Slashdot Mirror
Bioluminescent Squirt Pistols
Anonymous Coward writes "In an effort to raise money for scientific pursuits, Biotoy is now selling Bioluminescent (glowing) squirt pistols and other neat (educational?) toys." I want one. Now. The H20 Glow on the Biotoy page looks pretty slick, too. I love it when e-commerce and scientific funding collide.
ATP? If I am not mistaken, ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is a biological unit of energy, which is produced by LIVING cells. Where would it get such fuel as ATP if it's not living? I'm not saying it's living, but it (to my knowledge) is not ATP.
AC
Does anyone know if you could use this H20 glow to make glow in the dark drinks or would mixing this with alcohol be dangerous? I think I have to buy some and try... Glow in the dark drinks would be ultracool.
Wy don't they start selling paintballs filled with this stuff? Then you could play in the dark.
Do I really want to be drinking modified jellyfish genes?
What makes these work is fluorescent indicators that glow in the presence of calcium. The inspiration for these came from living beings.
Anyone who takes night swims off southwestern Cape Cod in August is familiar with the living variety. It's amazing -- one can run along the shore, and one's footprints glow. I've gone swimming on moonless nights with a mask and snorkel, and the action of splashing the water allows me to see a foot. What one sees is innumerable points of light -- larger biolumiescent plankton -- suspended in dimly glowing water, which is lit by plankton that are too small to see.
Yay, rats and rabbits had to suffer so our kids can pretend to shoot each other in the dark. Makes sense to me.
there is not much information on how much luminescent water the h20 kit yields. the website is not very explicit on those 'details'...
It's not shiny, it glows. Fucker.
They do sell just the powder:
when i was a kid, i used to piss in my squirt guns. i used to love it when a stupid kid would open his mouth and ask me to "refresh" him. oh, the days of youth.
It seems that the food made with this kind of manipulation has been called "Frankenfood", and that people demonstated against it in Seattle.
Will this pistol be called "Frankensoaker?"
At least you will know that your beer has been genetically altered (or improved, the way you see it).
uhhh... theres no calcium in kool-aid... unless you mix it with milk
E.
Remmeber the drink will have to have calcium in it.... it'd work nicely in a Black and White (kahlua and milk)
E.
Hmm... since this stuff glows on calcium (which 99.99% of these posts are just frigging ignoring), it would look interesting on contact lenses which get small spots of calcium buildup... speckled glowing eyes!
E.
Mix milk with it, wonderbread, ir only work on calcium. You didn't have to read anything but the blurb to know this.
E.
Yeah, how about scrapping all your ideas because they don't involve any calcium?
E.
Hey, I barely make above minimum wage and I play paintball with my own gun. A $200 gun shoots just as well as a $1500 one, just doesn't look as cool. I take out $2k+ Autococker players with my $200 PMI Piranha STS all the time... plus, you can always rent and usually rental guns are ones that would cost between $300 and $500...
E.
I know its OT, but paintball is a blast for all ages (saw a 9 yr old take out an entire team after his got wasted at a tourney) and I like to encourage it. Plus, its not the same if you glow instead of hurt.
Just a protein? I would point out that blowfish toxin, botulism toxin and rattlesnake toxin are also just proteins, cheerfully cranked out by the cells (or cell, in the case of botulinum) of the host organism. Still, if it is nontoxic (as the tests seemed to show) then it would be COOL. :)
Forget bioluminescent squirt guns. I want to know where I can donate money towards research on a gene therapy that will give me bioluminescent semen.
The glowing protein is probably Aequorin. Aequorin is the blue light emitting protein found in jellyfish and other sea creatures (although not all). Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is also involved, but only as a means to activate the visible emission of Aequorin. Aequorin is a *classic* laboratory tool for detecting change in calcium levels in cells. For the science spin, see: http://www.mblab.gla.ac.uk/tubules/aequorin.html
The glowing protein is probably Aequorin. Aequorin is the blue light emitting protein found in jellyfish and other sea creatures (although not all). Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is also involved, but only as a means to activate the visible emission of Aequorin. Aequorin is a *classic* laboratory tool for detecting change in calcium levels in cells.
For the science spin, see: http://www.mblab.gla.ac.uk/tubules/aequorin.html
Now, if I could just convince a woman with glowing teeth to actually GO to any of these bars . . .
too bad the fresnel lens is used for light dispersion, not focusing into a tight beam.
Chemical Demonstrations [[1] v.1 p.146- ], by Bassam Shakhashiri, offers a thorough discussion of Cyalume lightsticks. Professor Shakhashiri is at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, I believe. "The Cyalume lightstick contains dilute hydrogen peroxide in a phthalic ester solvent contained in a thin glass ampoule, which is surrounded by a solution containing a phenyl oxalate ester and the fluorescent dye 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene...When the ampoule is broken, the H2O2 and oxalate ester react.." From: chideste@pt.Cyanamid.COM (Dale Chidester) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 Subject: Re: How to make chemical light ? The following produce rather spectacular results. Chemicals are available through Fluka and Aldrich. The dyes are expensive. Dyes:- 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene (BPEA) (yellow) [10075-85-1] Fluka 15146 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) (blue) [1499-10-1] Fluka 42785 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene) (red) [517-51-1] Fluka 84027 Other reagents required:- bis(2-carbopentyloxy-3,5,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate (CPPO) [75203-51-9] Aldrich 39,325-8 bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DOP) (solvent) [117-81-7] Fluka 80032 sodium salicylate (catalyst) [54-21-7] Fluka 71945 35% hydrogen peroxide [7722-84-1] Fluka 95299 Saturate solvent with dye and CPPO. Sonicate to help solvation. Start with about 50 mg dye (BPEA, DPA or rubrene) in 10 g solvent with 50 mg CPPO and 5 mg sodium salicylate. CPPO is limiting reagent. Put small quantity (20 drops) in a small vial and add equal volume of hydrogen peroxide. Mix vigorously. There will be two phases. Avoid skin contact! Don't cap tightly! The following explanation of the chemistry was provided:- From: sbonds@jarthur.claremont.edu (007) All of the material below is taken from a chemical demonstrations book [[1], v.1, p.146 ]. The oxidant is hydrogen peroxide contained in a phthalate ester solvent. The concentration is very low, less than 0.5%. The fluorescing solution consists of a phenyl oxalate ester and a fluorescent dye. The dye used is 9,10-bis-(phenylethynyl)anthracene (for green) or 9,10-diphenylanthracene (for blue). Here is the reaction sequence: 1) (Ph)-O-CO-CO-O-(Ph) + H2O2 --> (Ph)-O-CO-CO-O-OH + (Ph)-OH 2) (Ph)-O-CO-CO-O-OH --> O-O | | + (Ph)-OH OC-CO 3) C2O4 + Dye --> Dye* + 2CO2 4) Dye* --> Dye + hv In 1) The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester to a peroxyacid ester and phenol. The unstable peroxyacid ester decomposes to the cyclic peroxy compound and more phenol in step 2). The cyclic peroxy compound is again unstable and gives off energy to the dye as it decomposes to the very stable carbon dioxide. The dye then radiates this energy as light.
larami? arent they the tobacco company on the simpsons?
You think it's a what? Did somebody say .... FIRST?!?
I imagine that you've probably used and/or consumed a lot of other products tested on various animals before. At least in Sweden i've never seen a voluntary "tested on animals" claimer before...
But there IS calcium in your teeth (isn't there?) Man, that'd be soooo wicked! GO around smiling at people late at night on the downtown streets and all they see is your glowing teeth.
-AX
Luciferase is the enzyme which oxidises luciferin. The resulting oxyluciferin emmits light to get back into its ground state. The oxidation process is ATP, O2, and Mg2+ dependent.
Prolume is a commercial bio-tech company with several endevours, including selling toys.
The CNN article completly bought the company's spin that it was selling toys to raise money to help cure cancer. Slashdot then simply repeated it. Its bullshit.
Companies like Prolume exist to make a profit, and most are almost entirely owned by venture capitalists. While the MDs that founded and are involved with the company probably have the best intentions (including getting rich), the idea that the profits from the toys are used for curing cancer is completely specious.
Guys, use the critical thinking skills from 11th grade before you write up stories like these.
I think I remember reading or hearing somewhere (I don't remember where) that if you drink some snake venoms, they aren't toxic. For example, since the rattlesnake toxin is a protein, then your digestive system would deal with it. The problem is that when it is injected into your blood stream, it doesn't get digested. I can't say I've heard the same for the other two though (especially blowfish, since as far as I know, you die if you eat it). Don't quote me on this though, because it's been a long time since I heard that and for all I know it was complete BS.
what's the difference between a biological reaction and a chemical reaction? Aren't they one and the same, being that most reactions that occur in nature (eg photosynthesis and respiration) are essentially non-staged chemical reations? or am I missing something?
emerson is quite correct about Lucifer meaning "Light Bearer" or "Light Bringer." It was the name of an angel who fell. By contrast, "Satan" means "adversary" and was a position, not a personality. According to legend (and the Dictionary of Angels: Including the Fallen Angels), Lucier held the position of Satan before being cast out of heaven. Presumably someone else was picked to fill the roll subsequently. Until relatively recently, the clerics who investigate miracles and such for the potential beatification and canonization of saints and challenged that the attributed events were genuine was called the what translates as "Devil's Advocate", i.e., adversary advocate.
Apparently you can get a cocktail of cobra poison in whisky in certain Asian countries. It is supposed to be relatively safe, but gives you a buzz. The trick is to leave it standing for about 15 minutes after mixing, so the alcohol denaturates most of the venom proteins.
A lot of people are allergic to shellfish and other invertebrates.
And I think they got the glow stuff from sea creatures.
So if you're allergic to certain things I wouldn't go drinking the stuff.
Cheerio,
Link.
Glow in the dark beer? Damn I want them to develop that =) I wonder, does it come out the other end still glowing (as waste that is)..
What a strange thought =)
the glowing puke all over the place.
Humans are the ones who want this, so they should be the ones to sacrifice for it.
Oh well, rats are shit anyway and don't feel pain, so who cares about them?
nt
Japanese soldiers hat kits containing dried bioluminescent shrimp. When they needed light, they wetted some, and... instant illumnation! Just add water!
Try to order, but, don't use your REAL credit card number. First, "Certificate Name Check" failure. The certificate name and the site name are not the same. ["It is possible someone is trying to intercept ... "] Then, AFTER you put in your credit card information it failed: "Premature end of script headers" ... Then, when you email the webmeister: "Delivery failure" ... Then, when you call their 888 telephone number, it rings and rings and rings until finally you get a recorded message saying they are sorry they missed your call. Then, when you call their 412 telephone number, it rings and rings and rings until finally you get a recorded message saying they are sorry they missed your call. Sounds really ... interesting ... Shoestring operation? Shoddy programming? Scam or just a bunch of ... ahem ... errors? [I am getting to old to cancel my credit card every 90 days!]
The protein isn't named after the devil -- they share a common root. The name "Lucifer" and the word "luciferase" both come from the Latin root lux/lucis, light, and ferre, to carry.
According to the story, Lucifer was called LightBringer before he rebelled and fell, as he was the angel on the right hand of God, God's A-Number-One Angel.
And, of course, the protein is named luciferin for the same reason -- it 'carries' or 'bears' light. (No, not because the protein sat at the right hand of God....)
So, nothing sinister here, the protein was not named by Satanists, the gun is not a tool of the devil. Just a coincidence from the fact that science and the church both use Latin a lot.
--
I found a page that supports what you wrote. The luciferins and luciferases vary among organisms. Biologists believe that several bioluminescent mechanisms evolved independently. Neat-o.
The proteins in different luciferin-luciferase systems are significantly different. They do not appear to have a common evolutionary source. Bioluminescence from jellyfish and dinoflagellates probably involve quite different molecules and mechanisms. Also, it is still unclear how many of these systems work.
I found a page on bioluminescence after reading an an article on using bioluminescent dinoflagellates to monitor fluid flow about a month ago. I think most bioluminescent organisms use very similar proteins.
Something is fishy. (Pun pun pun) Why in the world do these people need to take that many expensive fishing trips? Luciferin-luciferase systems are understood. In fact, they are easy to buy and culture. Is there something special about jellyfish?
The toys are very cool, but this technology seems much less rare and expensive than the article implies.
More interesting than the actual product being sold, can this be a new model for funding science, as Congress slashes funding scientific efforts left and right (ie NASA)? It will be interesting to see if other commercial science orgs will do the same thing (build something for consumers that's "cool" to finance the real science)...
Posted by Synsthe:
I wonder if there''ll be any future lawsuits from parents, if their kids start glowing in the dark at night and keeping everybody awake.
Hey, it could happen.
--
The stuff they're selling is green, and it uses genes from jellyfish "caught off the coast of Washington." I originally thought the stuff might be Green Flourescent Protein, but you need to have long wave UV light to make it glow. So what is it? Luciferase?
Let's try not to let fact interfere with our speculation here, OK?
What do you mean by "probably not a gene"?
I was guessing that Ca is a cofactor for the enzyme too, but which enzyme? Do they actually mention luciferins somewhere on the product site?
Let's try not to let fact interfere with our speculation here, OK?
What's that?
High calcium content?
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Here's the impression I get:
The squirt gun requires contact with calcium to glow. The other two products, including H2O Glow, do NOT. Note their claims of the ability to make "glowing tap water". (Actually, I think some tap water does have calcium.)
Look on their safety page. The squirtgun (calcium-activated) and other products use different substances. (Specifically, the squirtgun uses NanoFlash+NanoFuel while all the others use NanoGlow+NanoFuel) So it IS most likely possible to create glowing drinks, etc.
Note that ProLume's page has a link to an article that mentions bioluminescent champagne.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
poison an enemy's water supply - do an attack at night and shoot anything that glows
put it in a pool/lake so people can swim at night
or, have people drink it before they go swim at night, so people can see each other/to help a lifegaurd see people who are drowning
put it in water and water other people's lawn's with it, thus really pissing them off when it gets dark
use it in ink for your pen/in books, so you can read at night more easily
blood for that Lizard-guy that was mentioned a few days back
put a few drops in your eyes
and, since you need Calcium for all this stuff to work apparently, the official slogan for all of these fine products will be.....
"Got Milk?"
I belive that Lucifer was the name of the star that Jupiter became in Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 series.
---
Oh, come on. Shiny is *cool*. I love shiny stuff.
so add milk. quit yer bitchin.
gays, women, and minorities are human. I like humans. Actually, I generally like animals, too. But I have some priorities.
so throw in a fucking TUMS. Christ, you people call yourselves problem solvers?
Thanks
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
In your scenario, the bioluminescent gene would be a major survival disadvantage. Any glowing bugs would be killed much quicker than their non-glowing counterparts, and the glowing gene wouldn't propagate. The only genes which will be passed on to successive generations are the ones which convey some sort of advantage. That's how evolution works.
He is referring to the tubes you find all the time at raves and such, or for parent to find their kids... you should be able to find them just about anywhere, just ask for glowsticks...
_ _____________
No, they arent refillable.. hmm, we've never broken one in half, to get at the guts...not sure what they are made of...
_______________________________________________
--
driph
--------------------
--------------------
Earth first? Oooh, and I was thinking of paying the rent.
If someone made contact lenses that got dark in bright light, like the "photochromatic" (tranistional) lenses you can get for glasses - now that would be useful. I might finally try contacts if they could do that...
Yeah, yeah, OffTopic -1
I actually had a pet rat a few years back that was much MUCH more intelligent then any of my dogs have ever been.
Taking this in mind, you'd think I was against animal testing... Personally, I think if they breed the animals just FOR that then they aren't harming the ones that know any better, just the ones that were destined to die anyway.
Plus I don't think I'd be willing to try something someone handed to me when they said "Just try a sip... We think it'll do this but it'll possibly hurt more than anything else you've ever felt your entire life."
- 8Complex
You used to be able to buy glow in the dark paintballs. I think it was either Zap or Pro-Ball that used to sell them. I haven't seen it in awhile so I doubt if there was much of a market for it.
All editorial writers ever do is come down from the hill after the battle is over and shoot the wounded.
Seen those Volkswagon ads? there isn't a turbonium atom, but that didn't stop them.
--
Insert Witty Sig Here
I wonder, if you fed it to cows.. would they give off glowing milk? now that would beat cow tipping.... yessir
--
Insert Witty Sig Here
There is a precedent for positive feedback in games, particularly drinking games. Many drinking games require the player to do something tricky, like reciting a tongue twister, and take a drink if he fails. More drinks make it harder to do the tricky thing, hence positive feedback.
WWJD for a Klondike Bar?
I think that's right.
Lucifer was originally an angel (hence the 'light' part),
but God smacked him down...
--Kevin
=-=-=-=-=-=
"HELLO SMALL CHILD! WHO IS BACK! I HAVE THE RENEGADE MASTER WITH ME!"
Hmm...Dosen't appear that the online ordering is working...
Slashdotted?
--Kevin
=-=-=-=-=-=
"HELLO SMALL CHILD! WHO IS BACK! I HAVE THE RENEGADE MASTER WITH ME!"
Now what would really be cool is paintballs filled with this stuff...
But judging by the prices on the website, and how much paint is normally,
a 500 count bag of 'glowballs' would prolly cost ~$200...
But think about how cool an evening game would be!
--Kevin
=-=-=-=-=-=
"HELLO SMALL CHILD! WHO IS BACK! I HAVE THE RENEGADE MASTER WITH ME!"
This is too cool. I'm trying to think of possible uses for this stuff.
* Alcoholic beverages.
Obviously, some bartender is going to start making Glowing Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blasters out of this stuff soon.
* Fountains.
Now a building dosen't have to use lights to illuminate their expensive fountains. On the flip side, this could become a new prank. Instead of dishwashing liquid, use jellyfish powder to trash a fountain.
*Art.
I don't know the physical properties of this stuff. If you could freeze the treated water, and assuming it would still glow, you could do some neat stuff. Imagine an ice sculpture, gently glowing from an internal bluish glow.
*Entertainment
Treat the entire water supply in a water park. (Yes, this would require insane quantities of the jellyfish stuff). Going down a water slide in the dark when all the water is glowing around you would be a complete trip.
Any other ideas?
--jwriney
John Riney III
hmmm, that's interesting, because this research was not done solely for the purpose of making and selling toys. The toy products we are seeing are a result of an idea to sell them to get an extra avenue of revenue for further research.
Everyone assuming that the rats were used for testing, to ONLY sell the toys, are jumping to conclusions.
To put it another way, the toys are a byproduct of the research, not the original reason for the research.
Quote from Prolume website:
"Valuable life science uses for NanoLight's technology include high-throughput drug discovery, functional genomics, tumor imaging, replacement of radioisotopes, and molecular diagnostics. One particularly exciting application is the ability to use NanoLight's reporter systems to "illuminate" gene and molecular function within living cells, allowing pharmaceutical companies a revolutionary method to study drug activity. A second opportunity is to broadly supply researchers who are increasingly moving away from radioactive reagents and toward light-based reporter systems and instruments. NanoLight Technologies is poised to capitalize on both of these accelerating market trends."
Quote 2 from the CNN article:
"The idea is to raise enough money from selling novelty items to underwrite more important pursuits, such as using the glowing genes to identify cancerous tumors or detect nerve gas."
It appears to me that people are seeing the term "animal testing" and immediately going into some type of "environmental gestapo" mode without first being fully aware of the motives and facts behind said animal testing.
Edmund Scientific has Moon Blob Gel which looks just as cool as these squirt guns. And don't forget, they also have fresnel lenses so you can melt concrete!
Actually, cristals contain quite large quantities of water.. But still, it's 'bound' so I guess it qualifies as dry.
I can finally make the dinner parties mine own! I am the ambiant lighting technician here during the dinner parties and like to make the light low, but with the Bioluminescent H2O, I can light the dinner table from the table itself.
I will be able to show off my geek prowess while my girlfriend might be able to have not only the best food for dinner but the most novel approach -- a true way to best Martha Stewart.
I wonder if she'll be up for it or would this have to be beta-tested with just some of my co-workers? I guess its not a good thing to test it with the Parish Priest.
-- memoid
Incidentally, actually reading the article will point out that it's Prolume that's trying to raise research money by manufacturing the squirt guns. Biotoy is just a company doing similar things, apparently.
- Cattywampus.
Think dumb medium sized rodents not Homer Simpson...
The best racoon trap is just a piece o shiny metal in a hole after all. Someone else can elaborate.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
Presumably, it uses ATP or some similar biologically-derived compound. Once the energy's spent, it goes out. It's not actually alive.
Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani?
www.fogbound.net
Isn't it so obvious? They're not human, and we're all that count on this earth :)
Open Source. Closed Minds. We are Slashdot.
Isn't it so obvious? They're not human, and we're all that count on this earth :)
Open Source. Closed Minds. We are Slashdot.
You've never seen a bioluminescent light tube? They're a plastic tube with a glass capsule inside. Break the capsule and the two liquids glow green for an hour or two.
They give the example of custom liquids glowing when sprayed on a tumor. Be a bummer to get something cut off just because you were playing with a squirt gun the night before the operation...
Unfortunately it doesn't look like any of this stuff could be used in plastics or paint in place of dangerous chemicals like phosphorus and radio-active elements....
Which is a real pity. I could use a glow-in-the-dark PC case! Anyone know of any safe chemicals or paint?
This actually could be very useful for fluid dynamics tests. Use NanoFuel and NanoFlash, and when the fluid hits hard turns or corners it will glow. This can highlight areas where there is problems with the flow of water.
Could also be useful for tracing liquids that make it into the sewer systems. Use NanoLight in the chemical source, and add NanoFuel in specific areas to track and trace where the leak is.
Wonder what sort of temperature range these things can stand.... Anyone?
I could imagine playing something like flashlight tag with the squirt guns. Unfortunatly, if you get hit, your more likely to get hit again, but that's your fault. Though you're less likley to get some horrible injury from tripping on something you can't see...
What about eye drops? Can this stuff be put into a saline solution and made into eye drops that would make my eyes glow? That would ROCK!
Calmacil
I can't seem to face up to the facts, I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax... --Talking Heads
If this is safe to drink .. it would make a very intresting bar mix...
.. glowing teeth of the opposite sex wouldn't be too attractive
On the otherhand
Ah, but you can get powdered DNA. I learned that in high school biochemistry, where I extracted it from the ever so painful Rocky Mountian Oysters.
Add some distilled water to the chamber, and fire. As the liquid squirts it looks just like water. But when it hits something _ anything that contains calcium, which can be found on people and all kinds of other things -- it lights up.
What would be really fun is if you could make a light bulb out of this liquid and powdered calcium. A refill would be a pack of tums.
yup..but too much exposure can damage your eyes. careful with that UV lamp.
damn i miss TNG.
See the real company page and check out the links
http://prolume.com/
hide and seek just got harder..
Insert mind here.
You are not a brain: http://books.google.com/books?id=2oV61CeDx-YC
One pair of my glasses does the same thing.
In my case, the glasses in question have the lenses that are designed to change according to different lighting conditions. (dark lense when bright outside, clear when dark or inside building.)
the slight glowing tinge is i believe a result of the affect that blacklight has on the chemicals used in these lenses. My other pair of glasses with "regular" lenses, do not glow under black light.
And yes, it does make it harder to play laser tag. grr.
No unauthorized use. Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.
Hell yeah dude I'm there!! I cant wait to get ahold of that stuff so i can walk around at a rave and watch everyone freak trying to figure out what it is!!
http://www.livejournal.com/users/cixel
FYI Glowstick liquid tastes disgusting. I had one of those new in mouth glowsticks and for reasons I will not cover I had a case of jaw clenching, and the dang thing broke, ick I needed a gallon of redbull to wash it all away. Anyhow, this H2O Glow stuff would be a hit at most of the clubs and such I frequent. :) Hmm...this gives me an Idea...SlashRave 2000 Featuring Sasha, Paul Van Dyk, John Digweed, etc...sponsored by ProLume, RedHat, and Natalie Portman.
:).
Minus the portman sponsorship, i think a slashdot rave would go over well
According to The Straight Dope, they use two chemicals, luciferin & luciferase, stored in separate, concentric tubes. Bending the tube breaks the inner tube, releasing its contents to mix with those of the outer tube.
If I remember correctly, luciferin & luciferase are the same chemicals fireflies use to produce their light.
To do less would be hypocritical.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
And imagine the thrill of releasing a little into the skimmer pot of a backyard pool! All of the sudden, glowing water starts shooting out of the return nozzles.
You'll probably have to turn off the clorination/ozoneation, or it might denature the proteins.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Your digestive tract will take it apart and use it just like it does the protein from meat and veggies.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
I don't have photogrey lenses. I used to but hated them.
Trees can't go dancing
So do them a big favor
Pretend dancing stinks!
Well, if the only purpose of the research was to find cool new toys or food colourants then that argument might have some validity.
However, their parent company are also researching medical applications for this stuff.
Animal testing is fine when there's some serious scientific benefit to be had.
Vodka, Kahlua, Cream, and Luciferase?
Mmm.
This is an entirely different story than medical research. Many people oppose experiments on animals if they are for making cosmetics or other irrelevant articles, but they do agree that animal experiments are occasionnally necessary for medical research.
Say no to software patents.
heck, this things are way cool. reminds me of the glowing drinks that appeared on the anime movie "Macross: Do you remember love?". :)
can't wait to try one... perhaps this will follow the Diet Coke... say, Glow Coke?
jaime.
Actually, Lucifer left on his own.
--
"I was a fool to think I could dream as a normal man."
Sosumi. just kidding. DONT!
You have some good points, but they all concern animal experimentation for medical purposes. Keep in mind that we're talking here about squirtguns, not medicine.
It's one thing that say that animal experimentation is sometimes necessary (when human lives are at stake, for example) and another to say that it should always be done. Sometimes, for example, animals are used instead of computer models that are just as good because animals are cheaper.
Even when animal testing is the only way to make sure something works, sometimes the end for which it's being done is pretty dubious. In the cosmetics industry, for example, there's a lot of rabbits being tortured to confirm the obvious proposition that yes, if you rub this stuff into your eyes and leave it in for 10 hours, you'll go blind.
No one disagrees that we should make sure our squirtguns don't maim our kids, but maybe if the only way we can be sure is by torturing animals, we should just go without our squirtguns. Many will want their squirtguns anyway, but you certainly don't have to have "brains [that are] addled" not to.
Why do you think rats can't feel pain?
actually, there is plenty of calcium in kool-aid now. most every juice drink, orange juice, grapefruit juice, hawaiian punch, and even kool-aid are "loaded with calcium", or whatever it says.
--
steve
C-x i ~/.sig
Why is it that most consumers go just daffy over anything(read:IMac) shiny?
_________________________
(Yes, I KNOW that was a hoax)
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Actually, no. Nucleic acids aren't all so different from peptides in the way they form chains. DNA exists perfectly well as a crystalized solid, and can rather easily be extracted, dried, and powdered. I did this in "high school biology". That aside, according to the Biotoy site, the compound here is actually a protein which they call NanoLight.
They use a protein called luciferases...I love the irony that the ammunition of a gun (albeit a toy) has it's roots with the devil. Bitchen idea though...I think I'm getting one...
Just a quick note to point out that those lenses (dark outside, clear inside etc) are called Polaroid lenses. :-)
Nothing is so smiple that it can't be screwed up.
Glow in the dark things rule. They look fun and you can do all kinds of cool stuff with them.
I have always wanted more glow in the dark stuff. I remember as a kid having glow in the dark stars over my bed and a glow in the dark frizby. The ultimate would be something like this, though, where you could make yourself glow in the dark by spashing yourself with their solution.
Back in the day though we didn't have everything handed to us on a platter like kids do these days (it makes me sick sometimes to think how spoiled some of these brats are) No, instead of some counting on some big shot company to do it we had to do it ourselves!
How you may ask? Through hard work, that's how. After about 3 nights of collecting fire flies and glow worms you have about an inch of them in the bottom of a jar. Then all you have to do is smush them onto your self and presto! Home-made alien costume.
Ahhhhh... those were the days.
Maybe this will replace all those paintball gun places everywhere where it's impossible to play unless you're a vietnam vet and spent $1500 on all the equiptment...
Naw, I doubt it...mainstream culture rarely ever latches on to anything really cool...
The ABSTRUSE One
Jason Byrons
"You all laugh at me because I'm different
I laugh at you because you're a
one I can load with pure alcohol and turn into a 71 degree flamethrower =) now THAT'D be one hell of a water fight...streams of blue flame flying through the air...
Then again, I could be wrong.
Can't wait to see this stuff pop up in cubs, bars, etc, especially in some cool new alcoholic drink.
BTW.. nice to see a whole 30 posts or so without any "first post" or "natalie portman" crap. I think that's a first.
I knew that if I'd mention that people were finally behaving in a slashdot article, that somebody would do this.
Ah well.. better one troll than 50.
Hrm.. maybe there's a troll convention tonight.
Yeah, but that would be highly irritating. There is no "Glo" atom, after all.
Optometrists use eyedrops that glow under UV light to help find eye problems or something. Not as cool as glowing without any light, perhaps, but still pretty neat looking.
if it isn't toxic, and it is flavorless, i will proceed to make glow_in_the_dark dr pepper.
i wonder what this stuff would do to excrement wastes?
i may find out someday..
'Mullethead. A hairstyle that's a way of life'
Um.. as I learned from high school biology, you can't 'load a squirt gun with powdered genes'. There's no such thing as a powdered gene, its just a sequence of DNA bases. You can of course have an organism transcribe those genes into proteins, and use the powdered bioluminescent protein. Looks like the article's author needs to learn some basic biology.
does it stop glowing?
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
The thing is, those piddly little squirt guns look pretty weak. They should liscense it out to Larami so we could get Glowing Supersoakers! now THAT would be cool :)
Learn to know, the dark side of the force, and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi...the power to save your w
No, they are selling toys using tech which they hope to use for medicine. They are only selling the toys to raise funding for continuing research. Next time, read the article before posting. By the way, I love animals, but last time I checked, humans have rights and animals don't - period.
Luciferase is an enzyme (enzymes end in "-ase"). luciferins, another ingredient mentioned on their page, is probably a substrate for that enzyme, meaning that luciferase breaks down luciferins to produce a glowing effect. Calcium is probably a cofactor for the enzyme.
-------------------------
Stupid people suck.
put a few drops in your eyes
think about that...
it might be cool if your dosed, but you won't be able to see anything other than a (probably painfully intense) glow.
--
http://gammatron.weblogger.com
from Promega
Hmm, it would seem to me better to call it H2Glo
I know, because I'm a mutation between a gadget freak and an avid paintballer. Check out the Tracerball You can get the paintballs in red, green, blue, and yellow. I had one once, but it broke because its made of REALLY cheap plastic, but I'll end up buying another one eventually just becuase its so damn cool looking. The basic idea is that it fits onto the end of the barrel of most paintguns and you use special paint that is illuminated by 4 lights on the inside of the attachment each time it detects a ball going through it. Last time I used it, I remember it still glowed on the guy I shot for a few seconds. Of course, like real tracers in real guns, you give yourself away. Best part about it is that when I played dark indoor games, I racked up ALOT of eliminations because of the uncanny effect of turning people into virtual "deer staring at headlights" when they see you shoot it. Easy pickin's! :) Makes for a great Star Wars scene when I put it on my fully automatic AT85 .
Let people drink it, open their mouths, and you can tell if they're getting enough calcium by looking in their mouth and seeing how light it is in there :)
If you can't figure out how to mail me, don't.
For linux tips: http://www.linuxtipsblog.com
Hmmm...wonder how long it will take for lobbyists to rally and Capitol Hill to pass legislation declaring these things hazardous and detrimental to the future of our societal evolution and our children's children's children.
= )
I can see the headlines now:
Suburban Man Victim in Drive-by Squirting
Come on, Tinkler, Tink!!
You didn't check very well or very recently. Animals have rights in the United States. They have more rights in the UK. These rights differ by country and judicial district, just like the rights of children, women or anyone else differ. In the US, animals have the right not to be tortured for sport (unless you own a rodeo). Animals used for experimentation have a long list of rights involving their care, feeding, vetilation, whatever. In the UK, animals have the right not to be mutilated by their owners for cosmetic reasons.
Animals have rights in the exact same way people do - there are things you can do to them that you get in trouble for. One could safely say that some species of animal have more rights in the United States than a child had in some past (and perhaps present) societies. Since I'm not a proponent of Natural Law, I don't consider those rights any more or less valid than the ones you have.
Animal Rights is a sliding scale, not a yes or no position.
...will work for Chick tracts...
Remeber the old saying "Nuke 'em 'till they glow and shoot 'em in the dark?"
Well, now you can shoot them until they glow and, uh, shoot them in the dark.
.cig - what you do after winning a good flame war
The benefits of this technology are enormous:
Phase 1: We manipulate existing pest (such as rats and cockroaches) dna to make them luminescent.
Phase 2: Continue releasing genetically altered pests into their natural habitat (New York City, your vegetable garden the rabbits keep eating up)
Phase 3: Elminate and destroy. Hunt these horrific glowing animals during evening hours for best results. Suggested weapons: shotguns and boa constrictors.
Hmmm... I wonder... If one drank enough of this stuff would ya skin eventually turn luminescent after a while?... I can see kids going nuts over glow-in-the-dark kool aid...
vDom 1.4.1
Why must they sell it in squirt guns? I want the powder so I can refill my own semi-automatic water weapons. And imagine the thrill of releasing a little into the skimmer pot of a backyard pool! All of the sudden, glowing water starts shooting out of the return nozzles. I mean, come on, people, a squirt gun is the least of my plans.
I do wonder, though, how expensive the powder would be. It might make it difficult to do anything other than squirt a few cc's of the solution here and there. Still, when it comes to great things for campouts, this takes the bioweaponry cake... for now.
Inquiring minds want to know.
yes most people have assumed wrong, the H20 mix will glow once mixed. The quirt gun uses distilled water for the lack of calcium, you could use tap water in the squirt gun and it would just glow all the time. But what im talking about is mixing the H20 glow with some astroglide! glow b*tch glow! :)
can anyone verify that this so called "Satan" or "Lucifer" is actually a star? and which came first lucent or Lucifer?
A decent Network is finally here.
How about going around the neighborhood dressed as an alien? Just start squirting people and yelling jibberish in some foriegn tongue.
Is it only a matter of time before imac comes out with this stuff somehow imbedded into the exterior?
I wonder...If you put a white rose or daisy in this stuff would the pedals start to glow?? Talk about a strange Valentines flower boquet!