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[strafer]

One step closer to play that game or watch that movie for the first time again.

>.<

Memory wipe if old

There’s a long history of science fiction devices making their way into the real world — everyone and their cousin having pointed out that tablet computers are essentially what Star Trek characters were using in the early ‘90s — but now scientists have apparently decided to use their power for evil and create one of sci-fi’s most worrying weapons: the neuralyzer from the Men in Black movies.

You remember the neuralyzer, don’t you? Or perhaps you don’t — it is, after all, the device that allowed Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to wipe characters’ memories with just a flash of light. Now, Quartz is reporting that researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology have managed to erase specific memories from mice using beams of light. Yes, really.

In a series of tests presented in a paper by Brian Wiltgen and Kazumasa Tanaka from UC Davis, mice were genetically modified so that their nerve cells would glow when activated. Those mice then found themselves having memory cells in their hippocampus firstly mapped when a specific learned response to an event — being shocked when placed in a cage — was recalled, and then zapped with a beam of light aimed directly at those specific cells.

The result? The mice no longer appeared to remember that they were about to be shocked when they approached the cage, proving that real life science can be both cruel and just a little terrifying.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we’re just weeks away from a real-life working neuralyzer for both movie stars and extra-terrestrial authorities to use on unsuspecting bystanders — for one thing, most of us haven’t been genetically modified to easily identify when specific cells in our hippocampus are active, to the best of our knowledge. It does, however, mean that at least one thing in Men in Black is closer to reality than most people suspected. Clearly, the revelation that Johnny Knoxville is actually an alien has to be next.

ZAP!

 

[Joni]

I'm sure that technology will never be abused in way too predictable ways.

 

[_Ryo_]

Was already real... You just "forgot'' about it.

 

[Dr_Boris_Goltz]

If you could wipe out your memory, but retain your skills and general knowledge, would you do it?

What if you could selectively wipe out memories ala Spotless Mind?

 

[tokkun]

Man, that is one messed up experiment.

 

[Mac the KNife]

This technology already exists as a fifth of Fireball whisky.

 

[Maninthemirror]

I wonder if the police will shoot someone then use this on witnesses

 

[blame space]

 

[Fevaweva]

The legal and moral implications of this, if it becomes usable on humans, boggles my mind.

 

[DMczaf]

Memory Wipe from MiB to become reality?

 

[soultron]

Was already real... You just "forgot'' about it.

This post belongs in that "two-sentence horror stories" thread.

 

[terrisus]

 

[Trago]

Yeah, people are gonna abuse this. That's some scary shit.

 

[Jigorath]

Does that mean I can forget Breaking Bad and watch it again for the first time?

 

[Rapstah]

The part where they modify all of us so they can see exactly where memories are, and then run tests on us for weeks to figure out exactly how to make sure that only the specific memory in question is being deleted sounds worse.

 

[Deleted member 13876]

There have been experiments in this field before, including pharmaceuticals.

http://www.wired.com/2012/02/ff_forgettingpill/all/

 

[EightBitNate]

There’s a long history of science fiction devices making their way into the real world — everyone and their cousin having pointed out that tablet computers are essentially what Star Trek characters were using in the early ‘90s — but now scientists have apparently decided to use their power for evil and create one of sci-fi’s most worrying weapons: the neuralyzer from the Men in Black movies.

You remember the neuralyzer, don’t you? Or perhaps you don’t — it is, after all, the device that allowed Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to wipe characters’ memories with just a flash of light. Now, Quartz is reporting that researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology have managed to erase specific memories from mice using beams of light. Yes, really.

In a series of tests presented in a paper by Brian Wiltgen and Kazumasa Tanaka from UC Davis, mice were genetically modified so that their nerve cells would glow when activated. Those mice then found themselves having memory cells in their hippocampus firstly mapped when a specific learned response to an event — being shocked when placed in a cage — was recalled, and then zapped with a beam of light aimed directly at those specific cells.

The result? The mice no longer appeared to remember that they were about to be shocked when they approached the cage, proving that real life science can be both cruel and just a little terrifying.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we’re just weeks away from a real-life working neuralyzer for both movie stars and extra-terrestrial authorities to use on unsuspecting bystanders — for one thing, most of us haven’t been genetically modified to easily identify when specific cells in our hippocampus are active, to the best of our knowledge. It does, however, mean that at least one thing in Men in Black is closer to reality than most people suspected. Clearly, the revelation that Johnny Knoxville is actually an alien has to be next.

Anyone ever heard of this?

 

[sixteen-bit]

oh damn this flick is already 10 yrs old

 

[brian577]

I could see this being really useful for therapy. .

 

[BlueDogAnchorite]

Which game is this from?

Also, this technology kind of scares me.

 

[Edwardo]

I feel uncomfortable since me and my buddy were just talking about this

 

[Battersea Power Station]

This would simply be an astonishing accomplishment. We could finally erase our collective memory of MiB2 and enjoy the remaining two movies in the series with unmolested brains.

 

[Tesseract]

creepy as all hell, reminds of that babylon 5 episode ...

 

[Protein]

If you could wipe out your memory, but retain your skills and general knowledge, would you do it?

What if you could selectively wipe out memories ala Spotless Mind?

If you fail to pay off your college tuition we'll wipe your skills and course knowledge.

CORPORATE FUTURE

 

[Dai101]

It already exists. It's called Tequila.

 

[wmlk]

Which game is this from?

Also, I can this technology kind of scares me.

To the Moon.

Excellent and a very comfy game.

 

[Vermillion]

Politics will get interesting.

I just home the "memory overwrite" part doesn't happen any time soon.

 

[TacticalFox88]

If these scientists have any shred of common sense, they'd stop this tech right where it is.

The potential for abuse is far FAR outweighs any good.

 

[Battersea Power Station]

Politics will get interesting.

That's true. The general populace and the media will no longer be able to hold politicians accountable for past actions and stateme--

AHHHAHAHAHA I almost got through it all lololol

 

[PhineBuyM3]

Stop it, the bad that could come from this would outweigh the good.

 

[terrisus]

Which game is this from?

Also, I can this technology kind of scares me.

To The Moon

Not so much of a "game" as an "experience," but highly recommended.

 

[Rookje]

I could see it being used as a bad way to treat depression. Children's death or break up get you down? Just forget about it.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

Yea they made the mice forget what they just learned plus god knows what else.

 

[Alienous]

Seems like it be a great thing to have when commiting crimes.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

It's an interesting experiment to how memory behaves and is stored in the brain.

 

[terrisus]

It's an interesting experiment to how memory behaves and is stored in the brain.

Scientists out to kill us again

OMG! i kneeww ittt!
WTH????????

 

[blame space]

how many memories do mice even have?

 

[t26]

If these scientists have any shred of common sense, they'd stop this tech right where it is.

The potential for abuse is far FAR outweighs any good.

Stop it, the bad that could come from this would outweigh the good.

People dealing with trauma or PTSD will really benefit from this.

 

[nateeasy]

Its called marijuana

 

[blame space]

it's called benzodiazepines but you have to take them as the things are happening.

 

[Piano]

it's called benzodiazepines but you have to take them as the things are happening.

Too true.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

it's called benzodiazepines but you have to take them as the things are happening.

or ambien which are similar to benzos.

 

[Gluka]

Stop it, the bad that could come from this would outweigh the good.

Although the article is probably just another case of the media overstating the significance of a small scientific discovery, I think that the healthiest view is that sometimes science uncovers things that have huge ethical implications but are also inevitably going to be discovered anyways so there's little point in believing that they can be suppressed.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

or ambien which are similar to benzos.

 

[terrisus]

Alright, Ambien kangaroo

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

I've done that and I thought I got a good night's sleep when I woke up.

 

[WavekSra]

I would do this for The Last of Us

 

[kess]

 

[The Real Abed]

This is the superior reference.

And I love MIB.

 

[GraveHorizon]

Just don't forget to wear your sunglasses and you'll be safe.