Scientists create cells that emit laser light...

[SunnyD]

Forget Lasik... I'm gonna have lasers pew-pewing from my eyes!

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) does exactly what its name implies: when excited by light from the blue end of the spectrum, it emits a satisfying green glow. But its deceptively simple name doesn't begin to convey how it has changed biology. It can be fused with other proteins and made by just about any cell, letting researchers track all sorts of biological processes. Variants have been made that glow other colors. Three people got Nobel Prizes for its development. Glowing animals have even become works of art and pets.

And now it has turned a cell into a laser, although researchers had to put mirrors on either side of the cell to get it to work.

 

[KaOTiK]

Sharks will no longer need the laser beam attached to their heads, they will simply be able to shoot them from their eyes, excellent.

 

[SunnyD]

Sharks will no longer need the laser beam attached to their heads, they will simply be able to shoot them from their eyes, excellent.

I'll admit, one of my first thoughts reading that was indeed "Sharks!!! With freaking 'lasers'!!!"

 

[Oceandevi]

I want my Eleutherians

 

[Sa7aN]

can i get a rottweiler whose eye glow red?

 

[Anonemous]

Optic blast!

 

[halik]

 

[rocadelpunk]

cyclops is all like "count it, bitches"

 

[destrekor]

wait.

no one else is curious about this "there are already glowing pets" part of the story?

Since when?

Dude! A dog that glows?! Or, at the least, I want a dog with glowing eyes.
And the best would be if the dog could "turn on" the glowing eyes on demand, at the command of the master.
I mean, a dog that can appear to be populated by a goa'uld would be fantastic.

 

[busydude]

Sharks will no longer need the laser beam attached to their heads, they will simply be able to shoot them from their eyes, excellent.

Can someone help me understand the reference.. please?

 

[ElFenix]

laser cats

 

[Wyndru]

Glowing animals have even become works of art.

Where? I want to see this.

[edit]nvm, found some

 

[Bill Brasky]

The only problem with this laser is that the flourophore in GFP 'wears out' fairly quickly. Over a period minutes, the florescent output diminishes considerably. Still an interesting find though.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Next up? LASER CATS!

 

[Nox51]

wait.

no one else is curious about this "there are already glowing pets" part of the story?

Since when?

Dude! A dog that glows?! Or, at the least, I want a dog with glowing eyes.
And the best would be if the dog could "turn on" the glowing eyes on demand, at the command of the master.
I mean, a dog that can appear to be populated by a goa'uld would be fantastic.

Transgenic mice that express GFP tend to be the norm if quite boring. The hair doesn't express GFP so it dosn't glow so you need a shaven mice to go awww it glows!

Also used to make glowing fish. That worked better.

 

[Jeff7]

There was a thread here about a new male sterilization procedure that uses some kind of polymer to kill sperm.


Alternative: Use molecular motors to operate little turrets inside the vas deferens, and mount these laser cells to the tops of them. Add in auto-tracking to target sperm, and you're all set.

Can someone help me understand the reference.. please?

Austin Powers.
Sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!

 

[SagaLore]

I wonder if we can introduce this protein into plants. It would be neat if the forest started glowing after sundown.