back to article New 'reversible' paralysis-ray turns victims blue, flaccid

Canadian boffins say they have developed a fearsome paralysis ray technology which caused test animals zapped with it to "turn blue and become paralysed". The effect is claimed to be "reversible", but is often fatal. Chemistry prof Neil Branda and his colleagues achieved their startling effects by drugging their test animals …

COMMENTS

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  1. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Black Helicopters

    So *that*'s what's happend to poor old Agatha...

    http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20091116

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Horrible

    This is one of the more horrible things I have read recently. These "scientists" should be locked up for a long, long time.

  3. Paul_Murphy
    Paris Hilton

    Yes but,

    Agatha and her 'boyfriends' (snigger) turn many different colours (even with patterns) and stay very mobile, so not quite the same thing.

    ttfn

    PH - cos on some occasions she turns green.

  4. Bernie 2

    So not a "paralysis-ray" at all, then?

    Just a UV lamp.

    The real "science" is in the UV reactive poison, which manages to be both sinister and extremely pointless at the same time.

  5. Christoph
    Black Helicopters

    Excellent idea

    Our wonderful government will no doubt take immediate steps to have us all injected with this chemical, so that when the police suspect that someone is a terrorist they can instantly zap them.

    It's to keep us all safe, so there can't be any objection can there? The police need to have the power to disable people at whim^H^H^H^Hwill or they won't be able to do their job.

  6. John 90

    PMS

    Hope this Photocontrolled Molecular Switch doesn't find its way into supplies of Bacardi Breezer or Stella Artois -- or a lot of tanning salons are going to find themselves losing customers fast.

  7. Colin 4
    Coffee/keyboard

    keyboard please

    'flaccidity and empurplement'

    got some coffee out my nose that time, cheers !

  8. Ihre Papiere Bitte!!

    I'm impressed!

    That they used worm-thingies and not seals, that is.

    (Disclaimer: I'm a Canuck)

  9. mmiied
    Joke

    I call dibs

    on the movie rights I am in talks with universal and paromount as we speek and aim for a 2012 roll out

  10. Bassey
    Thumb Up

    brilliant

    So, now all we need to do is have everyone injected with this from birth and then, whenever anyone creates a problem (like refusing to go for a shower) we can just zap them. I love it!

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    I think I am one of the initial human test subjects..

    Sunlight often causes me massive 'flaccidity and empurplement', probably not uncommon amongst reg readers.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Slightly wrong assumption

    The elevated position would more likely be Big Ben under the guise of some sort of refurb. There's no point in doing it on the moon, it becomes a nightmare when you have local contractors involved in the Project.

    A good example being the Death-Ray I'm currently building in Hatfield, local contractors, easier to keep track of with my disposable security guards (plus the fact that I can test it, wiping out most of the town and nobody would notice).

    (Couldn't use the evil Bill as we're lisenced to use EvilEmpire 2007 software to build our dominance).

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is this science?

    Seems to me that there are some 'scientists' with far too much time on their hands. Moving them to a proper job might be the answer.

  14. DJV Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    @Neil Barnes

    You s*d - I've now spent half the day reading Girl Genius! Thanks mate!

  15. Bilgepipe
    Thumb Up

    Empurplement

    "Empurplement" is my new Favorite Word.

  16. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge
    Grenade

    cc http://www.bis.gov.uk/ministers *

    "A Photocontrolled Molecular Switch Regulates Paralysis in a Living Organism," ..... aka Television.

    A most effective, but pathetically poorly used medium for political and socio-economic abusers .... fat cat losers. However, new scripts being made universally available can change all of that nonsense in a Jumping Jack Flash, eh Gordon?

    *"Investing in our future .... Our mission is building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to succeed. To achieve this we will foster world-class universities and promote an open global economy." TeleVisual Brainwashing with Novel Content Presented as Future Replacement of Past Follies in Failed Policies Delivers an Altogether Different Perspective and more Globalised Perception of Power and Control Parameters and Edutains the Masses in the Collateral Consequences of Ignorance and Arrogance in Rapidly Advancing Knowledge Economies/Societies/Sectors/Control Groups.

    A subject being studiously ignored by the No10 fat cats, even whenever it has been forwarded directly to them, for too long. One wonders whose agenda they are serving with their Debtfests

    Suck on that pineapple, and deny it if you will.

  17. Anonymous John
    Welcome

    I for one

    welcome this way of dealing with our nematode worm overlords.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Impressed

    that so many peeps on the reg knows their girlgenius (sic) :)

    mad mad science!

  19. Dave Bell

    And the winner is...

    I want to see pictures of the Register's Steampunk reporter in full rig.

    (It's the weighted silk scarf tucked into the sleeve: a chap can learn so many useful things in India, while in the service of the Empire)

  20. Sillyfellow
    FAIL

    can't breathe

    have these scientists considered that just maybe the test subjects turned blue because they couldn't breathe?

    it's plausible that a paralysis can cause a 'subject' to cease to be able to breathe.

  21. Martin 6 Silver badge

    @Horrible

    Really - even when the thing being paralysed is a tumor?

    Or stopping a twitching muscle to allow surgery around it?

    Or allow you to treat an ulcer/stomarch cancer non-invasively with an endoscope rather than cutting them in half?.

    The point of this is to allow you to give somebody a set of rugs and then only switch them on at the point you illuminate with a UV endoscope. It's just that their attempt to get some publicity has been tabloided?

  22. 3kids2cats1dog
    Thumb Up

    It will never work in people

    Had a read. In order for it to work, the chemical has to be concentrated in its head. AND it has to be exposed to the UV light. This works great for worms since they are see through. But in people we have something call a skull which is pretty good at shutting out light.

    But two thumbs up for Canuck Science, now back to the igloo, got to get this Global Warming thing happening faster....

    (Disclaimer: I'm a Canuck as well)

  23. This post has been deleted by its author

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Empurplement

    Last time I saw that work it was on a different kind of website altogether...

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    There's a simpler way

    Considering the cost of R&D, manufacturing, distribution and activation of this concoction, why not revert to a much more reliable and probably cheaper method of rendering the population reversibly paralysed: Free Beer.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Battlefield Scenario's

    Interesting. Does it work if the liquid was given to subjects as vapour? It could be deployed on a battlefield- if the stuff was invisible/opaque then opposing force would inhale it potentially. Then you could use the ray.

    The possibilities for surgery on tumours etc is great though.

  27. Will Shaw
    Joke

    @ Martin 6

    No wonder the NHS costs so much to run, if every single patient is coming away with a new set of rugs.

    "Thanks for coming Mr Johnson, here's your complimentary Axminster. We'll just keep a hold of your large intestine for you, shall we?"

  28. silverlion
    Alert

    Drugrape

    If it works in people, control with it needs to be extremely strict.

    Imagine a girl in a disco getting her drink laced with it.

    The rapist follows her home some hours later, and puts on a mask.

    ZAP.

    Wham-bam-thankyoumaam.

    He might or might not unzap her afterwards.

  29. BlueGreen

    @Sillyfellow

    AFAIK because nematode worms don't have lungs. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis_elegans>. Mebbe you were doing the irony stuff though but.

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Could this be inhaled? Or absorbed through the skin?

    That would make it far more "weaponisable". I'm thinking along the lines of the 1960s movie daleks armed with fire extinguishers- spray, UV-expose, leave them to either die or save them shortly afterwards. For longer range use I guess you could use a small paintball (Death to the Daleks)?

    Also, if it relies on UV radiation to activate it, would people with a high dermal melanin concentration be harder to knock out? Could high-strength sunblock provide an invisible shield against this?

    And yes it has peaceful/medical value. But you'll never get lots of publicity and research money for that!

    It's the opaque-to-UV one, thanks.

  31. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Coat

    Might have a use

    dosing up lab animals with it before trying them out with some lethally dangerous compound. Chimps are surprisingly strong and quite dangerous to catch.

    Of course turning them blue owuld make skin exams quite difficult.

    Mine's the one with a copy of the Hot Zone in it.

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Form an orderly queue

    Get your Swine Flu vaccine right here...

    Tin hat and coat on.

  33. frank ly
    Stop

    More Importantly...

    ...Never mind all the crazy ideas above (and below); I want to know how they got a Zeppelin dreadnought to work on the moon!

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