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Single Neuron Wired To Muscle Un-Paralyzes Monkeys

GalaticGrub writes "A pair of paralyzed monkeys regained the ability to move their arms after researchers wired individual neurons to the monkeys' arm muscles. A team of researchers at the University of Washington temporarily paralyzed each monkey's arm, then rerouted brain signals from a single neuron in the motor cortex around the blocked nerve pathway via a computer. When the neuron fired above a certain rate, the computer translated the signal into a jolt of electricity to the arm muscle, causing it to contract. The monkeys practiced moving their arms by playing a video game."

31 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. Sucky job by Hatta · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who's the grad student who had to break those monkeys spines?

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    1. Re:Sucky job by FSWKU · · Score: 4, Funny

      No grad students were involved. They simply told the RIAA that the monkeys were sharing the new Metallica album on all the major P2P networks. The Schutzstaffel...err... RIAA legal team took care of the rest.

      --
      "So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
    2. Re:Sucky job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Who's the grad student who had to break those monkeys spines?

      The most ambitious and dedicated monkey spanker you'll ever meet!

      As an aside, if you do, by chance meet him, don't shake his hand. Postgrads in the Simian Abuse dept. have a hellova grip...

    3. Re:Sucky job by Ihmhi · · Score: 3, Funny

      Oooh ooh ooh I finally get to say it!

      WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

    4. Re:Sucky job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually, they used members of a Congressional committee tasked with investigating executive branch wrongdoing...

      So, spines weren't an issue.

    5. Re:Sucky job by Kashgarinn · · Score: 5, Funny

      "ooh ooh ooh" ?

      - Did one of the monkeys escape and start posting on slashdot?

    6. Re:Sucky job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Funny doesn't give mod points... at least I hope thats the reason.

    7. Re:Sucky job by initdeep · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'd bet that depends on your view of "cruel" now doesn't it.

      PETA would like to thank you for your post.

      so would the CLIT commander.

  2. Yes by eclectro · · Score: 4, Funny

    But can you teach them to type??

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    1. Re:Yes by arrenlex · · Score: 5, Funny

      But can you teach them to type??

      Of course; that's how they expect their thesis to be written.

    2. Re:Yes by failedlogic · · Score: 2, Funny

      Since I'm going to be working on my Master's thesis soon methinks paying the university for the monkeys might not be a bad idea. But, I want to finish ASAP. I am willing to pay for a Beowulf-cluster of typing monkeys. And I want a guarantee that the monkeys will not screw-up. I do no want my thesis to be cluster-fucked!

    3. Re:Yes by oliverk · · Score: 2, Funny

      I've heard rumor that a million of them can reproduce the works of Shakespeare. Oh, and fling poo. I almost forgot that part.

      --
      ---- Please be nice in case my Slashdot karma ~= my real life karma.
  3. Re:Better title would be.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That gold won't farm itself...

  4. Ob. by Facetious · · Score: 5, Funny

    It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times. Blurst of times! Stupid monkey!

    --
    Let us not become the evil that we deplore.
  5. Re:Better title would be.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I bet they've already learned how to get around DRM.

  6. Amazing by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

    Amazing! This is truly a wonderful time to be a monkey.

    --
    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  7. Well, I just hope by /dev/zero · · Score: 2, Funny

    they mounted a scratch monkey first.

    --

    He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.
    -- J.R.R. Tolkien
  8. Correlation != Causation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    The researchers who published this should have 'Correlation is not causation' written in giant billboards in front of their houses.

    Just 2 monkeys regained movement after the experiment does not mean that rerouting brain signals past blocked nerve pathways using a single neuron controlled by a computer did anything at all. They should have waited until they had ruled out other possibilities, like divine intervention, before publishing results. For shame!

  9. Seems ripe for exploitation by durnurd · · Score: 5, Funny

    Also, he adds, the system would ideally be fully implantable. Whenever wires protrude through the skin, as they did in the monkey experiments, they introduce risks of infection and disruption. The group plans to tackle this problem with miniaturized components and wireless technology.

    Seems ripe for exploitation...
    "...Quit hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself..."

    --
    --Edward Dassmesser
  10. Re:Better title would be.... by guyminuslife · · Score: 5, Funny

    You were killed by b33st13b0y.
    b33st13b0y: lol pwned
    b33st13b0y: ur mom is ghey
    b33st13b0y: suk it

    I think we've known this for quite some time.

    --
    I don't believe in time. It's a grand conspiracy designed to sell watches.
  11. Shock the Monkey by afxgrin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Whoever tagged this article "shockthemonkey" is awesome.

  12. Re:Sooo... What if they connected a human's brain by FooGoo · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've always wanted to create an army of monkeys bent on global domination and I am sure I am not the only one.

    --
    People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them
  13. Re:hallelujah by marxmarv · · Score: 3, Funny

    They have their specialization and you have yours.

    --
    /. -- the Free Republic of technology.
  14. Re:Sooo... What if they connected a human's brain by Harmonious+Botch · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope you're not serious. It would be far easier and quicker to use robots or human suicide-bombers or just about anything else, really.

    Yeah, but watching monkeys blow themselves up would be way more fun.

  15. WoW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    That explains those WoW players flinging poop at me.

  16. Re:Better title would be.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    1 = i

    (My apologies to anyone that works with complex numbers.)

  17. Re:Sooo... What if they connected a human's brain by Better.Safe.Than.Sor · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... army of FLYING monkeys, you insensitive clod!

    --
    It's all history, man. -anon
  18. Dear God, free us from religion... by Somegeek · · Score: 3, Funny

    That site is real, isn't it? For the first few minutes of reading I convinced myself that it was just a funny hoax site, but the deeper I went into it the more scared I became...

    Would it be irony if I prayed to God to free us from religion? I still don't have that whole irony thing down yet.

    --
    And as you tread the halls of sanity, You feel so glad to be, Unable to go beyond. I have a message, From another time..
  19. Re:oo oo oo oooo snort by mrdarreng · · Score: 3, Funny

    Odd note, but monkeys seem to have a preference for holding down the s key on american keyboard layouts.

    Apparently, grad students will write a thesis about anything...

  20. So, that's who beat me! by incognito84 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just got my ass handed to me by "1337_bananaz" in Counter-Strike. Looks like we have our culprit right here.

  21. Re:Sooo... What if they connected a human's brain by kungfugleek · · Score: 2, Funny

    The nice thing about monkey armies is they make their own ammo.