Apr 25 2009 Red Rover, Red Rover: Glowing Puppies
Created in the same fashion as the glowing kitties we posted way back in December, 2007, scientists have bred transgenic (expressing a gene from another, unrelated organism) puppies that glow red under UV light. I don't want one. Ain't no devil dog livin' in this house!
A team led by Byeong-Chun Lee of Seoul National University in South Korea created the dogs by cloning fibroblast cells that express a red fluorescent gene produced by sea anemones.
Greg Barsh, a geneticist at Stanford University who studies dogs as models of human disease, says creating a transgenic dog is "an important accomplishment", showing that cloning and transgenesis can be applied to a wide range of mammals."I do not know of specific situations where the ability to produce transgenic dogs represents an immediate experimental opportunity," Barsh adds. But transgenic dogs will give researchers another potential tool to understand disease.
Eh, I thought it was so you wouldn't kick your dog on the way to the kitchen for a midnight snack. I don't know about this whole disease bit. Which reminds me: any of you good at identifying rashes? I can send pics.
Hit the jump for what the puppies look like when they're not glowing. Except the middle one, the middle one isn't a glower.
Apr 23 2009 Uh-Oh: Doctor Claims He Can Clone Humans
Just look at all those cute little babies. Really makes you consider wearing a condom next time, doesn't it? Yeah it does. Anyway, Dr. Panayiotis Zavos, a controversial fertility doctor, claims he's gonna be cloning humans within two years.
[The] doctor has claimed he cloned 14 human embryos and transferred 11 of them into women's wombs. Dr Panayiotis Zavos carried out the work at a secret laboratory thought to be in the Middle East.
"Dr Zavos saw vigorous growth in 30 cell embryos before he transferred them into the womb and that is why he is optimistic that a human clone baby will be born within two years," he said."This has reached an advanced stage and is potentially a viable form of infertility treatment."
The article goes on to discuss the ethics of a woman who wants her 10-year old daughter, who died in a car crash, cloned. Which, wow, sounds like the worst idea I've heard all morning. Seriously -- and I had an offer to go play in traffic. No, when it comes to cloning, there's one very simple rule: dinosaurs only.
Could Cloning Bring Dead Girl Back To Life? [skynews]
Thanks to jigga, Thumperchica and Christina, who all want GW clones but I told them no. I've seen Multiplicity! Okay, I haven't -- but I did see the commercial where the dumb one tries to stick pizza in his wallet.
Apr 14 2009 Worth $500K?: The Human Regenerator
The Human Regenerator is a $553,400 piece of monkey shit that's supposed to make you live longer or something. Personally, I think it looks suspiciously like Superman's tanning bed of solitude.
The Human Regenerator is a Quantum-Pulse-Device that imitates and generates the cellular body's natural frequencies ranging between 0.0005 and 38,000 Hz.
Through intensive treatment with the body's own healthy frequencies, the organism is regenerated in a natural way. This process is enhanced by specially treated silicium and aluminum depots, which with the help of right spinning protos have an anti-aging effect.Furthermore, longitudinal waves are used as a filter to create more human-like waves, therefore adding pure positive energy to the body.
Very convincing technology there. Unfortunately, only 50 of the devices are being made, and "will be offered to a small circle of prominent figures of our time." But if you showed up with $500K, I guarantee you could get one. And also, maybe some hooker action. Which, let's be realistic, will do a lot more for you than Quatum-Cell-Coding ever will -- provided you wrap it up. Otherwise, cooties bro.
Thanks to Mushishi, who's also selling a cellular regenerator that looks suspiciously like a microwave oven with no door.
Mar 31 2009 Ooh, Scienc-y: Video Of AIDS Spreading
No, it's not unprotected sex, it's a video showing how an infected AIDS cell spreads the disease to other, healthy cells. It's the first time the process has ever been caught on video, and scientists hope the information will help in the search for a cure.
The study was made possible after experts created a molecular clone of infectious HIV and inserted a protein into its genetic code which glows green when exposed to blue light.
They noted that when an infected cell came into contact with a healthy one, a bridge was created between them, called a virological synapse."We should be developing vaccines that help the immune system recognise proteins involved in virological synapse formation and antiviral drugs that target the factors required for synapse formation."
Hey, whatever helps find a cure. I can't wait till we wipe out all these STDs and then the only thing you have to get worry about is getting a girl pregnant. Which, at least for me, is no concern -- I have a laptop on my balls 10 hours a day!
Scientists film HIV spreading for first time [telegraph]
Thanks to Joemo, who once got a whole women's volleyball team pregnant just by attending a game.
Mar 24 2009 British Scientists Producing Synthetic Blood
Apparently British scientists are ahead of everyone else in the race to produce a synthetic blood supply using stem cells. Go you, Britain, here's a teacake.
Because stem cells multiply indefinitely, it would be possible to enormous quantities, researchers said.
The cells can be made from universal donor embryos - the O-negative type - and can be guaranteed to be free of infections because they have never been inside a human.The idea of destroying embryos to create stem cells raises ethical issues, but in theory, just one embryo could meet the nation's needs.
Stem cells aside, I think the real issue is this: if synthetic blood is so readily available, how are we going to track the vampire population? I've seen Blade, those bastards are crafty. I suggest we start culling the herd now before it's too late. And speaking of culling -- I'll take care of Edward, you get the rest.
British scientists on course to become the first to produce synthetic human blood [dailymail]
Thanks to phuzzygish, who one made some pretty believable synthetic blood with corn syrup and food coloring.
Mar 10 2009 Obama Reverses Stem Cell Research Policy
Obama, in a pow-pow-power move, signed an executive order (I need a pad of those) yesterday that has " cleared the way for a significant increase in federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research". Now I don't even know what that means, but I do want to clone my dog. And also, grow a tail.
"Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident," Obama declared.
Obama signed the executive order on the divisive stem cell issue and a memo addressing what he called scientific integrity before an East Room audience packed with scientists. He laced his remarks with several jabs at the way science was handled by former President George W. Bush."Promoting science isn't just about providing resources, it is also about protecting free and open inquiry," Obama said. "It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient especially when it's inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology."
Well rooty tooty, fresh and fruity! Maybe scientists will finally be able to unlock the secret of my seductive pheromones. Here -- lick my armpit. You taste that? It's called gin, and I sweat it. You ever made love to a man that smells like a pine tree? It's coniferous.
Obama reverses Bush-era stem cell policy [msnbc]
Thanks to Ryan, who is a huge proponent of both twig and branch cell research.
Feb 18 2009 Sure, Why Not?: Rechargeable Solar Batteries
You know what I hate? Rhubarb. Never liked it. Also, when batteries die. Or a beloved family pet. *sniff* Focus, GW, focus. BAAAAAATTERIES!
Designed by Knut Karlsen, the SunCats are basically a set of old NiMH rechargeable batteries wrapped in a flexible Photo Voltaic cell created by the Institute for Energy Technology. When the batteries are drained, you simply leave them sitting in a windowsill or anywhere with ample sunlight and they'll recharge themselves.
Unfortunately, the batteries are slow as hell to recharge. I'm talking like light-years here. Psyche -- light-years are a measure of distance, not time! But the batteries do take forever to charge. I wasn't lying about that. But I was lying when I said I love you. I just wanted to see what color underwear you were wearing.
SunCat Solar Batteries [ohgizmo]
Aug 26 2008 Awesome: Woman Makes Cheap Solar Cells With Pizza Oven, Nail Polish, Inkjet Printer
Nicole Keupper, the hottie scientist seen above, somehow managed to make cheap solar cells with a pizza oven, nail polish, and inkjet printers. The feat won her two Australian Eureka Prizes, Australia's top science award, and, possibly, something to do with vacuums. Anyway, there's hope that the new cheap solar cells will make renewable energy a reality for developing and developed countries alike. And while I couldn't find out exactly how the cells are made, I have a pretty good idea. First, Nicole does her nails -- something to attract attention, but not too whorish, a subtle pink. Next, she gobbles a large cheese pizza, possibly with mushrooms and black olives. Lastly, she prints a solar cell. Now am I a scientist or what? Huh? Yes, it's a butcher's coat. No, I couldn't get a real lab coat because they started locking the chemistry building after dark. Something about "some asshole stealing lab coats". Hey, I can't help it if I look good in white.
Australian student fashions solar cells out of nail polish as only MacGyver could [dvice]
May 27 2008 Solar-Powered Speedboat Looks Good To Me
This is allegedly the world's first solar-powered speedboat, the Dutch-built Czeers MK1. The 33-foot aquatic transportation device is capable of doing about 30 knots (~35 MPH) and is powered entirely from energy generated from its 14 square meters of photovoltaic cells. No word on cost, but who cares, I definitely couldn't afford one (if you think you could though we should be totally be friends). So, you think it'll make an appearance in the next Bond flick? I sure hope not -- I'd hate to see it destroyed in one way or another. But what I wouldn't hate to see is the return of Pussy Galore. Unless they insisted on using the original actress from Goldfinger (Honor Blackman, 82). If I saw Bond hitting that in the theater I'd gouge my eyes out with the straw from a $6 soda. Actually, forget about Galore, they should just try to get her granddaughter, Snatch Abunch.
A bunch of close-ups of the boat after the jump.
UPDATE: Horrible quality video with an allegedly awesome soundtrack added.
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May 8 2008 Mouse Coat Created, Raises Ethical Questions
The Museum of Modern Art in New York recently had this installation, "Victimless Leather", on display. It's a coat made out of mouse embryonic stem cells. However, after just a month the coat was too large to continue growing in its flask and had to be killed. Now the creator of the exhibit doesn't know know how to feel about it.
I've always been pro-choice and all of a sudden I'm here not sleeping at night about killing a coat...That thing was never alive before it was grown.
This is almost certainly going to open a whole new can of whoop-ass worms on the ethics and moral dilemmas associated with experiments and art of this nature. Perhaps the most important of which is, "It's totally straight to shrink ray your kids so they fit in little mouse coats, right?"
Jan 29 2008 NEC Flask Phones Contain Delicious Fuel
Want a see-through phone? Do you want it to run on liquid fuel? Do you want it available in a variety of pastel colors to suit your wardrobe? If so then NEC has the phone for you. Introducing the Flask Cell Phone! Featuring a transparent design with a touchscreen surface on one side, you can monitor your fuel usage (speculatively ethanol) by how much liquid is remaining in the device. When it runs out your phone won't work anymore, simple as that. NEC says they'll be shipping out sometime this year, so we'll see what happens. I'll be first in line, I don't care if the damn thing is pink. They claim the contents aren't for human consumption, but I know better than that. They just have to say that to keep the lightweights from drinking all that good cell phone juice inside. It'll f*** you up! No seriously, it will. For life.
A picture of the front of the phones after the jumparoo.
Continue Reading " NEC Flask Phones Contain Delicious Fuel "
