Roaches to the Rescue

For a team of scientists at Texas A&M University, cockroaches are anything but pests—they may be the key to surveillance cyborgs. By implanting electrodes into the bug’s brains and outfitting them with recording equipment, scientists can control (with a 60% success rate) the roaches movements and will be able to use them to explore hard to reach places. One day these bionic bugs may be …

Google Feud

A simple browser-based game is taking advantage of those unpredictable (or predictable, depending on what you search) Google search suggestions. The Family Feud-style game is pretty straightforward: you earn points by accurately guessing terms that Google would suggest to a half-completed statement or question. For example if “sports are…” pops up, you might guess “fun,” “boring,” or “stupid” depending on what you think other people …

Mouse Inception

French neuroscientists have successfully implanted false memories into the brains of sleeping mice, which then altered their behavior upon waking. Using electrode stimulation, the researchers targeted the section of the brain that affects the mice’s recognition of rewards, associating specific locations with some kind benefit. Compared to their control counterparts, the mice implanted with artificial memories were found gravitate toward locations linked to their newly …