Scientists Control a Fly's Heartbeat With a Laser (ieee.org) 17
the_newsbeagle writes: Researchers have demonstrated a laser-based pacemaker in fruit flies, and say that a human version is "not impossible."
The invention makes use of optogenetics, a technique in which the DNA that codes for a light-sensitive protein is inserted into certain cells, enabling those cells to be activated by pulses of light. Researchers often use this method to study neurons in the brain, but in this case the researchers altered flies' heart cells. Then they activated those cardiac cells using pulses of light, causing them to contract in time with the pulses (abstract). Voila, they had an optical pacemaker that worked on living adult fruit flies.
Don't worry, no one can control your heartbeat with a laser just yet. That would require inserting foreign DNA into your heart cells, and also finding a way to shine light through the impediment of your flesh and bones. But lead researcher Chao Zhou of Lehigh University is working on it.
The invention makes use of optogenetics, a technique in which the DNA that codes for a light-sensitive protein is inserted into certain cells, enabling those cells to be activated by pulses of light. Researchers often use this method to study neurons in the brain, but in this case the researchers altered flies' heart cells. Then they activated those cardiac cells using pulses of light, causing them to contract in time with the pulses (abstract). Voila, they had an optical pacemaker that worked on living adult fruit flies.
Don't worry, no one can control your heartbeat with a laser just yet. That would require inserting foreign DNA into your heart cells, and also finding a way to shine light through the impediment of your flesh and bones. But lead researcher Chao Zhou of Lehigh University is working on it.
I could go either way on this. (Score:2)
So will heart surgeons use sharks in the operating room or will sharks become heart surgeons?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So, what would happen if a scientist tried to teleport a lawyer from one pod to another, and a shark managed to sneak in?
I'm thinking the lawyer would become slightly less vicious.
Death by Strobe Light! (Score:5, Funny)
Scientists Control a Fly's Heartbeat With a Laser (Score:2)
The hard part was getting them to understand English.
We certainly CAN do this now (Score:2)
Give me a big enough laser, and I'll show you that I can control your heartbeat.
Meh. I've been using a laser to control my cat's (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
I did this a year ago (Score:1)
I have a Wicked Lasers Arctic 1000mw blue laser wand. I was playing with it in my Lazy Boy when I saw a fly on the wall by the TV. I turned it on, did the code for full power, aimed it at the fly.
No more heartbeat. Poof!
Obligatory (Score:2)
I, for one, welcome our cyborg fruit fly overlords.