Posted on 07/08/2016 7:59:43 AM PDT by Mr. K
Researchers have developed a new kind of synthetic creature, using the heart cells of a rat to make a robotic stingray that follows light.
While the rat-ray hybrid certainly sounds like a bit of a Frankenstein mish-mash, it's serious research that could help pave the way for a greater understanding of how hearts pump blood around the body – in addition to leading to new kinds of more sophisticated synthetic robots.
The ray is the brainchild of bioengineer Kit Parker from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, who was inspired to develop the cyborg after visiting an aquarium with his daughter.
"She was trying to pet a stingray and she put her hand in the water and the stingray quickly moved away from her hand in a very elegant way," Parker told George Dvorsky at Gizmodo. "It struck me like a thunderbolt that I could build that system in the musculature, and that it would look very much like the [muscular] layer of the heart."
Taking his idea to fellow Wyss researcher Sung-Jin Park, the ambitious project was met with more than a little trepidation at first.
"I sat down with him," Parker told Jon Hamilton at NPR, "and I said, 'Sung-Jin, we're going to take a rat apart; we're going to rebuild it as a stingray; and then we're going to use a light to guide it.' And the look on his face was both sorrow and horror."
But with perseverance, the team succeeded in realising Parker's vision. The cyborg stingray, which weighs just 10 grams and is only about the size of a small coin, is made from a gold skeleton overlaid with a thin layer of stretchy polymer. This body, designed to emulate the shape and fins of a real ray...
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Scientists creating new government officials...
Oh my !!
Now they are creating modern day Frankenstein hybrids using parts from democrats.
And who knew that democrats even had hearts?
While the rat-ray hybrid certainly sounds like a bit of a Frankenstein mish-mash …More like Dr. Moreau, actually. Victor Fronkensteen’s work involved resurrecting necrotic tissue to create neo-zombies.
Rats!
A fish that likes cheese?
Copy that.
“The years passed, mankind became stupider at a frightening rate. Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly the greatest minds and resources where focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections.”
-Idiocracy
Powered by Rat Fink?
There’s a movie about this I think. I haven’t seen it but it had sharks with laser eyes.
There’s just so many things wrong about this.
Kudos for a brilliant tie in. My all time favorite car.
I am starting to become concerned by the prospects of multiple sciences & inventions being integrated into one "device".
LOLOL... OUTSTANDING!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.