Remote-Controlled Shark Spies

According to a New Scientist article, a DARPA-funded research team has developed an implant that allows for a shark's brain signals to be "manipulated remotely." In other words, they're mind-controlling sharks. The Pentagon wants to use them as stealth spies. OK... we're moving squarely into James Bond/Austin Powers territory now. Weird.

The same New Scientist article goes on to give an example of another research team that used a similar technique to guide rats through piles of rubble. The New York Police Department is considering recruiting those rats to their Disaster Response Team to detect bombs or trapped people. That's really cool. Cooler than shark spies, at any rate.

Oh and it looks like all this research that's going into manipulating animal brain signals may actually help create prostheses to restore movement to nerve-damaged, paralyzed limbs. Nice. The New Scientist article's got tons more details, so check it out if this is your kinda thing.