Comments on: Magnetically levitated tissues could speed toxicity tests

By: asiwel

asiwel — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 06:01:47 +0000

This “levitator” works because it “… relies on inert, nontoxic magnetic nanoparticles that are inserted into the living cells.” If we modified our genetic code so that there was enough “iron” in all of our body’s cells … a magnetic crane could pick us up the same way as a car at the junk yard. I’m thinking (guessing really) that if a migrational animal or bird was placed into a strong magnetic field … well, it would probably no longer be able to tell which way to go – especially if the field slowly oscillated.

By: WLGJR

WLGJR — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:49:04 +0000

I once read in a science magazine about magnetically levitated frogs and other small animals. Great to see that this is put to medical/biotech use.
I wonder if there is any adverse effect on the brain (if we scan a brain using this technique)?
Roger Penrose, in his artificial intelligence textbook, talked about the possibility of human brain being a quantum computer. Magnetic levitation might do unpredictable alteration to the brain and consciousness (although I am not a fan in discussion regarding consciouness and don’t
care if I, or other people, am/are philosophical-zombies).
As well, it is said that some animals (especially migrational animals like certain species of whales, birds and fishes) have congenital ability to sense geomagneticism (in other words can detect which way is North/South), with help from small amount of magnetic metals in their nervous system.
What happens to such animals if we put them in this magnetic levitator? Will we somehow destroy their cardinal direction telling ability? Or enhance it?

By: asiwel

asiwel — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:03:47 +0000

This is excellent and very promising research in tissue and organ regeneration technologies and an outstanding demonstration of the national value of the SBIR program to encourage small business innovative R&D leading potentially to useful and beneficial commercial developments.