Femtosecond laser pulses could safely destroy viruses, bacteria

The world is already well aware of just how potent (and useful) femtosecond lasers are, and a recent study conducted by a team of Arizona State University physicists explains how pulses could be used to dismantle viruses and bacteria without harming a single innocent cell. Rather than follow in the footsteps of indiscriminate laser treatment options, the group of Sun Devils reportedly figured out a way to "produce lethal vibrations in the protein coat of microorganisms," which has the potential to at least treat "blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis." The technique, dubbed ISRS (Impulsive Stimulated Raman Scattering), has shown to not harm healthy human cells while fighting the good fight against viral pathogens, and while there's no easy way to surmise how quickly we'll see this in action, we're gonna wait for a bit more proof before getting our hopes up.

[Via Switched]

[CommanderROR @ Nov 9th 2007 8:39PM]

Another breakthrough Technology that would be soo cool if it ever made it to mainstream...but will it ever?

[nikola @ Nov 9th 2007 10:12PM]

^^^Micro-currents have been shown to have a similar effect and the tech (which is incredibly cheap to make) has been publicly documented (search ROBERT BECK) and usable devices even be found online if you look. His devices use a single battery to deliver very, very, very tiny currents under the wrist, which deform the membranes of ANY viral or bacterial agent in the bloodstream, causing them to die. The device is also used by some cancer patients to boost their immune system and eliminate the need for kemo. There's more but look it up yerself.

Unfortunately the FDA will shut down your site if you even mention STORIES of people being cured with the device (it kills ANY virus or bacterial infection with 0 side effects), but they and device can still be found, just do a search for robert beck.

[aaronlh @ Nov 9th 2007 10:21PM]

Something tells me nikola has been drinking the hoax koolaid.

Kills -any- virus and bacteria with no side effects... right.

[nikola @ Nov 10th 2007 1:37AM]

Aaron, it wouldn't be a very funny hoax. Dr. Robert Beck *died* a few years ago and his work (which he made freely available) was based off [Patent #5,188,738]. You can easily find all these details and even videos where he shows how to cheaply make the devices.. Here's a little about him if its credibility your hinting at:

Robert C. Beck is a highly respected research physicist and formerly a consultant to the Sandia Corp, Senior Staff Scientist at Eyring Research Institute, and consultant to the US Navy. Dr. Beck recently retired from his own business interests and from his work as a university lecturer. He was known for his leading-edge designs in measuring subtle magnetic fields and extremely low frequency fields. His last research project in the early 1980's that focused on the brain and altered states of consciousness resulted in the design of the Brain Tuner. This won him an award from the John Fitzer Foundation.

I'm mentioning these because it seems like these articles are always popping up when all along the tech exists RIGHT NOW. Does it do exactly as prescribed? Look it up for yourself. I won't even post links as you can find out yourself & I don't want advertise any particular site. I'm only showing there has been work along similar lines (rendering viruses inert through disturbing their membrane) that is actually already out and people have been using it for a few years now. You can easily everything I posted yourself.

[Rocketboy @ Nov 10th 2007 10:13AM]

A: A patent means nothing other than nobody else can profit off the idea. It is NO indication that something does work, or even can work.

B: Who is John Fitzer, and what is his foundation? Google seems to have no knowledge of it, other than the same copypasta that you posted.

C: Where are the scores of healed people? Where are the peer reviewed double blind studies?

There is NO valid evidence that electrifying the blood works. If there was, may I suggest applying for the JREF 1million dollar challange?

Bonus: If the FDA is removing websites that mention his 'discovery', then how can you google it and find pages about it? And if they are removing it, could it be because it's fraudlent information?

[nikola @ Nov 10th 2007 1:15PM]

Who are you trying to kid?

So you looked up "John Fitzer" and not "John Fitzer Foundation".... and still couldn't bother looking up the actual man himself (Robert Beck) which would have answered these disingenuous questions? Also forgot to mention you can find even more websites by using his nickname "Bob Beck". Whether its 100% is up to people to find out for themselves, I simply pointing out the info is available.

As for your bonus round, I didn't say all websites that mention it, just some that posted testimonials of people who were cured. Others are still up and sites can be hosted *oversees* now - the ones hosted in the US usually are careful not to mention the "c" word, include disclaimers, or simply call the device a "plant growth stimulator" to avoid FDA harassment. The rest of your questions can be answered by looking it up yourself.....assuming you're not just looking for loose-ends you can latch onto & post on engadget to discourage others from researching.

[Rocketboy @ Nov 10th 2007 4:48PM]

Who am I trying to kid? Well, no one that's sick and possibly dying. Unlike your lot. Here's a pro tip for you. Don't say that it's my fault for not adding 'foundation' to my google search.

http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&client=opera&rls=en&hs=KKd&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=john+Fitzer+Foundation&spell=1

Results = no better. Again, the only matches i found were the same copied bs that you spouted. Which, by the way, were only in regards to your hero. Great award that he won.

And yes, that EVIL FDA does have a habit of trying to stop fraud. Not nearly enough as far as right minded people are concerned (see Homeopathic 'remedies').

Again, WHERE is the peer reviewed DOUBLE BLIND studies that show that it works. Where is your Million Dollars that you've won from James Randi? This 'treatment', if it works as wonderfully as you state, sounds like a shoe-in for the prize.

Show PROPER proof, or GTFO. I don't support people that prey off the sick. Thoes who do disgust me.

[nikola @ Nov 10th 2007 10:05PM]

"Again, WHERE is the peer reviewed DOUBLE BLIND studies that show that it works. Where is your Million Dollars that you've won from James Randi?"

LOL!! Where in all this do you think >>>I

[Rocketboy @ Nov 11th 2007 8:14AM]

Ahh, no answers, and changing the subject all the time by ignore half the questions brought up. The true mark of a scoundrel.

[JDizzle @ Nov 9th 2007 8:43PM]

Gives a new meaning to DEATHBEAM!

[The Grand Master @ Nov 9th 2007 9:50PM]

Preventing peoples deaths by destroying harmful bacteria and viruses.
Sure might not be as cool as an über-melter-laser-deathbeam, but damn sight more useful!

[kuade @ Nov 9th 2007 8:49PM]

What about the good bacteria? It's an indiscriminant femtosecond!

[rcappo @ Nov 12th 2007 9:22AM]

You could always make good bacteria and then add it back into the blood stream after the laser has done it's work.

Sounds like a cool thing from the college I went to.

[ugg.tryptophan @ Nov 9th 2007 8:53PM]

I cant wait to produce lethal vibrations in the protein coat

[Viramor @ Nov 9th 2007 9:32PM]

All hype, no substance

http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2007/11/05/follow-the-hype-laser-discovery-spun-out-of-control

[almostinfamous @ Nov 9th 2007 9:44PM]

hey they need to get funding somehow.. it's either dupe the public or dupe the pentagon. and DARPA probably has something like this already so they have to bring their circus to the streets.

[tchiseen @ Nov 9th 2007 9:54PM]

Another article of something great out of Arizona State U, I'm fairly sure it's the second this week. Is engadget biased towards ASU, or are there just heaps of brilliant people there :) Good work all the same.

[Macha88 @ Nov 9th 2007 9:59PM]

that should be ISRS not IRIS

[Kalen @ Nov 9th 2007 10:53PM]

Doctor: Hold...Still...

[Mark @ Nov 9th 2007 10:54PM]

hope this can be used against leukemia. Getting diagnosed with that is like being handed a death sentence.

[stitifier @ Nov 9th 2007 11:09PM]

This has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with cancer at all. In fact, as others have pointed out, it has very little to do with medical science. They basically aimed a laser at some plant viruses and killed them, then said, "Hey, we could probably kill mammalian viruses this way," and then said, "That means we just cured AIDS." They're missing a couple steps in their thinking there.

And to that commenter who whined about the FDA holding back life-saving treatments like this to prop up those evil pharmaceutical companies: This is a free country; feel free to try out new and exciting medications yourself, like this doohickey here. You could try sticking a laser pointer in your eyes the next time you have conjunctivitis. That'd be a good start. Yeesh.

[stitifier @ Nov 9th 2007 11:13PM]

And sorry for the double post, but leukemia is NOT like a death sentence anymore. With early diagnosis, diseases like ALL are eminently treatable and most patients (say, 80%) have disease-free survival for decades. People usually die WITH CLL, and not from it. And while most patients with CML have an indolent course, and while some convert to AML (the worst case scenario), palliative therapies hold the potential to extend or improve the quality of life. As our understanding of these cancers grow, and as new targeted therapies like Gleevec come into more frequent use in chemo protocols, you can expect to see even more advances in the future.

[Eric @ Nov 9th 2007 11:06PM]

Impulsive Stimulated Raman Scattering - What happens when you're holding a bowl of noodles and someone sneaks up behind you.

[thethirdmoose @ Nov 10th 2007 12:11AM]

heh... I was wondering why they were scattering Rayman? couldn't they leave him to the rabbids?

[Jagannath A @ Nov 10th 2007 9:09AM]

Raman Effect is involved.. that is why :-|

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._V._Raman (Nobel Laureate)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raman_effect

[GmanNYC @ Nov 10th 2007 9:05AM]

I'm a physician, and sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but this will definitely NOT cure AIDS. HIV is bloodborne, however viruses insinuate their DNA into ours, thereby using our own cell replicating process to replicate themselves. Lasers, electical current, etc... will not eradicate the organism from our own cells. They may be able to kill freely floating organisms, but that in no way will cure the disease. And, as someone else pointed out, we are covered with "good" bacteria and these treatments do not disciminate between ones we want and ones we don't. In fact, the increasing fascination with antibacterial soaps, etc... are probably increasing the likelihood of these resistant bacterial infections which keep cropping up.

[Erik @ Nov 10th 2007 10:40AM]

Impulsive Stimulated Ramin Scattering? I have enough problems cooking my ramin - I don't need it scattered impulsively.

[Growly @ Nov 10th 2007 2:26PM]

Who are you kidding stitifier? America is so NOT a free country... there is a heck of a lot of controlling that goes on. The FDA banned trials into a potential cancer treatment in the early 60's called Coley's Toxins, even though there had been around 1,000 documented cases of some success and now it's illegal to produce the vacine in the States and many other countries. If America is free, why can't someone resume the trials of Coley's Toxins?

[Rocketboy @ Nov 11th 2007 8:12AM]

Um,they can. It just has to be done under clinical trial conditions.