To my understanding (someone correct me if I'm wrong), there is no pain involved during this remote control. The nanoparticles trigger a reflex that is the same reflex (withdrawal) that would be used IF the nematode were to encounter heat or pain. A corollary would be to use a magnetic field switch to cause your fingers to pull back from the keyboard as if the keyboard were hot (but it's not, and no pain occurs).

As to whether it's "ethical" to do this to a nematode, that's a whole different question.

And psulli, causing pain remotely is already well within the capabilities of military and civilian riot control personnel. And they don't even need to inject you with nanoparticles.

The magnets are not pulling the nematode. The magnetic particles in the nematode are closing ion channels, which triggers a pre-existing heat-avoidance reflex. You might say the magnets are inducing a behavior.

You may be correct - but make sure you are sampling the little "dots" that constitute the body of the heart, NOT the hearts as a whole, which also have a colored grid overlying them.

There is more info on the creation of such illusions at this link:

http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/color12e.html

Many interesting items at the link. Good find.

This link would be considered a "via." The original (and larger) set of photos was assembled at Kuriositas, then went to io9, then to the squid.

Re the reason for the arrest (from a different link):

"When they hit that emergency chute, it drops down quickly within seconds," a law enforcement official said. "If someone was on the ground and it came down without warning, someone could be injured or killed."

The article describers him as being 39 years old. He looks to be about that from the photo.

Then he says "I've been in the business 28 years..."

??????

Very nice, especially with the instructable linked. Reminds me of the Mystery of the Disappearing Square -

http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/TheMysteryOfTheDisappearingSquare/

Carson McCullers' book The Heart is a Lonely Hunter has a mute Singer as the protagonist.

And if "instrumentalist" includes composers, we could probably do Beethoven or Smetana...

It's not at all random. The internets have been watching you, Timmy. Hook 'em....

Fixed. Thank you, caphector.

All is explained if you read the top-ranked comment in the Reddit thread at the via:

"I feel that I should mention that this is not a normal living area. These houses are called "Kolonihavehuse". They are small houses, about 30-40 m^2, with a garden. People who live in the city sometimes have these to have a little undisturbed garden somewhere. The houses usually have a living room, bathroom and a small kitchen. People do not actually live there, and people rarely sleep there."

Vapur, you are quite correct that .333 does not equal 1/3. But part of the nucleus of this puzzle lies in the question of whether .3333...(infinite) is equal to 1/3. If not, how could one represent 1/3 in decimal form?

It's an instrument of torture (beat you to it, MissC)

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.