MOSQUITO KILLING LASER!!!

[nianfong]

how effing sweet is this?
http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02 ... -Mosquitos
from the link:

wisebabo writes "Nathan Myhrvol demonstrated at TED a laser, built from parts scrounged from eBay, capable of shooting down not one but 50 to 100 mosquitos a second. The system is 'so precise that it can specify the species, and even the gender, of the mosquito being targeted.' Currently, for the sake of efficiency, it leaves the males alone because only females are bloodsuckers. Best of all the system could cost as little as $50. Maybe that's too expensive for use in preventing malaria in Africa but I'd buy one in a second!" We ran a story about this last year. It looks like the company has added a bit more polish, and burning mosquito footage to their marketing.

the story from last year:
http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/03 ... Mosquitoes

[Azer]

I'd pay $50 and go sit near a swamp with it, the sheer entertainment value is worth it!

[Dmitri]

Awesome!
Some damn incredible footage, too...
Hmm, the original article is dated March 2009 -- I wonder if the project got shot down because PETA went after them for harming poor innocent insects...


"it leaves the males alone because only females are bloodsuckers"
Now I like it even more!!

[meeks]

IT'S A FRICKIN' MOSQUITO LASER....

[Josealb]

A clip explaining the science behind it, dated february 2010. Today its mosquitoes...tomorrow....its zombies. Make it happen!

http://intellectualventureslab.com/

[Josealb]

Er...theres a youtube clip posted by fong here, right? my firewall only lets me see a blank space. If its the one i posted..oh well...

[Muad'dib]

Dude, I totally want one.

[I-mon]

FINALLY

[nianfong]

Jose: different clip man. yours explains how it works. mine just shows mosquitoes getting FRIED.

[chimerical tortoise]

...and if PETA noticed how many people still routinely die of malaria (which at least is curable given enough $ or proper medication, let alone dengue which has no 'cure'), I wonder if they would sing the same tune.

[shawnsegler]

Yeah, I've always thought mosquitos were the one of gods critters I didn't mind killing, but I try to follow that "ahimsa" thing as much as I can, and plus what always happens when we wipe out some annoying species? It always makes some other critter turn into an unholy swarm. Like that dustbowl shit back in the day.

S- doesn't feel like most of the jackasses out there making decisions on things that deeply effect our symbiote life chain are at all qualified, and doesn't like swarms of black widows or locusts or whatever.

[nianfong]

Mosquitoes are actually extremely important as the lowest link on the food chain... That feeds on most other animals, especially us vulnerable hairless humans. Loads of fish and other bugs like dragonfly larvae feed on the mosquito larvae

[Doc Stier]

Mosquitoes are actually extremely important as the lowest link on the food chain... That feeds on most other animals, especially us vulnerable hairless humans. Loads of fish and other bugs like dragonfly larvae feed on the mosquito larvae

Quite so! But bats are probably the best natural mosquito controllers in Texas:

[jkuo]

Now we just need some frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads... to shoot down frickin' mosquitoes.

[Steve James]

Ok, in the future there'll be a nano-gecko equipped with lasers and programmed to seek and destroy mosquitoes, roaches, flies, moths and maybe even ants. We'll (well, maybe ya'll) buy one and keep it as a pet, only supplying batteries and keeping the lenses clean. I don't know if I can't wait. It's kinda scary.