Monday links II: how robots are going to kill us...

...being a story in two parts.

In Part I, linked by Ezra Klein, the Pentagon's cyborg insects will inevitably turn against us. This horrible possibility written up by Nick Turse, who wrote The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives.

Right now, researchers are already growing insects with electronics inside them. They're creating cyborg moths and flying beetles that can be remotely controlled. One day, the U.S. military may field squadrons of winged insect/machine hybrids with on-board audio, video or chemical sensors. These cyborg insects could conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions on distant battlefields, in far-off caves, or maybe even in cities closer to home, and transmit detailed data back to their handlers at U.S. military bases.

Spooky!

In Part II, Sadly, No! brings us the even more terrifying vision of robots bred to worm their way up the human colon.

As if the idea of colonoscopies didn't sound uncomfortable enough, now researchers are developing self-propelling probes that crawl inside the colon and grip its sides with the aid of sticky films.

Still, these slithery devices could lead to better, safer, more comfortable colonoscopies to help uncover cancerous polyps.

Or it could lead to all of our deaths at the hands of irate microscopic colon invaders. Take your pick.