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MIT Finds Cure For Fear
Doom con runs away writes "MIT biochemists have identified a molecular mechanism behind fear, and successfully cured it in mice, according to an article in the journal Nature Neuroscience. They did this by inhibiting a kinase, an enzyme that change proteins, called Cdk5, which facilitates the extinction of fear learned in a particular context."
Why would you want to cure fear? Fear keeps me from giving in to a friend's bet and swallowing a live hamster. But seriously, unless you could target certain fears to help people with crippling phobias, this seems dangerous.
I see from all the comments that nobody actually read the article.
The 'cure' doesn't eliminate any and all fear. It doesn't address situational fear at all.
What it 'cures' is LEARNED fear responses. It's specific application to, for example, soldiers would be
for PTSD.
And even if there was a way to get read of all fear reactions, you'd still have a BRAIN and the ability
to choose not to do things that you reason are too risky.
Seriously, read the article. It's interesting.
Sheesh.
Bologna. Children fear heights from a very early age. Depending on temperament, they also fear strangers, from a very early age. These are not learned fears. They are innate.
I have an innate fear of combat and confrontation. This is an innate response. I've been in one fight in my entire life, and I suffered no physical harm as a result. I have no learned aversion to fighting or confrontation. But put me in a situation where some big dude is threatening to hurt me and you will get an immediate flight or fight response. Put me in a combat arena where people are shooting at me and bombs are going off, damn straight I am going to be scared, not because my higher reasoning capacities have inferred that being in this environment could result in my death - but because millions of years of evolution have evolved a fight or flight response that tends to result in higher survival rates among those who don't ignore it.