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Scientists Use Quake 2 To Study the Brains of Mice
An anonymous reader writes "In this week's issue of Nature, scientists from Princeton University trained mice to navigate around a virtual environment using a setup that resembles a combination of a giant trackball and a mini-iMax theater displaying a virtual world rendered using a modified version of the Quake 2 open source game engine. (Here's the academic paper, subscription required.) They hold the mouse's head still atop a giant trackball, which the mouse turns by running. The scientists use the rotations to move the mouse around in the virtual environment, and when he reaches certain places, he gets a reward. Because they are able to hold the head still, they can stick microscopic glass electrodes into individual neurons in the hippocampus of this mouse as it 'navigates.' They find the neural activity that resembles activity during real life navigation, and learned new things about the inputs and computations that are going on inside these neurons, which weren't known before. No word as of yet whether the scientists plan on giving the mice control of the gun. Wonder whether John Carmack ever envisioned this when he opened up the Quake code?"
Yo dawg, I heard you liked mice, so I put a mouse on your mouse.
God spoke to me.
If only we could do this with gamers who need exercise. They get a better immersive experience AND get fit at the same time.
OK, so the open-brain surgery thing is going to be controversial, but...
"This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
If I ever get fragged by a mouse, I hope no one ever tells me.
Fragged by a rodent! Damned thing was camping, too, the bastard.
Free Martian Whores!
In this week's issue of Nature, scientists from Princeton University confirm pleasure centers of mouse brain lights up after grabbing the Quad Damage jumping off the platform, spin 180 degrees and rockets his opponent who explodes in a mass of flying bloody chunks. Film at 11.
Damn that would be awesome to have when playing Quake
Great. Now I have to worry about getting pwned by Frankie and Benjy.
I invision an army of mice farming gold in World of Warcraft, we could do it even cheaper than the Chinese!
Catching mice that get in my house is enough of a pain, but now I have to snag the bastards while they're rocket jumping? Thanks, jerks.
This is a great example of open source really helping humanity learn new and interesting things.
It's great to see that the tools provided by open software can really help speed up research.
I wonder what would happen if old versions of adobe photoshop, 3ds max, or cubase were left to open source for research purposes. What kind of discoveries would scientists make with programs like these?
Someone is likely to say it, so I will:
This is what happens when you have a free flow of information. Carmack got well paid for Quake 2 then opened the source up (eventually). If more people/institutions/corps did this it seems there would not only be more hearts and flowers (for all the open source hippies) but there would be MORE technology we could patent! The ability to make MORE money!
If I have 2 innovative products and I decide to open them up to general use, and at least 1 new idea comes from that, someone out there will create something with it and hopefully create a net gain for the system as a whole in the long run.
I know people are selfish, but for Science's sake, open up your information already! The economy is dying a slow, painful death (though the market might refute that this week), wouldn't the SOLUTION in The States be to repeal some copyright laws and let information flow freely so as to foster innovation like this? Even if it's a mouse on a ball in a hall at the mall, I have to believe only good could come from opening things up a bit more.
-
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
... and find they are equivalent to the brains of humans who play Quake.
L'esperienza de questa dolce vita (The experience of this sweet life) - Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Beats a console controller any day, even lab scientists agree
Human controlling fighter jet in fighter jet.
Human controlling fighter jet in console type game system.
Mice controlling console type game system.
Is no-one else seeing the dangerous possibilities?!
So what was the frame rate on the mouse's brain? Could it run crysis/linux?
stuff |
The sad part is that their scores are higher than mine
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?
The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!
One ring to bind them - should probably have more fiber and less rings in their diet.
They initially tried this study using managers, but there was no evidence that the managers were learning anthing or that they even perceived their environment
The world was shocked today when the World Cyber Games championship was taken from fragu4life, champion for the last several years, by a newcomer, sirsqueaksalot. Information is sketchy as to the newcomer's origins, but it has been stated that he greatly enjoys cheese.
News at eleven.
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
"Are you pondering what I am pondering, Pinky?"
"I think so Brain, but how can I bunny-hop over the lava when I'm a mouse?"
www.eFax.com are spammers
Imagine if they gave it buttons to press, to fire a gun, plus some virtual cats to frag...
No word as of yet whether the scientists plan on giving the mice control of the gun.
Just whisper this when you say it. Rodents have unnaturally good hearing.
Now train them to pilot fighter drones, etc.
Quake has had a mouse interface since it first came out. This is nothing new. And don't tell me to rtfa - I'm sure it won't tell me anything I need to know.
"Wonder whether John Carmack ever envisioned this"
Obviously he did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wh3g0NJWUE
Early versions of Doom included the ability to link 3 PCs and use their monitors for left/front/right displays. Pity it was dropped.
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
The researchers originally wanted to use Half-Life instead of Quake 2, but they could never get the mice to do anything in the game other than murdering the scientists.
"FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."
Just thought I'd point out that
despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
It's too bad that the whole God/Satan/Heaven/Hell thing isn't true, 'cause I'd get some small amount of satisfaction at seeing what is done to people behind experiments that involve depriving critters of fucking water. Science is cool and all, but we're all sentient creatures and no species has a monopoly on feeling thirst and hunger and fear and warmth and happiness.
If anyone is wondering, the authors did thank Carmack and id software:
Acknowledgements We thank E. Chaffin for help with mouse behaviour,
J. Carmack and id Software for providing the Quake2 code
They can get there faster by bunny hopping.
It would be cool to play against a mouse. I wonder if they could navigate q2ctf1 (my favorite map).
Gives you a new definition for a head mounted display.
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
I wondered why the last arena I logged in to had the quad damage replaced by a wheel of cheese, and why the rocket pickups were shaped like little smudges of peanut butter.
There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
I for one, welcome our new virtual mice overlords.
Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
I'll never will get used to "YOU HAVE LOST THE LEAD" phrase in Quake. Now to be beaten by a mouse... I... I... *sniffs*
real gaming mouse
Mice already know how to interface with computers, having built the greatest computer in all space and time. The mice are running this quake experiment just so that they have a bit of fun "decommissioning" the hardware later.
-- open source? sounds like the real book --
I'll take a computer than runs Quake 2 at a reasonable 60 fps over a computer that takes millions of years to say "42".
Squeeked one Mice professor, "This humans have seem pretty drecky thoughts tumbling around in their little minds."
Nonsense. The mice just paid for it and operated it. The second greatest computer in all time and space designed it, and the Magratheans built it.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
But can they teach a robot to love?
I'll be honest, we're throwing science against the wall to see what sticks. -Cave Johnson
Let the mice steer the beetles!
Your Brain + EEG + LEGO Robots = Brainstorms
Dear God there MUST be video of this.
--"insert clever quote here"
I'm no PETA person, by any stretch of the imagination, but, I think some of these experiments they perform on animals are barbaric.
This is my sig.
These mice would make excellent drone pilots. Heck, you could even not have to worry about remote piloting, just wire them into the drones themselves and we can have our first cyber-rodent assault force.
We'll seperate the REAL mice from the men!
Someone needs to dig up the old "Dog Mode" in the old 3d shooter Rise of the Triad.
Ho hum. Its been done.
Konami presents: "Quake Quake Revolution", coming to a mouse-accessible game arcade near you!
Homonyms are fun!
You're driving your car, but they're riding their bikes there.
How do i disable that fucking live twitter feed on the right? I clicked on the link to read a Wired article, not listen to random dumbasses whining!
How do i disable that fucking live twitter feed on the right? I clicked on the link to read a Wired article, not listen to random dumbasses whining!
Actually, on any given screen other than your own, you appear as a random dumb-ass. And gee, you are also whining. --About a non-issue as it happens. If you want to insulate your precious self from the outside world, then it's entirely possible to do this by configuring your browser accordingly.
Just a few thoughts for you to consider. --If indeed you have the brain tissue required for such a feat. Which is very doubtful.
-FL
"It hurts make it stop!"
-Eric
I know this map.
The mouse is running straight for the BFG (Big F**** Gouda)
Remember in Turner and Hooch when Turner wants Hooch to ID the perp with a photo and the trainer is like .. "Dogs don't see in two dimensions".. All the science I know I learned from Tom Hanks movies, therefore this article is completely false.
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.. that this is how Skynet is born?
Well, I think the controller is quite ingenious. A styrofoam ball suspended by air to create a multi-directional treadmill. Give a person something to hold on to and a VR helmet, and you have a pretty cool gaming experience.
I find it amazing that not only has id's game engines been played on more platforms than any other, but is now being played by different species!
John Carmack immediately altered the map to put in knee-high obstacles. The mouse protested, saying, WTF why can't I jump over that low thing?!? Carmack was quoted as saying, "We need to put in things to overcome as part of the fun."
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Seeing as no one has done it yet...
I for one welcome our virtual mouse overlords.
Care to volunteer for open brain surgery instead?
Your argument is might makes right. Because you are stronger than someone else, and need something exploitation would provide, that exploitation is ok.
This is my sig.