Of all the headlines in a world run amok with craziness, none top this doozy: “Israeli scientists teach goldfish to operate vehicle.”
Don’t worry. Your next ride-share driver won’t have fins.
The article, in The Washington Post, described a study for which scientists placed a goldfish in a glass tank atop a wheeled contraption. The fish steered toward a target visible through the glass, aided by lasers that sensed the locations of both ground and fish.
The scaly motorist mastered the challenge within days – even learning to avoid obstacles. It got food pellets as reward.
Imagine my crinkly face, because it’s crinkled.
May we agree that teaching fish to drive is nuts?
I wanted to read the study itself – for clarity, for understanding, for something. I was stopped at the cost: $41.95.
In a free summary, the scientists assert that “it makes sense to explore whether … navigation mechanisms are dependent on the species.”
Hmmm.
They then write: “Here we push this idea to the limit by studying the navigation ability of a fish in a terrestrial environment.”
Yuh think?
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