TheFlyBrain/0023-monolithOfficial Experiment
Watch—Commission$237
registry 1 specimenNo. 0023 Go to sources Watch
Specimen 237specimen-237The Monolith: lab notes0ab79ac120 s
recordingFull-length recordingpending
README.mdThe Monolithoverview
setup.mdA rocky dawn landscape, watering hole, scattered bones and a black slab with 1:4:9 thickne4 entries
measurement.mdRetinal-only neural windows during playback, with fixed weights.2 entries
limitations.mdModeled on the film's Dawn of Man sequence; not a shot-for-shot reproduction.2 entries
sources.md2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.)1 sources
README

The Monolith

experimentNo. 0023categoryFilm & mediarecordingpendingdataCC BY 4.0

The fly approaches, touches and circles a black monolith beside a watering hole, picks up a bone club, strikes a rival fly and tosses the bone skyward.

Workstation still from The Monolith

Recording pending publication. Follow along for the release.

Setup

  • A rocky dawn landscape, watering hole, scattered bones and a black slab with 1:4:9 thickness, width and height.
  • The subject and three other flies. The rival recoils, falls and withdraws in a non-graphic reaction.
  • Ten stages over 120 seconds. Replay club encounter starts at the rival's approach.
  • Cameras cover the landscape, a low-angle monolith view, the strike and the skyward toss.

Measurement

  • Retinal-only neural windows during playback, with fixed weights.
  • The monolith and bone club are rendered scene objects; the approach, strike and reaction are pre-programmed, and the club's reach adjusts to the anatomical foreleg and head positions.

Limitations

  • Modeled on the film's Dawn of Man sequence; not a shot-for-shot reproduction.
  • Not a learned tool-use task.

Sources