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Almost two years ago, I started working on a story on Darpa's plans to make troops stronger, smarter, and tougher to kill. My research was going nowhere. So Sharon graciously offered to submit a Freedom of Information Act request, on my behalf. It took Darpa forever. Logistical hijinks only made things worse. But the agency finally spilled the beans on its performance-enhancing experiments -- well, kinda, sorta, not really.
Actually, what the agency did was gather together some of the scientific papers it had funded on the subject. That runs counter to the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act. And besides, most of the studies were already fairly well-known by those of us dorky enough to track such things. We understood that University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Giulio Tononi had managed to breed fruit flies that get by on just a third the normal amount of sleep. We had heard all about Oklahoma State veterinarian Michael Davis' attempts to unlock the secret behind Iditarod sled dogs' seemingly-limitless supply of energy.
But there was one report that had escaped my attention, at least. It examined dolphins' ability to stay alert for days at a time. The hope, presumably, was that soldiers might some day be taught the same trick.
Navy "Dolphin Doctor"
Sam Ridgway studied a pair of adult bottlenoses over five, 120-hour sessions. Every once in a while, he'd play for "Wen" and "Say" a second-and-a-half long tone. The dolphins were trained to swim towards the tone when they heard it. Amazingly, their average "response time...
did not change between day one and day five," Ridgway noted. (It was slower at night, however.)
How were Wen and Say able to stay on point for so long? A dolphin, "by some unknown mechanism," can sleep with one half of its brain, while the other half stays awake. "The dolphins' lack of a significant vigilance dcrement over the 120
hours sharply constrasts both field observations and laboratory studies of other species," Ridgway writes. Wen and Say's responses were the first demonstration of a "physiological or behavioral advantage of 'uni-hemispheric sleep' or documented long-term vigilance."
But if there was any follow-up to this study, Darpa didn't include it in their FOIA package. Ridgway, as of now, has yet to return calls for comment.
[Photo: DoD]
ALSO:
- Darpa Finds a Flu-Fighter
- Top Pentagon Scientists Fear Brain-Modified Foes
- Stronger, Tougher, Faster: Building Next-Gen G.I.s
- Sled Dogs' Secret to Peak Soldier Performance
- Army Seeks Fountain of Youth in Body's Powerhouses
- Zombie Mouse Master Extends Lifespans
- Israel Mulls Viagra-Style Drugs to Keep Pilots Up
- Supercharging Soldiers' Cells
- Squirrel = Super Soldier?
- Pig Manure Key to Soldier Chow?
- "Kill Proof," Animal-Esque Soldiers: DARPA Goal
- No "Go Pills"
- Darpa Chief Speaks
