Human biology question

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Sounds like your suggestion could turn us into robots. No computer chip is going in my brain/NS! I'm just gonna throw out some interesting facts I read online & in National Geographic:
Scientists are working on ways to clone wooly mammoths & have put Tasmanian Tiger DNA into mice already (I believe just fragments).
I also heard they found a way to wipe memories from the brain (good for trauma victims) but still creepy...
I'd look it up to double check (especially on the memory wiping thing)

Makes sense. Though I wonder if they're may be a limbo region between the conscious & unconscious mind? Mainly b/c I've had instances where I wanted my body to physically do something & it wouldn't (my mind did not seem to be controlling my body) + feeling of "not being connected/in my body once in awhile (its called lack of vaso-something system issues ). Plus a limbo region between conscious & unconscious mind (ability to control v. unable to control actions) would explain conditions like dystonia (look it up). Basically, from what I know people with this condition have no/little physical control over their bodies (not same as CP). They may want to turn their arm one way to pick up something, straighten their backs, turn their neck, can't walk in the direction they want to etc. they stuff either doesn't do what they want/think for it to do or does it in the wrong way. Not being able to control your body would be freaky! Its obviously a neurological disorder, but b/c their mind's cannot control they're bodies (you know the "mind over matter phrase", but the mind is technically made of matter b/c it's as ruveyn said the mind is "an emergent phenomena of the brain") this issue w/ the mind/matter not being able to control other matter (the body) makes me wonder if their may be a limbo region... man I need to stop thinking!

We are powered by a fuel cell. Look up ATP and the Krebb Cycle.

ruveyn

I read H+ Magazine. I don't particularly think going cyborg is a bad thing.

I remember reading about the bad memory thing. I think it's a chemical treatment/psychoactive drug that suppresses bad memories, if I'm not mistaken. It doesn't literally wipe the memory away, however. And I have serious doubts about its effectiveness/how bad the side effects may be from it with long term use.

True we could be viewed as being a fuel cell, the mitacondria use O2 as the final electron acceptor. I know that cyanide binds strongly to this molecule and that is why it is toxic to most higher life forms. While the glucose is converted via the Krebb cycle (citric acid cycle) to provide the other end of the reaction.

Perhapes we should try to think of a way in which the human could evolve an organ packed with the systems from mitocondria to allow the fuel cell to use O2 as the oxidant, if we were to work out how to reform glucose into H2 we could then evolve a Pd electrode which would make the perfect electrode for a fuel cell. Or better still the cell could run on NADH which would avoid the need to reform glucose into H2.

[joke]The human could even the evolve a socket for plugging in an external load such as an iPOD ![/joke]

There are already robotic prosthetics that detect signals from the users nerve endings. With regards to implanting computer devices, you might want to google the name "Kevin Warwick" as I believe he did research on that topic.

I think the point is made-by our various expert posters- humans make poor batteries.
But this raises an interesting secondary question.

Are humans good a being walking micro power plants?

Could the body's non-electrical metabolic energy be tapped by some kind of small divice -that inturn- generates electricity?

Then that device could power all your: calculators, your ipods, your cell phones, and etc.

If so- maybe it would cause skinny folks to eat more- but might double as a subsititue for excercise in fat folks. You could just get slim walking around with all your normal portable digital appliances!

That was pretty much what I was asking and also inferring that tapping into that small energy source and asking if, by tapping into that energy source, one would be able to stimulate a faster/higher level metabolic process or otherwise take some of those excess calories/fat and put them to use.

dammit...someone beat me to it....unless this is just a concept design and not a working model.


http://www.core77.com/competitions/Gree ... ects/4673/


Digital Tattoo Interface
Jim Mielke - United States

Her cell phone is ringing, but the display is turned off. She lightly pushes a small dot on the skin on her left forearm to suddenly reveal a two by four inch tattoo with the image of the cell phone's digital display, directly in the skin of her arm. She answers the call by pushing a tattooed button on her arm. While she's talking, the tattoo comes to life as a digital video of the caller. When she finishes, the tattoo disappears.

This Bluetooth device is permanently implanted beneath the skin. It is flat, flexible, silicon and silicone. Tightly rolled when it's inserted through a small incision, and then unfurled beneath the skin, it lies benignly between skin and muscle.

Through the same incision, two small tubes are attached from the implanted device to an artery and a vein. A coin sized blood fuel cell in the implant converts the blood's glucose and oxygen from the artery to the electricity required to power the device. Used blood returns through to the vein. The digital device's power source is the same as for all of the biological components in the body.

The surface of the implant that faces the underside of the skin is covered with a matrix of field producing pixels that activate a matching matrix of pixels tattooed onto the surface of the skin above the implant. The field penetrates the skin to drive the tattooed display, while the skin continues to provide its function of sealing the body from the world. The surface of the implant is also a touch screen control, pressed through the skin. Rather than ink, tiny clusters of microscopic spheres are injected, like tattoo ink, into the skin. Each sphere is filled with a field sensitive material that changes from clear to black when a field in the matrix is turned on.

This device communicates wirelessly with the world as well as with other devices implanted in the same body. It is always present, always on, but out of sight and non-obtrusive. It also continually monitors for many blood disorders, alerting the person of a health problem: A human version of the check engine light. Product styling is the latest and coolest downloaded display interface showing on any tattoo on the block. This product is waterproof and it is powered by pizza.

Old topic but I love it when my ideas come to fruition in some way.

http://gizmodo.com/5543527/implant-harn ... sumed-food

1. Chemical reaction within cells.

2. No idea. But when you consider what happens if you set fire to glucose in a test tube, it's impressive we don't catch fire by the process going on within our cells.

See my last post. Apparently someone had the same idea who was actually qualified to do research and work on it.

Can't wait till I can charge my Droid via a nice large plate of pasta.