Sci/Tech Rocket Scientists Shoot Down Mosquitoes With Lasers

enouwee

Non ex transverso sed deorsum
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A quarter-century ago, American rocket scientists proposed the "Star Wars" defense system to knock Soviet missiles from the skies with laser beams. Some of the same scientists are now aiming their lasers at another airborne threat: the mosquito.

In a lab in this Seattle suburb, researchers in long white coats recently stood watching a small glass box of bugs. Every few seconds, a contraption 100 feet away shot a beam that hit the buzzing mosquitoes, one by one, with a spot of red light.

The insects survived this particular test, which used a non-lethal laser. But if these researchers have their way, the Cold War missile-defense strategy will be reborn as a WMD: Weapon of Mosquito Destruction.

 
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Azlier

Old World Ghost
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Yes, because targetting and lasering each individual mosquito is a very efficient and non-time consuming process.
 

sqrage

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Yes, because targetting and lasering each individual mosquito is a very efficient and non-time consuming process.

I'm sure they've thought about this and know a little more about it than you.
They now face one big challenge: deciding how strong to make the weapon. The laser has to be weak enough to not harm humans and smart enough to avoid hitting useful bugs. "You could kill billions of mosquitoes a night, and you could do so without harming butterflies," says Mr. Myhrvold.

Billions overnight doesn't seem time consuming at all.
 

Knight7770

Hippopotomonstrosesquiped aliophobia
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Besides the above point, I would like to add this:

Don't you have better things to do?
 

Bronxernijn

You can change this now in User CP.
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star wars musquito defense system :D (it's in Dutch, but I think you will get the idea)

[youtube]TGkPMZxWPpA[/youtube]

Seems nice, no more mosquitos :)
 

ReVolver

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I'm glad they are killing those mosquitoes (those damn parasites) all I get from them is a nice itchy bump in my skin and some kind of disease, go science! .. firin' those lazers on them.
 

jaybles169

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Yes, because targetting and lasering each individual mosquito is a very efficient and non-time consuming process.


I'm sure it would be an automated targeting system. I can't image it'd be easy for a normal person to shoot mosquitoes out of the sky :p.
 

NightShade

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Well they'd be saving millions of lives if this was a success. I think that's worth their time.

if your talking about the diseases mosquitoes spread, most countries that can't afford treatment to those diseases won't be able to afford this thing.

>don't you have better things to do

not really(it's march break:D)
 

Azlier

Old World Ghost
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Just another thing that would be too expensive to install in the places that actually need it :rolleyes:.
 

sqrage

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>>if your talking about the diseases mosquitoes spread, most countries that can't afford treatment to those diseases won't be able to afford this thing.

>> Just another thing that would be too expensive to install in the places that actually need it .


They said they can just mount it to an aircraft and do it that way. Organizations and charities would pay for this.
 

Azlier

Old World Ghost
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An airplane with lasers?! This is... madness!
 

Kershbob

New Member
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I had a lecture on mosquitoes and when we were discussing protective measured mentioned lasers and the lecturer scoffed at me.

I'm printing this out and sticking it to her door.
 
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