The Prometheus Club - a gentlemen´s club for mad scientists

[JingleJoe]

Nice phial ! But its contents looks familiar ... Is it a mixture of copper chloride and iron chloride commonly known as used etchant ?

Bo it isn't Does that turn green? Because my fluid when a tad more diluted is more often translucent purple only the flash of the camera (the angle of the light in this instance) made it green. Furthermore; Yes, it changes between opaque and translucent as well as colour

[Mr. Consciousflesh]

Bo it isn't Does that turn green? Because my fluid when a tad more diluted is more often translucent purple only the flash of the camera (the angle of the light in this instance) made it green. Furthermore; Yes, it changes between opaque and translucent as well as colour

This changes everything . My second guess is that your phial contains some kind of fluorescein compound. Probably a fluorescein salt in alkaline solution . Am I right ?

[T.Taylor the Third]

have any of you fine gentlemen look at this thread and the link in it?

Spoiler: ShowHide

http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk/bg-forum/index.php?topic=10741.0

it has many interesting things.

[JingleJoe]

Ah yes U.N. it truly is a mad scientist's dream come true! I've known about it for some time, but it's owner- Bob Lazar, for much much longer

[cyberjacques]

Let´s get back to experiments. Regarding a brain in a jar, I was thinking about how it would control things. You have probably heard about the blind fellow who had a camera hooked into his brain and was able to see. Perhaps the same could be used here. The parts of the brain responsible for locomotion, could have something plugged in, connected to perhaps a robotic body or vehicle. Hopefully the brain would then be able to learn how to control it.

This particular bit of mad science has now been tried, with startlingly good results:
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205801020

A monkey trained to deliberately control robotic legs with its brain...  Now that's mad science at its best!

[Ambie]

That be 'neuro-prosthetics' and here be a link to a Scirus seach result page

Spoiler: ShowHide

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/search?q=neuro-prosthetics+&t=all&drill=yes&sort=0&p=0

It be sorted by date so sort by relevance and the monkey papers be on top.

I dunno much about it.  But it be a secondary interest of the Doc's.  Couple o' the assistants more so. 

[Ambie]

(strolls into the place, empties an ashtray, restocks the bar a bit....)

The Doc asked me to if anyone here is familiar with this Darpa project about building an artificial kitty' cortex?    Other sources (I am a bit lazy so far today to do a real search)?  Seems a bit like an expansion of the monkey brain controlling a robotic arm. 

From the brief 'Wired' article, ""The follow-on phases of the project will create a technology that functions like the brain of a cat, which comprises 10⁸ neurons and 10¹² synapses," Dr. Narayan Srinivasa, SyNAPSE Program Manager and Senior Scientist, said. "The human brain has roughly 10¹¹ neurons and 10¹⁵ synapses."

link under spoiler

Spoiler: ShowHide

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/darpa-fake-brai.html

Any thoughts?

One that occurs to me is that shuld be a snap to install fake brain chips instead of the real ones in the Doc's minions. 

Though I just want one so I can put it on my (gas-powered) lawn mower to chase away the snake oil salesfolk.

[Robert Sandler]

A new army of cybercats shall give AIBO what for!  I would much love to see a follow up on that artificial brain article.

[Atterton]

I thought new members with an interest in mad science might want to come on in and have a brandy by our thermonuclear fireplace.

[JingleJoe]

I wonder what happens if you electrocute brandy *rubs chin*

[Siliconous Skumins]

I wonder what happens if you electrocute brandy *rubs chin*

It can artificially 'age' a cheap and nasty brandy into something more paletable.  Works for wines at least. 

....Or it will cause a very large blue flamed explosion, if you use a little too much power... 

SS

[Dr von Zarkov]

I thought new members with an interest in mad science might want to come on in and have a brandy by our thermonuclear fireplace.

Why, thank you for the invitation. The insalubrious climate in these parts makes a drop of Holiday Cheer most welcome. Glad to see you are keeping this thread alive.

[rovingjack]

hm all this talk about reanimating the dead has me thinking that once upon a time they removed a head from a monkey and kept it alive with machines while they reatched it to another monkey body. Well seeing all the artificial hearts and brain controled electronic devices coming out it got me wondering if it might not be possable to

make a viable system for a living brain in a jar to have it's involutary reactions hooked to the artificial heart and maybe a glucose drip system, with a few other organs like pancreas and liver and kidnies also included. Then all the motion done through elcrtonic devices hooked up to the brain.

This might actually be testable with bugs or someboies mentioned poultry. I'd be ever so curious about the results.

And as a side note, as far as ladies in the group I figure we are mad scientists eventually some bloke is either going to have a miscalculation in his Jeckle and hide formulae or one there rivals might take things into his own hands so might as well make it clear that some gentlemen are ladies and vice versa. It will eliminate a bit of confusion later.

[Spectre]

I am quite fond of human experimentation, but only on consenting adults.

[JingleJoe]

I am quite fond of human experimentation, but only on consenting adults.

OR the recently deceased

[Spectre]

Grin.... Considered it, but there is that whole consent angle I shoot for.

[JingleJoe]

Oh don't worry about that, the deceased are very agreeable. No objections, very easy going with disection and things

[Esmerelda]

I am greatly enjoying this conversation. I have very little to add as I mostly limit my experimentation to the fabric and stitching (with thread, not catgut) variety. My dear husband does some work with electricity, etc, but, still  --- fascinating stuff here.
Carry on.

[Atterton]

RovingJack: The functions of organs such as kidneys and heart should be easy to replicate with machines, if you want a brain in a jar. I think getting nutrients and keeping infections away might be large problems. Anyone know of some animal experiments in this direction?

[Spectre]

Oh don't worry about that, the deceased are very agreeable. No objections, very easy going with disection and things

I could go on with this but I think the fainter of heart would be quite repulsed! This is a gentlemens club and I shall behave in a manner germane to our institution. (I learned the word germane watching The House Bunny last night...)

[Siliconous Skumins]

I think getting nutrients and keeping infections away might be large problems. Anyone know of some animal experiments in this direction?

Well, they are currently growing large numbers of rat neurons on glass "chips" as the brains of small robots, these require the same level of care as any brain - correct temperature, PH, nutrients, etc.  Seems they also have to be very carefull to avoid contamination from bacteria / viri, I think I read the pink nutrient 'soup' (Blood serum + growth factors, nutrients etc) that the cells live in, is dosed with an antibiotic too.

Whole brains have been kept alive in-vitro, but usually for only a few hours (though some invertebrate brain require less oxygen and can last for up to a few days). I believe most in-vitro mammalian brain tests have been on rats and guinea pigs. The bigger the brain, the more energy and oxygen is required, so small brains are somewhat easier to work with.

SS

[JingleJoe]

After following your discussions on keeping brains alive outside a body I now truly beleive this to be possible! Having previously not considered it and when considered; Thought it probably impossible. I think within the lifetime of many of the members of this forum, the line between machine and lifeform will blur!

Anyone seen Ghost in the Shell?

[von Corax]

Oh don't worry about that, the deceased are very agreeable. No objections, very easy going with disection and things

I could go on with this but I think the fainter of heart would be quite repulsed! This is a gentlemens club and I shall behave in a manner germane to our institution. (I learned the word germane watching The House Bunny last night...)

On the contary, sir, this is a gentlemen's club for mad scientists. For the most part, the fainter of heart do not set foot within these precincts; those few who do are usually tric— persuaded! Persuaded! to assist the members in their experiments...

[Spectre]

Oh don't worry about that, the deceased are very agreeable. No objections, very easy going with disection and things

I could go on with this but I think the fainter of heart would be quite repulsed! This is a gentlemens club and I shall behave in a manner germane to our institution. (I learned the word germane watching The House Bunny last night...)

On the contary, sir, this is a gentlemen's club for mad scientists. For the most part, the fainter of heart do not set foot within these precincts; those few who do are usually tric— persuaded! Persuaded! to assist the members in their experiments...

Ah HAH! Well then... aquireing the recently deceased is such a chore. If you aren't digging them up, then you are skulking funeral parlors and trust me that comes with it's own host of problems. There is just a certain thrill, some would call it the cackling twisted variety but a thrill none the less, of having the vict- subject walk in and....erg... volunteer.

[groomporter]

Oh don't worry about that, the deceased are very agreeable. No objections, very easy going with disection and things

The problem comes in when the reanimated ones start objecting to being woken...