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posted by
cmn32480
on Thursday October 29 2015, @01:57PM
from the in-soviet-russia-mars-monkey's-you dept.
from the in-soviet-russia-mars-monkey's-you dept.
Russian scientists are currently training macaques to solve puzzles and use a joystick for a planned 2017 trip to Mars:
Each day a team, led by Inessa Kozlovskaya, trains the monkeys to control a joystick and hit a target highlighted by a cursor.
When they complete the task successfully they are rewarded with a sip of juice.
Once they have mastered this task the macaques will be trained to solve simple mathematical tasks and puzzles.
At the end of their training the creatures should be capable of completing a daily schedule of tasks on their own.
[...] Macaques typically have a lifespan of around 25 years, so it is hoped there is enough time to train them properly and for them to survive the six-month trip to Mars, added the team.
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(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Thursday October 29 2015, @08:34PM
As you mentioned, the difference is in consent. Humans may not understand all possible risks or possible outcomes, but they UNDERSTAND that they don't understand, yet still choose to go, usually for the betterment of mankind. And, a lot of them probably love the idea. Monkeys cannot give consent, and their minds are too weak to fully comprehend everything going on around them. As far as they know, they're trapped in a weightless metal cage with nobody else and no greenery. Want to see monkeys commit suicide? Send them to mars.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti