Mixing brain cells and nanodots 73
Roland Piquepaille writes "It's not the first time that animal brain cells have been used in conjunction with nanoparticles. But now, a team of Israeli researchers have grown self-organizing networks of rat brain cells by binding them to carbon nanotubes. In a short article, New Scientist reports that these neural networks are remarkably stable, surviving for almost three months in the lab. These hybrid networks could be used in future biological sensors. For example, they could identify a poison by measuring its effect on such a network of brain cells."
Re:Ethics (Score:2, Insightful)
I know the above link is OT and disturbing (even by my standards), but if the parts of an animal or a human can benefit the rest of the world, then why not use them? It's like nature (or God, if you prefer) handing us a cherished gift and throwing it in the dumpster because we think it disgraces us morally/ethically. What a load of crap. It's just a blob of molecules arranged in a certain way. Get over it.