Scientists Reverse Mental Retardation in Mice

Scientific American ^ | 6/26/07 | Nikhil Swaminathan

[Nathan Zachary]

Scientists Reverse Mental Retardation in Mice

Good, now they should get started on politicians right away. Bush first.

[Froufrou]

Shouldn’t they try it next on George Soros? Or Michael Moore?

[Michael Barnes]

Have fun with that guys....

[netmilsmom]

I know we’re all having a great time with this and I got a huge laugh, but on a more serious note, I hope this works for children.

[Jagman]

Algernon! You’re back!

[TommyDale]

This account has been banned or suspended.

[GreenLanternCorps]

It is shameful for FR that it took 25 posts for a “Flowers for Algernon” reference on this thread.

[infidel29]

Does it work on ‘rats?

[Redcloak]

How do they know which ones are the retarded mice?

[Waverunner]

It’s easy - they are employed as US Senators, and back the immigration amnesty bill.

[The Great RJ]

I think clinical trials on members of Congress should be a high priority.

[x]

In a case of life imitating art, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) reported today that they had successfully reversed mental retardation in mice, just as scientists did in the classic 1966 novel Flowers for Algernon. In the book by Daniel Keyes, scientists use experimental surgery—first tested on a mouse named Algernon—to dramatically boost the intelligence of a mentally retarded janitor named Charlie Gordon.

I think this was originally published in The Onion under the headline "Journalist Claims to Have Read 'Flowers for Algernon'."

The funny thing is that in its heyday, the book would have been known as the inspiration for Cliff Robertson's film Charly. Now, whether or not the novel is remembered at all, the film has been forgotten.