Comments on: fear stinks

fear stinks

leibniz — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:50:01 -0800

A mouse has been genetically engineered to no longer fear cats. Surely this is now only a matter of time.

There's plenty of research into the capacity to smell fear. And even stuff on the fear of smell. But less on what fear actually smells like. Some researchers working on the link between smell and emotions.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:51:45 -0800

Next, they will genetically engineer a child who does not fear spankings, and the whole world will collapse.

By: stupidsexyFlanders

stupidsexyFlanders — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:53:54 -0800

As long as they still fear people, I'm good.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:54:18 -0800

Impressive! Next a simple protozoan like Toxoplasma gondii will figure out how to do this. Oh.

By: leibniz

leibniz — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:58:50 -0800

The relation between fear and smell has also stimulated artistic exploration.

By: Weebot

Weebot — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:04:04 -0800

OmieWise beat me too it. But I'm wondering if the mechanisms in the article above and Toxoplasmosis are the same.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:04:27 -0800

Mighty Mouse dead? End cats!

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:04:45 -0800

they will genetically engineer a child who does not fear spankings, and the whole world will collapse. They have already bred an entire generation of parents who fear spankings, so I don't see much of an issue here. Also, welcome back from the 50's.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:09:31 -0800

The cats now have the mice exactly where they want them.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:10:34 -0800

I am a product of the University of Minnesota Spankological Protocol.

By: MuffinMan

MuffinMan — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:15:58 -0800

It's always the same with these bloody mice experiments. One week it's mice engineered to be able to drink their own body weight in real ale and put on no fat. The next it's mice whose genes have been tweaked to give them a cock as long as a limb and George Clooney levels of attraction to the other sex. When will this research ever flow through to humans, that's what I want to know? These anti-vivisectionists have got it the wrong way round if you ask me.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:31:39 -0800

When will this research ever flow through to humans, that's what I want to know? The mice bred without eyes or that compulsively chew their own limbs off don't make for very good news. I think once they get the roulette factor out of it you'll get the superior humans being bred. And then in 1996 we exile them aboard SS Botany Bay.

By: OldReliable

OldReliable — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:46:04 -0800

KHAAAAAAAAN!!

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:49:51 -0800

All those years building better mousetraps and now somebody went and built a better mouse.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:53:04 -0800

My mice have skin like fine Corinthian leather.

By: breezeway

breezeway — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:57:06 -0800

Perhaps this fear-conquering gene will open up hitherto undreamed of avenues of voluntary inter-species breeding and biodiversity will flourish as lion mates with lamb, tiger with tortoise, and me with a leopard. Rrowr!

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:06:57 -0800

Sorry, Roger. You tiger now.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:07:34 -0800

Sorry. You roger tiger now.

By: Dr. Twist

Dr. Twist — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:23:41 -0800

why not just infect them with toxoplasma gondii and make the mice actually attracted to cats?

By: hellbient

hellbient — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:27:05 -0800

I'm sure the researchers will be getting a call from the Pentagon soon.

By: Mocata

Mocata — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:36:22 -0800

The relation between fear and smell has also stimulated artistic exploration.

By: breezeway

breezeway — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:40:19 -0800

These mice are so unafraid, when they see a cat, they laugh out loud.

By: agregoli

agregoli — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:40:55 -0800

Huh? Mice can become completely unafraid of danger quite on their own, if my last apartment's sample size was any indication. Bold little fuckers.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:27:25 -0800

A mouse has been genetically engineered to no longer fear cats. Did they splice in Suicidal Gene or the Run You Stupid Fricking Mouse Gene?

By: Mastercheddaar

Mastercheddaar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:00:12 -0800

I saw this on Cracked.com. It was their 5 ways zombies could attack or something lame like that. It's a parasite that can control the mice so they can get into the cats. Sort of like resident evil 4's plot.

By: quin

quin — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:29:12 -0800

I find it more interesting that certain smells are hard wired to invoke fear. I knew that were odors that animals found offensive, but I was unaware that there were ones that caused outright terror. Interesting.¹ ¹: where 'interesting' means, 'How can I use this new-found knowledge inappropriately?'

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:35:46 -0800

I haven't read the links but, like, this all kind of like makes me think of this totally crazy parasite, like, worm or something that can totally control a rat's brain so that the rat is like, totally, not afraid of cats anymore. Does like Anyone know what I'm talking about?

By: leibniz

leibniz — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:10:18 -0800

just to be clear, none of the original links has anything to do with toxoplasmosis. It's about emotions people!

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:21:39 -0800

you mean, like, I've gotta like... sorry. nice post, I really like the Mighty Mouse, nice ripost, as it were to the article.

By: leibniz

leibniz — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:04:22 -0800

Now that this thread has ended, I would just like to note that I am glad that my very first FPP to metafilter has been reasonably well received.