Genetically engineered human kidney cell shoots laser beam

Researchers have engineered a human kidney cell able to produce a directed green laser beam when struck by weak blue light. Don't get your spandex out just yet though -- it might be some years before you're able to shoot lasers out of your eyes.

Implanting DNA from a jellyfish into the cell, Malte Gather and Seok-Hyun Yun of Harvard University set about creating the first 'living' laser, according to the New Scientist. By altering the cell's genetic code, scientists forced the poor ickle bag of cytoplasm and organelles to produce a green fluorescent protein.