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50 Years of Domesticating Foxes For Science
gamebittk writes "In 1959, Soviet scientist Dmitri Belyaev set out to breed a tamer fox that would be easier for their handlers in the Russian fur industry to work with. Much to the scientist's shock, changes no one had expected emerged after just 10 generations. The foxes began behaving playfully, were smaller in size, and even changed color — much like dogs."
Belyaev died in 1985, but the experiment continued (PDF) in his absence, and to this day provides strong evidence to parts of evolutionary theory. The experiment eventually branched out to involve other species as well.
Soviets actually had long history in experimenting modifying genes and DNA of animals, and in late years this was even minorly expanded to humans. They were really cautious about that, but did experience on things like changing human behavior in brains and trying to give them 'better' abilities (as in from military point of view). Most sad thing about it was that they had camps where they trained 5-6 year old boys to exercise physically and to mentally think without fear of enemy, while learning military tactics and strategies. The most interesting part is that via some limited lobotomy, they managed to remove some feeling of fear and feelings from the subjects. There's a few videos out of those experiences, this one is taken near Black Sea in 1986 in area whats currently Ukraine.
Never the less, it's always scary when humans play god. Something is going to happen eventually, so should be really careful about it.
There are two things Marines are always taught
1)To keep your priorities in order
2)Know when to act without hesitation
An atheist professor was teaching a college class and he told the class that he was going to prove that there is no God.
He said, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!"
Ten minutes went by.
The professor kept taunting God, saying, "Here I am, God. I'm still waiting."
He got down to the last couple of minutes and a Marine just released from active duty, and newly registered in the class, walked up to the professor, hit him full force in the face, and sent him flying from his platform.
The professor struggled up, obviously shaken and yelled, "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?"
The Marine replied, "God was busy, so He sent me."
Unfortunately for the Marine, God didn't give a shit if the professor pressed charges or not, so when the police came to arrest him no force in heaven or Earth interceded. He was processed and put in a cell. While in the cell, he met an atheist hobo who claimed there was no God, so he beat that guy up too. over 9000 other inmates attempted to haul him off the hobo, so he beat them up as well. One of them suffered severe blunt force trauma and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. His bailed was not made and he waited in prison until the day of his trial.
Because of this, the marine was found guilty of four counts of aggravated assault and one count of 2nd degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years time served in state penitentiary, with parole opportunities after 7. Unfortunately, the judge was a well known, avowed atheist so the marine felt compelled to give him a piece of God's mind. The marine leaped onto the defense table and, using his scheming Jew lawyer as a lawn dart, struck the judge in the face. Parole opportunities were revoked.
While in jail the marine found himself very busy fighting anyone who showed the slightest lack of faith in God. Unfortunately, one afternoon in the sixth year of his incarceration, God instructed him to pick a fight with a particularly large man of Hispanic descent and, although he prevailed in the initial conflict, the 27 Latin Kings members who fell upon him following his victory quickly delivered blows sufficient to render him incapacitated.
Because of the severity of his injuries, he was given a bed at the prison hospital. While there, the prison psychiatrist conducted extensive interviews, ultimately determining that the marine was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and late onset schizophrenia. He was immediately put on a extensive array of powerful anti psychotics and anti depressants; all of which he secretly was not taking, because God had told him the medication was from the devil and was being used by heretic Muslims and atheists to sever his ties to the Lord, his God. His condition continued to worsen and he spent more and more time locked in solitary confinement for his disruptive behavior. While there he would cry and scream and pray to the lord for guidance. In turn the lord would fill his eyes with visions of ultimate triumph over evil; the streets of pagan cities, clotted with the thick heart blood of the nonbelievers; abortion clinics fat with flies and the rotting flesh of the defilers; the righteous dancing in the vaulted crypt of the world as the sky turned to red ash and caught fire. He wept with joy as the profound visions filled his soul; the nourishing screams of the nonbelievers as they were dragged down into perdition, filled his ears and echoed in his head like beautiful music.
Unable to attend church in solitary, the marine began to despair. God then gave him the power to transubstantiate anything, so he began tearing great chunks of his own flesh from his body, at which point he would transform the
Long-discussed and documented - is this news ?
Where are my mod points ?
+1 Funny ! (or is it +1 insightful ?)