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Scientists Produce Fearless Mice

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the no-cheese-is-safe dept.

Dotnaught writes "According to New Scientist, a Rutgers University geneticist has found that turning off a specific gene for the protein stathmin makes mice fearless. The story speculates that this research might improve treatment for phobias. It does not mention obvious military applications for the discovery. As noted in this Naval Officer's guide for managing fatigue, the use of amphetamines to stay alert, followed by sedatives to sleep, has a long tradition. Genetic treatments may offer an alternative to pharmaceuticals."

31 of 499 comments (clear)

  1. My Vision of the Future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    These mice escape and breed in the wild. Enormous of fearless mice terrorize the world's cat population. It's not going to be pretty.

    1. Re:My Vision of the Future by bersl2 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Here's what I was thinking:

      NIMH unavailable for comment.

    2. Re:My Vision of the Future by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny
      In fact this situation is possible and not funny at all.
      It was the night before Christmas and a creature was stirring. It was a mouse, a grey mouse, a lean and hungry grey mouse.
      A slight breeze shuffled discarded newspapers in the grimy alley as the mouse crept a little closer to its prey. The tip of its scaly tail twitched in anticipation as it tensed its muscles for the leap.

      With saliva dripping from its fangs, the mouse covered the intervening centimetres in a huge bound, jaws fastening viciously onto its prey, a high-pitched growl issuing from deep from within its belly. Snarling, the ferocious rodent tore at the flesh of its enemy, and the rottweiler leapt to its feet with a surprised yelp.

      The mouse, every muscle shaking with anger and bloodlust, bit deeper through the rottweiler's fur, amost drawing blood, until the startled dog nipped its head off and swallowed it.
      No, you're right, it isn't funny.
      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    3. Re:My Vision of the Future by GuyWithLag · · Score: 4, Funny

      In fact, I've seen a cat being chased by a mouse. Yes, a mouse, not a rat... Talk about a Bizarro-style experience ....

    4. Re:My Vision of the Future by WillerZ · · Score: 4, Informative

      Dude, that was Tom & Jerry.

      --
      I guess today is a passable day to die.
    5. Re:My Vision of the Future by kryten_nl · · Score: 4, Funny

      Eventually, the bird flew away, never to return.

      That's what the cat told you, wasn't it?

      --
      For the perfect anti-Unix, write an OS that thinks it knows what you're doing better than you do and let it be wrong.
    6. Re:My Vision of the Future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Score:5, Informative

      Dude, that was Tom & Jerry.

      Speaking of bizaare experiences...

  2. Good old PCP by ReformedExCon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whatever happened to the good old days of pumping soldiers full of angel dust to rid them of fear?

    The non-military uses for such a treatment are pretty far-reaching. Would it be able to cure people that suffer anxiety attacks? Could children with night terrors be cured?

    If the rats don't feel fear, do they also lose understanding of danger? That would be a pretty bad mutation.

    --
    Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
    1. Re:Good old PCP by general_re · · Score: 5, Insightful
      If the rats don't feel fear, do they also lose understanding of danger? That would be a pretty bad mutation.

      My first thought also. There are some situations where fear is an entirely appropriate response - lose it, and unwarranted risks may start to become a problem.

      --
      ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
    2. Re:Good old PCP by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Users of PCP report memory loss, difficulties with speech and learning, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use. PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose. Use of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal growth and development.

      Ask your doctor if PCP is right for you.

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  3. Like Red Baron by mindflow · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now scientist need to figure out how to make theese mice pilot planes.

    1. Re:Like Red Baron by Incadenza · · Score: 4, Funny

      Have I got news for you.

  4. Military applications make me shiver... by stirz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Giving Methamphetamines to soldies to "stay alert" and to "strengthen confidence" has -sadly enough- a long tradition. As Wikipedia tells us even the Nazis spreaded the drug among their Wehrmacht. What's the point of a government saying "Stay away from drugs!" on the one hand and willingly giving it to soldiers on the other?

    Seems alright, I quit military service a long time ago...

    Regards

    Stirz

    1. Re:Military applications make me shiver... by skinfitz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How is this different to a Government saying "Don't kill people!" then putting guns and high explosives into the hands of soldiers?

      The only logic here is 'do what we say and don't question anything.'

    2. Re:Military applications make me shiver... by Mjlner · · Score: 4, Insightful
      "As Wikipedia tells us even the Nazis spreaded the drug among their Wehrmacht."

      What do you mean, "even the Nazis"? A totalitarian government, emphasizing the military and denial of the individual, would be almost expected to do this. What is more scary, is that democracies, which we expect to respect and defend the rights of the individual, even to the point of restricting what the police and military can do, are chemically altering the bodies and minds of their soldiers.

      --
      Lemon curry???
  5. Now I'm Scared.. by Plunky · · Score: 4, Funny

    Come on Mickey, are you a MAN or a MOUSE?

    AAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!

  6. In other news..... by Gunnery+Sgt.+Hartman · · Score: 4, Funny

    More mice have been committing suicide by cat.

    --
    [ ]
  7. Are these mice really fearless... by Mjlner · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...or just plain stupid?

    --
    Lemon curry???
  8. Anyone see Equilibrium? by vodkamattvt · · Score: 4, Funny

    So we got fear, now there are a few more emotions to get rid of and we can make Equilibrium come true. Now that's practical applicaton of science.

  9. Obligatory fearless mice joke... by KingSkippus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Three mice were sitting in a bar, each trying to impress the others with how tough they were.

    The first one said, "When I see a mousetrap, I deliberately set it off, bench press the bar fifty times, then snack on the cheese."

    The second one, not to be outdone, said, "Yeah? Well, every morning when I get out of bed, I stir in some cream and rat poison in my coffee. It gives me a good buzz that really wakes me up and gets me going."

    They both look at the third mouse who, after a few seconds, gets up and says, "I don't have time for this bullshit. I've got to go home and fuck the cat."

  10. Danger Mouse by wenchmagnet · · Score: 5, Funny

    He's The Best
    He's The Greatest
    He's The Greatest Secret Agent In The World!
    He's The Ace - He's Amazing...
    He's the Strongest... He's The Quickest.... He's The Best!

  11. since when does being alert = fearless? by artifex2004 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The two certainly do not equate.

  12. fear is a good thing by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Insightful

    people nowadays like to talk about fear in ideological and propagandistic terms, but fear keeps you alive. it keeps you from wandering into traffic or picking fights with random people. if this were ever applied to humans, you wouldn't have superhuman heroic fighters for the military, you'd have guys shooting themselves with their own guns and jumping off roofs... why not, when you're not afraid of anything, including death

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:fear is a good thing by UserGoogol · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think so. Fear is not the source of all human behavior. Without fear, people could still say, "Well... I could jump off the roof, but then I'd probably break a few bones, and that would hurt, and I don't like being hurt." (After all, you are arguing right now that there is something inherently bad about being shot in the head, surely a fearless person might be able to see your argument.)

      Fear is merely a mental shortcut. Instead of rationally arguing that doing something will lead to an unadvantageous situation, our brains merely automatically develop fears of the situation and we avoid it quasi-instinctually.

      That said, if you were to completely remove fear without changing anything else, I do not doubt that shit would happen. Human beings are nowhere near as smart as they could be, and are probably not capable of thinking things out clearly enough. As it stands, we probably need mental crutches like fear until we are able to augment our intelligence.

      But still, we should not imply that fear and desire are the only things capable of driving people. Fear is distinct from pain, desire is distinct from happiness.

      --
      "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
  13. laser mice... by NoSuchGuy · · Score: 4, Funny

    What about a laser mounted on the backs of these mice?

    Oh, never mind

    --
    Grundgesetz * 23. Mai 1949 - 30. November 2007 - http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/
  14. Military applications ? by ultranova · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It does not mention obvious military applications for the discovery.

    That's because there is no military applications. You don't want the soldiers to become fearless, because if they do, they might say: "This war is wrong. I used to be too afraid to do anything about it, but now I suddenly feel fearless, and will get the heck away from here !" Basically, fearless soldiers will refuse to obey when given orders that they think are wrong, and cannot be forced to obey by fear of punishment.

    What you want is soldiers that are more afraid of their commanding officers than the enemy; that way they'll follow orders.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    1. Re:Military applications ? by varjag · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What you want is soldiers that are more afraid of their commanding officers than the enemy; that way they'll follow orders.

      It is a bit of oversimplification. Soldiers can be motivated by things other than fear: the sense of friendship, pride, the feeling of responsibility and (misguided or not) patriotism. History is full with exapmles of people knowingly and willingly sacrificing their life for good of others, ranging from Spartans to Soviet atheists (neither of those could even hope for a decent afterlife: the void of Hades ain't much better than simple non-existance). I believe that in Iraq fights of today you could find such instances at both sides involved, too.

      That said, your general argument remains valid. Humans for high command are mostly numbers, and are operated from statistical point of view. They would hate to rely solely for underlings' loyalty.

      --
      Lisp is the Tengwar of programming languages.
  15. I for one.... by rathehun · · Score: 5, Funny

    ....have a large stock of cheese, for our new....

  16. A fearless soldier is a crap soldier by Julian+Morrison · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Hey check this out, I'm not in the least afraid anymore. Hmm, I wonder what it feels like to plough an airplane into the ground on full afterburner. Whee, fast! Hello mr cornfield. Ooh, a scarecrow. My, that ground sure is big."

  17. USB by linumax · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does this have any impact on USB mice?

  18. These already exist by Karem+Lore · · Score: 5, Funny

    They are called lemmings...

    --
    When all is said and done, nothing changes...