Slashdot Mirror
Algae May Help Reverse Blindness
Anonymous coward writes ""Could a protein from algae help reverse blindness? Blind mice were able to respond to light after researchers inserted a green algae protein into retinal nerve cell membranes that normally aren't sensitive to light, according to a U.S. study," as reported by Forbes. There are more details at the Neurodudes blog, which includes a description of the novel method, which can convert any cell - nerve, muscle, etc. - into a light-sensing cell."
When can I get eyes in the back of my head?
Well, but how does this compare to the nice infrared/ultraviolet/X-ray vision thingies?
Ah, the choice...
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
Combine
this
with
this
and if everything goes right, maybe we'll at least be moving in that direction?
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
While they had the visually challenged rodents available, one of the female researchers has conducted further experiments involving removal of their tails to see what effect this has on their running speed.
I'm reminded of the story Green Patches by Asimov. Is this stage one of a very frightening change to life on Earth?
*#*#*#*#*#******* I love peanut butter sandwiches!
Here's a link to the paper from Neuron.
Pardon my poor neuro-knowledge, but if you made a cell or a membrane lightsensitive that normally isn't, how would the brain interpret this signal? I don't think that you'd suddenly be able to see out of that area (loosly defining seeing as sensing light, kind of like when you close your eyelids but still can tell lights are moving around outside it.) Wouldn't the brain misinterpret the signals as whatever it normally recieves from that area, just based on the connection history of the neurons? Maybe it would eventually reroute the infromation to the sight portion of the brain.
Reguardless, this could provide a number of interesting research opportunities to further our knowledge of the brain as well as visual systems.
Demented But Determined.
"There are more details at the Neurodudes blog, which includes a description of the novel method, which can convert any cell - nerve, muscle, etc. - into a light-sensing cell."
;)
How about skin? An awareness of everything around you would rock. Also reminds me of a story I heard about someone having magnetic implanted so they could sense magnetic fields.
It'd be a good excuse to wear my hair in bunches with my undercut, anyway
Between this and this. It's a good time to be blind. Maybe blindness soon wont be the curse it once was.
Yeah, but what about people who want these cells on their hands, arms, legs...
Gonna cause whole different attitudes about clothing. Maybe the only relevant story isn't Green Patches. Maybe we should be looking at The Puppet Masters
*snert*
-Rustin
Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
No way! We want the cool tech described earlier today, not some slimy algae!
Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)
Getting eyesight in extra body areas could become like getting tattoes today - some people might get covered, some stay 'clean'. I expect there would be common areas to get done, and some a bit more saucy..
Hind-sight could become a type of vision best avoided.
[ insert meme here ]
This good news for most slashdotters. Sitting in front of a computer, surfing for porn all day, and jackin' it is the leading cause of blindness in slashdotters. Because as their mother always tells them jerkin' off will make them go blind. Please give the Algae Fund today.
"You'll get nothing, and you'll like it!"
Now I can grow eyes on my other head. Then I won't have roll her in flour to find the wet spot!
The real path to male liberation
That's the odd thing about the human brain. It's normally very good at working out how to interpret incoming data, given enough time to get used to it. There's even been some success in using a grid of electrodes on the abdomen to simulate vision in blind people...
If the "paranormal" reports of people who are able to "read" by sweeping their fingers and/or feet over text are credible, perhaps these kinds of photosensitive cells are the mechanism? It would not constitute "vision" per se, but perhaps the brain can, at least, decode the patterns of color changes across a surface with a fidelity sufficient to recognize and comprehend letterforms.
This algae is in contrast to the eye fungus going around that can cause blindness.
If the "paranormal" reports of people who are able to "read" by sweeping their fingers and/or feet over text are credible, perhaps these kinds of photosensitive cells are the mechanism? It would not constitute "vision" per se, but perhaps the brain can, at least, decode the patterns of color changes across a surface with a fidelity sufficient to recognize and comprehend letterforms.
The general "scientific" explanation used is that the people are sensing the slight difference in heat between the black letters and white text (or the slightly raised surface of the ink). Now in actuality, the answer is usually that the person being tested is getting their cues in an even less legitimate manner, ranging from brief glimpses at the paper before being blindfolded (often unconsciously) to deliberate fakery.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
What, is the implant made out of algae?
"Reverse Blindness"? Sounds like something from a Terry Pratchett novel. Is that like where you see too much, or too hard?
>Cant guess why this did not come as an evolutionary advantage though? Just one light sensing organ in the back of the head would have saved quite a bit of lives indeed.
Why? Why is obvious: it's unnecessary. Humans and other primates have binocular vision, probably originally to help in brachiation, moving from tree limb to tree limb. No big cats up there jumping on our backs, so unnecessary to have eyes in the back of our heads. Then when we came down from the trees, we lived mostly in open savannha. Leopards living up in trees might mean we'd have to have eyes in the top of our heads, but we were busy using binocular vision to capture our own prey. And by now it should be pretty obvious to everyone that humans are the top predator in the world. Hell, we've got our very own Mass Extinction going! Eyes in the back of our heads? Who needs 'em!
O~ Him that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green. -- Francis Bacon
are you scottish or something? they claim to have invented about 3 new things a minute just like you