Great: Scientists Genetically Modify Giant Mutant Ants

ORIGINAL IMAGE REMOVED AT REQUEST OF OWNER. Google image search "super soldier ants" to see the actual thing.

inb4 I for one welcome our new picnic ruining overlords.

Scientists dabbling in ant genes (me? I only dribble in my Levi's) have found a way to turn normal soldier ants into "supersoldiers" with giant f***ing heads and pincers by activating the ancient genetic trait with a special hormone. You know, because that's exactly we need. Starship Troopers here we come!

Authors Dr Rajendhran Rajakumar, from McGill University, Canada, and colleagues wrote: 'We uncovered an ancestral development potential to produce a novel supersoldier subcaste that has been retained throughout a hyperdiverse ant genus that evolved 35 to 60 million years ago.'

The results suggest that holding on to ancestral development toolkits may play an important role in evolving new physical traits, say the researchers.

Well damn, Dr. Rajakumar, you think you could have dumbed that down a little? I'm not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box if you know what I mean. Do you know what I mean? I mean I'm a colored pencil the box didn't come with one of those sharpeners on the back. Oh great, now I'm melting in the sun.

Welcome to a brave new world: Genetic scientists create freakish man-made monster ants with huge heads and jaws [dailymail]

Thanks to Davey, Nick W, JoeLickASac, Turbo Dave and Seb, who have every intention of riding one of these things into battle.

• What Could Go Wrong???: Malaysia Releases 6,000 Mutant Mosquitoes To Combat Disease

  February 1, 2011

  Mosquitoes: they nasty. And now Malaysia has genetically modified a strain of all-males that are supposed to produce young that die soon after birth and released them into the wild with the hope they'll help reduce Dengue fever outbreaks. *plugging in bug-zapper and crackin' o... / Continue →
• Dammit Mother Nature, WTF?: Flies With Scorpion Tails

  September 11, 2012

  Because everybody deserves to have nightmares, here's a common scorpionfly (thankfully not that common around here -- I hope). It's a fly with a scorpion-looking tail. But -- BUT -- the end of the tail isn't actually a stinger, it's its pecker. Tehehehe! Scientific Name: T... / Continue →
• Evil Scientists Engineer Deadlier Version Of Bird Flu

  November 29, 2011

  Because what good is science if you can't use it to kill a whole lot of people, evil doctors have successfully genetically modified the avian flu to be much, much deadlier. *coughing* OH GOD I HAVE IT, DON'T I?! I have been peeing a lot of blood... Inside a Dutch medical fa... / Continue →