0112 Fear Research

From the “Why did we need this again?” file comes scientific news from Japan: Using genetic engineering, Japanese scientists have switched off the instinct that causes a mouse to stay away from a cat. They were hoping to find proof that fear is hard-wired and not learned. Well, duh. If you’re afraid of something and you stay away from it, you increase your chances of staying alive. That this discovery was made in Japan, where one of the most popular television shows is called “Ten Things to Be Afraid Of” seems ironic. Japanese people, it seems, are prone to fear and switching that off would be bad for advertising revenue. So I guess one of the 10 things to be afraid of this week might be not being afraid anymore. #ceas #hacker #japan #tsutsui