Somewhere on Earth, in a laboratory, a mouse is levitating. Science is awesome.
posted by ardgedee on Sep 10, 2009 - 63 comments

Brainbow. Using some very cool genetic tricks, Harvard scientists have found a way to make transgenic mice that express various mixtures of different coloured fluorescent proteins in their neurons. The result, individual brain cells with up to 90 distinct colours. Not surprisingly, this visually impressive work is in this month's issue of Nature.
posted by kisch mokusch on Nov 1, 2007 - 19 comments

Hacking the Senses: The brain is far more plastic than we commonly realize. Presenting new 'senses' via the old inputs works extremely well, to the point that long-term volunteers are a little lost without their new abilities to feel magnetic north or absolute orientation. Tasting direction; feeling pictures. Fascinating stuff. In a loosely related article, genetically modified mice are able to see the full color range visible to humans, even though the last natural mouse able to see this way died out a hundred million years ago. Add the new sensors, and the brain reconfigures. [via]
posted by Malor on Apr 5, 2007 - 68 comments

I'm embarassed for my mice to have to say this but ... Their testicles are HUGE, like almost as big as their heads. Good thing for humanity too, as mice testicles may provide a source of stem cells free of the usual ethical considerations.They may also hold the solutions to transplant rejection and infertility. Is there anything those fuzzy globes can't do?
posted by hindmost on Mar 28, 2006 - 22 comments

Making art out of a Microsoft mouse. Tails of the City is a rather cool project that entails using a Microsoft mouse as the canvas. You can bid on the works if you so desire - but just check out the fine details! [k10k]
posted by hijinx on Mar 26, 2001 - 2 comments

Ebola is for wimps! Some Australian scientists were trying to come up with a mouse contraceptive vaccine, for use in pest control. And they succeeded. Unfortunately, the virus they created works by killing mice before they can breed, and killing them very very well. Oh, and it's extremely vaccine-resistant: 100% death without vaccine, 50% with. And any kid with a Li'l Johnny Gene Engineering Kit could conceivably make a human version. Anyone got some smallpox virus laying around?
posted by aaron on Jan 10, 2001 - 5 comments