputable sources, have used alcohol regularly and are familiar with its general effects, and consume it only with organized social safety nets in place to protect them from the worst risks, may still have medical problems relating to alcohol, and there is evidence for some of these problems never, ever ge
Alcoholism (Score:3)
"Alcohol'ism' (apparently, from the word construction, this is a religious or philosophical belief in the divinity of alcohol, how bizarre)"
It's actually the religious doctrine that says that the creator made (at least some, possibly all) people in such a way that a single drink of anything alcoholic will inevitably lead to alcohol abuse and self-destruction which they are completely powerless to stop. Adherents consider each day they manage to go sober a miracle - and also, unsurprisingly, often fall off t
Prior Art . . . (Score:2)
This has been done before: http://www.amazon.com/Drunken-Goldfish-Irrelevant-Scientific-Research/dp/044921804X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375482232&sr=8-1&keywords=drunken+goldfish [amazon.com]
The Conversation (Score:2)
Zebrafish to robot leaf fish: "Shoo ain't sho tuff! C'mon, come get yershelf shome of thish! Aahl kik yer ash, er, tail!"
Seriously, how is "booze lowers inhibition" newsworthy? The fact that it's as true for fish as it is for mammals?
"Future in behavioral studies" (Score:1)
"Do orangos prefer Brandy over Whiskey?"
"If you were a dog, what brand of beer would you choose?"
We could even have reality shows about how our zebrafish is doing in her withdrawal comunity!
... promising future for robots... wait, what? (Score:4, Informative)
The researchers believe that the experiments indicate a promising future for robots in behavioral studies.
Wait, what? I was sure the moral of the story was gonna be a new Prohibition for our fishy friends.
Maybe they were just blinded... (Score:5, Interesting)
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Or perhaps the Alcohol stimualted their perceptual intelligence, so that when drunk, they realized the bots were not their predators, but some scientist's silly toys.
What's that old saying... (Score:1)
I'f you give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. But if you teach a man to fish, he'll get that fish drunk and make it fight robots. or something like that...
Obligatory Ig Nobel Prize nomination process link (Score:3)
http://www.improbable.com/ig/miscellaneous/nominate.html [improbable.com]
The Russian mouse (Score:4, Funny)
He gets drunk on vodka and says, "Bring on the cat!"
I for one *hic* welcome our new robotic overlordsh (Score:2)
...
Bender says (Score:1)
Give a robot some booze and I stop fearing zebrafish.
Okay, but ... (Score:2)
More than coincidence? (Score:2)
Give me enough booze and I stop fearing robots too.