Lab Yrinth
by Doug Jacquier
I was in my
lab in Yrinth (the lesser known sister city to
Corinth), being interviewed by Cosimo Politanous,
the alleged ‘science writer’ from the
Yrinth Truth, a tabloid in the Murdokipedes media
empire.
Having hastily
signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement, Cosimo feigned
the ignorance of the innocent enquirer and asked,
“Is it possible, through your work on the
hidden pathways of the brain, to navigate to the
source of a lie and, if so, is it possible to
remove that source, so that no further lies can
be generated?”
Not fooled for
a moment, I poured him a glass of my best ouzo
and jested “If you are asking ‘are we
on the verge of a brain-based version of Google
Maps?’ then the answer has to be ‘no’;
we are still in the realms of mud maps, a concept
with which your newspaper is no doubt familiar.”
Cosimo was
nothing if not nimble and, hoping to catch me off
guard, said “So the rumours that you are on
the verge of being able to re-write the
labyrinthine brain circuits of conspiracy
theorists, politicians and climate deniers for
the benefit of society are untrue?”
I stood to
indicate the interview was over and Cosimo sighed,
downed his ouzo in one gulp, put away his
notebook, and then suddenly pitched face forward
onto my lab bench.
I picked up
the phone, called my assistant, Melina
Megastarkis, and said “Doctor, I have the
newest volunteer for your research, complete with
his signed consent form.”
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