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Cockroaches Daubed With Yeast As WMD Sensors?

Our Man In Redmond writes "OK, yeah, it sounds weird, but it just might work. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have come up with the idea of attaching genetically-modified yeast to the back of a cockroach - or a cockroach-sized robot - and using the yeast to detect chemical or biological agents. The story's in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer. They point out some other possible nifty uses for the yeast-based technology, like detecting diseases by having a patient blow on a piece of paper 'printed' with the yeast."

5 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Explain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    They train young men to drop fire on people but their commanders won't allow them to write "fuck" on their airplane because its obsene.

  2. What the hell you doin' in my house? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Eatin' a big ass sandwich and shit?

  3. Of course... by corebreech · · Score: -1, Troll

    ...by the time the monkey assigned to observe the changes in the cockroaches actually observes a change of interest, it's already too late.

    We're not going to solve the problem of terrorism by introducing new technology to the equation. It's the new technology that got us into this mess in the first place.

    No, what solves the problem is acknowledging all the fucked up things we've done to other people in other nations/cultures that causes them to hate us so.

    Understanding that we cause 99% of the shit that comes our way is the very best anti-terrorism measure we can take.

    Of course, for those who wield all the power in this country, that simply won't do. They depend on our ability to inflict death and misery upon other nations so as to more easily extract their natural resources.

    They understand that there are going to be repercussions by doing this, but to their mind that doesn't mean it's wrong in any way, only that they should take care to be long gone before those repercussions become real.

    The horrible, brutal truth of the matter is that our very best course out of all of this is to not only cease and desist from fucking over other people, but to understand as well that because we've spent so many years fucking over all these other people in all these other nations that we're due all kinds of grief in the years to come no matter what we due today.

    In other words, we could as a nation act as angels and still get shit thrown our way, simply because the seeds were planted by our predecessors long ago.

    The sobering reality is this: if we are really interested in a peaceful future, we have to be ready to take a major kick to the balls, and then smile like nothing happened.

    Or in other words, accept the fact that Manhattan is going to get nuked. Accept that the reason it got nuked was because of atrocities we've committed upon other people long ago. Accept that our retaliating for Manhatten being made to glow green will only cause DC, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco to glow green as well.

    But of course, this will never happen. Our political system does not support rational leadership. Look at the insane reaction to 9/11. Now multiple that by a google (no, not the search engine) to understand what will happen when finally America is made to account for it's evil past.

    We're fucked. We are totally fucked.

    The cockroaches aren't going to save us. They are here to survive us.

    Have a nice day.

  4. Bush election plan by CGP314 · · Score: 0, Troll

    1) Get a cockroach
    2) Get some yeast
    3) ???
    4) WMDs!

  5. Dubya will stop at nothing ! by The+Famous+Druid · · Score: 0, Troll

    Boy, this is starting to smell of desperation.

    Come on Dubya, face it.

    There were no Weapons of Mass Destruction

    --
    Quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum videtur (anything said in Latin sounds important)