Scientists develop 'Star Trek phaser'

TG Daily ^ | 11/19/2009 | Emma Woollacott

[markomalley]

Its inventors are comparing it to the Star Trek phaser: a way of exploiting an on-off 'switch' in nematodes that paralyzes them when they're exposed to a beam of ultraviolet light.

The animals stay paralyzed even when the light is turned off. But when exposed to ordinary light, they become unparalyzed and wake up. It's the first time that photoswitching has been demonstrated in a living animal.

The report describes the development and successful testing of a photoswitch composed of the light-sensitive material, dithienylethene. The scientists grew the transparent, pinhead-sized worms - C. elegans - and fed them dithienylethene.

When exposed to ultraviolet light, the worms turned blue and became paralyzed. When exposed to visible light, the dithienylethene became colorless again and the worms' paralysis ended.

While some of the worms died, many lived through the paralyze-unparalyze cycle.

The scientists aren't actually sure how the switch causes paralysis. But the study demonstrates that photoswitches may have great potential in turning photodynamic therapy on and off, and for other applications in medicine and research, they say.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS).

[Malsua]

I’m still waiting for the disruptor.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Unless you’re a worm, you won’t be phased by this news.

[a fool in paradise]

Tribble research can't be far off

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

The animals stay paralyzed even when the light is turned off. But when exposed to ordinary light, they become unparalyzed and wake up. It's the first time that photoswitching has been demonstrated in a living animal.

Yawn. If it can't vapourise a tritanium wall, it ain't a phaser.

[a fool in paradise]

Set phasers on stune

[NMEwithin]

Kinda lame considering you can’t really control the “Stun” and “Kill” settings...

[Dead Corpse]

"Here, quick! Drink this so I can stun you with my Phaser!"

Somehow, I think this needs more research.

[Talisker]

So once you eat the dithienylethene beber, you can be stuned.

[SIDENET]

I'll take this over a phaser.

I don't need a "stun" setting.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

When it melts rock, welds tritanium doors shut, can be used as a plasma cutter to reopen that door, goes from mild stun to disintegrate and can be set to overload taking out an entire deck just by flipping a couple of switches, then I’ll buy four.

Until then, I’ll stick with my 1911, thanks.

[Disambiguator]

[paulycy]

Saving the Universe from nematodes.

[SIDENET]

I can't believe it took 12 posts for that picture to show up.

LOL.

[Peter Horry]

[Red Steel]

Up your alley ping.

[ArrogantBustard]

Lots of things "need more research" ... a fact which I find quite comforting.

That doesn't mean initial findings (often with no obvious use) aren't cool.

[Quix]

Reportedly such things have been in operational use by black ops folks for decades.

[kidd]

Exactly.
Never bring a phaser to a gun fight.

[SIDENET]

YIKES.