zebrafish
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3D zebrafish can replace real animals in the lab
A few years ago, zebrafish became the new lab rat because of their genetic similarity to humans. So, when a team of researchers from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering decided to develop a virtual alternative for lab animals, they chose the tropical freshwater minnows. The team used real-life data to develop a platform that simulates zebrafish swimming in three dimensions, which is accurate enough to replace the animals in experiments.
ICYMI: Robots want us to rely on them for daily tasks
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The latest servant robot to join the Pepper and Buddy crew is Big-I, a Kickstarter bot that uses 3D vision, motion tracking and facial recognition to help out the humans in their household. We say it looks like a rolling trashcan with a disturbingly large eye, but for those looking for an IoT hub that's more mobile than Alexa, it could certainly work.
Visualized: a fish brain lights up while on the prowl (video)
Ever wonder what's going through a fish's mind? While we won't develop underwater telepathy anytime soon, Saitama University can now show us the raw activity. Researchers have learned that injecting zebrafish larvae with green fluorescent protein puts on a light show whenever their neurons fire, illustrating very clearly just which brain regions are active in a given situation, such as chasing down a paramecium for food. The method is more effective and longer-lasting than using dye, and also provides further insight: scientists can clearly spot the neural path when the zebrafish spots and reacts to its prey. As the protein is relevant to humans as well, its longevity could lead to better, longer-term drug testing that shows the cause-and-effect link. Just don't expect as much in the way of mental fireworks.
