monkeys
Latest
Gene-modified autistic monkeys could lead to a cure for humans
There's little doubt that gene editing could be one of the greatest advances in medical science, since it might let you "turn off" conditions. However, the way you test that editing is another challenge entirely -- and some scientists in China are pushing some boundaries to make it work. They've used genetic engineering to breed over a dozen macaque monkeys with a flawed gene that triggers a rare form of autism in humans. The hope is that researchers can not only study how brains function with this condition, but experiment with treatments that could be useful on people. Ideally, the researchers will use a gene editing system like CRISPR to eliminate the condition outright.
Monkeys may be the first primates to get successful head transplants
Outside of horror and sci-fi flicks, head transplants aren't really viable. What attempts have been made so far usually kill the unfortunate test subjects within a day, and they can't really survive without life support. Researchers at China's Harbin Medical University think they can do better, however. In the wake of hundreds of mouse operations, the scientists are planning to conduct the first primate head transplants where the patient survives on its own for at least a while. The surgery will connect only a fraction of the spinal nerve fibers in the long-tailed macaque monkeys going under the knife, but it should be enough to maintain voluntary muscle movement and other crucial functions.
US officials say monkey selfies can't be copyrighted (because it had to be said)
Here's a friendly tip for all wildlife photographers out there: don't let mischievous monkeys (and other jungle animals) push the shutter button in your stead. The U.S. Copyright Office just released a new public draft of its compendium of practices, and in it, the agency clearly states that it will only recognize original works created by human beings. This new section's first example of works it cannot register? "A photograph taken by a monkey," alluding to the controversial simian selfies that took the internet by storm weeks ago. People have been debating whether photographer David Slater actually owned the right to those images (a couple of which you can see above) since the camera-loving black crested macaque -- or Macaca nigra, a critically endangered species -- used the equipment he set up. Slater even made plans to bring Wikimedia to court for refusing to take those pictures off the website, which he claims has been robbing him of much-needed royalties.
Zodiac Dodge asks you to save a monkey from a familiar Mario enemy
If you thought Flappy Bird was ripping off Super Mario Brothers, you're going to throw your iPhone down in rage when you play Zodiac Dodge. The game's premise is simple, but well executed; users control a monkey across a circular 3D isometric board. Your job is to grab as many bananas as possible before a swarm of bullets gun you down. For the sake of accuracy, lets call these bullets "Bill." The action comes fast and furious, with the average game time lasting just a few seconds until you get the hang of things. Even then my best time was only around one minute of playing. What's frustrating is I can't blame my low score on cruddy controls. Moving is tight and responsive. I'm just awful at dodging this hail of living bullets. While its difficultly is punishing, the addition of health power-ups keeps Zodiac Dodge from feeling unfair. There are even handy clocks that pop up from time to time that slow down the pace of the bullets. "Bullet time" if you will. Of course they wouldn't call it that and risk copyright infringement, so they've called it Matrix instead. Obviously there are other players who are mastering the game. Thanks to the included leaderboards I know there's at least one person out there who has managed to score 59,800 points. With such simple game play mechanics it would be easy to write this one off as a quick burner game, but then you discover the game's included achievements and get sucked right back in. Currently there are only 10 achievements to be unlocked, but if developer Maple Syrup Games is smart they'll add more in a future update. Zodiac Dodge is a great choice for your kid's iPod touch before a long car trip. The bright graphics are colorful and its platforming action has the charm of a brutal arcade classic. The latest update introduced a graphics upgrade, so it seems like the developers are committed to improvement. I'm still trying to figure out what the zodiac has to do with the title, but it doesn't really matter. There's a monkey out there that needs my help dodging bullets. Until he's safe, the stars can wait. You can find Zodiac Dodge right now for free in the iTunes Store.
Researchers fake sense of touch in monkey brains, hope to build a better prosthetic
Medical prosthetics have come a long way in recent years, but with a few exceptions, artificial limbs still lack the tactility of their fleshy counterparts. Scientists at the University of Chicago are looking to plug those sensory gaps by researching how to simulate touch sensations within the brain, via electrical impulses. By implanting electrodes into the area of the brain that governs the five senses, scientists used electrical stimulation to artificially create feelings of touch and pressure in test monkeys. The Phoenixes posit that this could increase the dexterity of upper-limb neuroprosthetics without extensive patient training and that this is an important step toward restoring touch to those who've lost it, like those with spinal cord injuries. While the scientists realize these operations require incredibly invasive surgery, they believe the procedure's potential could eventually justify the risk for those who don't have other options.
JPL's RoboSimian flexes its robot muscles, haunts your nightmares (video)
Not content on landing several rovers on the surface of Mars, NASA's JPL team's been working on more earthly projects. RoboSimian is an ape-like robot designed for search-and-rescue missions that's expected to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. It features four multi-jointed limbs with unique hands and no defined front or back -- allowing it to always face the right way. Thanks to its primate-like movement and posture, the robot will be able to navigate over difficult terrain, climb ladders and even drive vehicles (one of the DRC's requirements). While the project itself isn't new, JPL recently published an interesting video that shows RoboSimian gripping tools, lifting its own weight and balancing delicate objects. This means, of course, that robot monkeys will soon join spiders, cats and dogs in your dystopian nightmares. Video after the break.
Monkey Quest goes portable
If you or your children are fond of Nickelodeon's Monkey Quest, you may have run into the unavoidable problem that the game requires you to be home. Like many other games, however, Monkey Quest is hopping on the mobile bandwagon with Monkey Quest: Thunderbow. Available now for the iPhone and iPad, the game stars a specific monkey from the world of Ook, the eponymous Thunderbow, as he seeks to dethrone the evil cat king Zotan. Gameplay is managed in a similar style as the popular Angry Birds games, with the caveat being that Angry Birds doesn't allow you to earn special items and equipment for use in the main Monkey Quest game. Regular updates are planned for the game to help keep players engaged and interested as Thunderbow continues his quest. So if you've got one of the portable devices and your child can't get enough monkey business, it's worth a look. [Source: Nickelodeon press release]
Simulated monkey typing project is the best, blurst of times
Like many great things, Jesse Anderson's latest project was inspired by a classic Simpsons line. Of course, the cartoon didn't come up with the idea of a lot of monkeys sitting around, banging out some of the great works of Western literature. The concept of infinite primates being able to generate Shakespeare predates even The Simpsons' Tracey Ullman days, believe it or not. Anderson used Ubuntu, Hadoop and Amazon EC2, with his simulated monkey creating random data sets. Millions of virtual monkeys (not quite infinite, but still something) are participating in the project. Their outputs were mapped and are checked against all of Shakespeare's work. Not surprisingly, they've still got a ways to go. Looks like the project, like The Simpsons, may have to go on forever.
Zediva puts the brakes on its streaming service, soothes your fears with monkeys
Zediva fought the law and the law shut it down. The unique DVD rental service, sued by the MPAA and Hollywood studios for running afoul of licensing and distribution agreements, has temporarily closed shop. A statement on the outfit's website optimistically refers to the court-ordered injunction as an "intermission," pointing to a hopeful future resumption of operations, and guaranteeing customers a solution for unused credits. The company's promised to fight back against Judge Walter's decision, and is in the process of appealing the ruling that could see it facing a permanent service blackout. We hope for the sake of its "DVD-changing monkeys" that all parties involved can work this out. Make sure to head past the break for Zediva's full explanation.
The Perfect Ten: Phases of pre-launch hysteria
One of my private theories about MMO players -- one I'm now making public -- is that we all have the collective memories of goldfish. It's the only way to explain why we go through the same exact phases each and every time an MMO nears launch, all the while acting as though this has never happened before. In a way, it's kind of cute. You're cute, MMO community! Really, it's just one of those events during which everyone starts rational yet slowly but surely slides down into the multi-colored stomach of hysteria. It's why MMO communities pre-beta tend to be tight, intelligent and excited, but from beta through launch they lose their cool and become a morass of screeching monkeys, flinging poo every which way in a vain effort to be heard above the noise of the zoo. Mind you, I've been one of these monkeys, so I'm not excusing myself from this metaphor. So if you're wondering why the blissful excitement of anticipating a game has fractured under the weight of inconsolable insanity, I'm here to walk you through the 10 phases of how and why this happens for most major MMO launches.
Arcane Brilliance: A friendly introduction to mage crowd control
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Arcane Brilliance for arcane, fire and frost mages. This week, a public service announcement: An open letter to the guy who keeps breaking my sheep: Please stop. Sincerely, Christian P.S. -- Listen. I know it's Christmas and I should probably be doing a puff piece on things I want for my mage for Christmas or something like that. But I Simply can't stay quiet. We wiped 20 times in that heroic Grim Batol run last night, and though I know not everybody who plays this game reads this column, I have to do what I can. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing, or something like that. I know The Burning Crusade happened like two years ago. I'm well aware that there's a distinct possibility you started playing the game during Wrath. Perhaps you either don't remember or don't have any idea what a "Polymorph" is or why it's not in your best interests to immediately begin whacking whatever I just cast it on as hard as you possibly can. I'm willing to allow for ignorance. Mages, I can even understand it when you don't sheep things. Polymorph doesn't do any damage; in fact it heals its target! Why would you want to use a spell that doesn't blow things up when there are so many other delightful spells in your spellbook that do? It seems counter to everything we got into magecraft for. Wrath was a long expansion. For the better part of two years, we spent the majority of our time chain pulling and AoE-farming our way through every instance in sight, concentrating on one thing and one thing only: DPS. Recount gave us a number at the end of every boss fight, and if that number was higher than the warlock's number, we had done a good job. Sure, the fights sometimes had mechanics we needed to pay attention to, but they mostly involved moving from one place to stand and shoot to another place to stand and shoot. We forgot a very important part of our jobs as mages. We forgot how to sheep.
Joe Danger joined by new downloadable characters
With an impeccable, topsy-turvy career of stunt racing behind him, Joe Danger's certainly no chicken -- we've heard that his middle name is "Danger," despite the obvious redundancy. Still, if you insist that Joe "Danger" Danger make a fool out of himself and don a costume of the poultry persuasion, you'll be pleased to learn that Hello Games is introducing "Chicken Joe," along with several new characters, to the PSN's bike bounce-'em-up. You'll be able to download four new characters, who all have access to unique collectables, bikes and stunts, from the PlayStation Store following today's update (and tomorrow's in Europe). "We actually asked the community for suggestions for characters, which has been eye-opening," said Hello Games MD Sean Murray in an announcement. "Apparently monkeys really are as popular as you might think, but zombies are on the wane, which is long overdue ..." Aside from Chicken Joe, the community has conjured up undead knight Sir Bonehead, Geronim-Joe ("We're from the UK," said Hello, "so Indians eating turkey is as far as our understanding of Thanksgiving goes") and, by popular demand, a monkey. If we're not mistaken, the desire to put a monkey on a motorcycle and send it through a cartoonish obstacle course is what prompted Harold Video to invent the Video game in 1987. Joe Danger will be discounted to $7.49 from today's update until next Tuesday's update in the PSN Fall sale. While Hello Games did not confirm whether the new DLC characters will be free, we'll know soon enough. Update: It's $0.99 per costume pack. %Gallery-108126%
The countdown to Fallen Earth's one-year anniversary is on!
One year ago, the post-apocalyptic wasteland entered this world a screaming, healthy baby MMO. It's been a year of highs and lows for Fallen Earth, as Icarus Studios weathered staff cuts while pumping out fixes, patches and a whole new zone. Also, monkeys. Lots and lots of monkeys. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Fallen Earth is inviting players to spend the next week counting down to the launchiversary with eight days of events, giveaways and parties. This will all culminate in a huge in-game celebration, which Icarus Studios is asking players to screenshot the heck out of in exchange for prizes. The company is also excited to announce two changes to its popular Fallen Earth mobile phone app. The basic app is now free of charge (available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices), but Icarus is also offering "premium services" for the one-time charge of $9.99. These special services include starting crafting projects, buying and selling on the auction house, and using the in-game mail system. You can read all of the details on the Mobile App FAQ.
Monkeys and scientists develop persistent "plug and play" control over brain-to-computer interface
While we've seen some pretty amazing things so far with computers jacked into human and monkey brains, systems so far have had to be re-learned each session by their subjects. In a new development, researchers at Berkeley have managed to get their monkeys to develop a "memory" for the controls, and recall them instantly each day. To do this, the scientists kept track of specific neurons from day to day -- a little tough to do, but obviously worth the hassle. It's good news for future brain-to-computer interfaces that will enable the disabled and the truly lazy to perform tasks and kick ass through the mere power of thought, but we're a little afraid of giving these monkeys too much in the way of internet access: the world doesn't need another 4chan.
Julius the Pirate Monkey DS Lite
It's been too long since we last took a sip from China's rum bottle of personalized DS Lites; it's time to get back on that wagon with a buccaneer-themed skin.YYJoy forumer Pikapika shivered our timbers, decorating his handheld with a crossed-cutlasses pattern and Julius the Monkey decked out in full corsair regalia. Now that's piracy we can get behind! Walk the post break plank for more photos of the shipshape DS Lite.
Video Sandwich: August 27, 2006
myFlash = new FlashObject('http://www.gametrailers.com/umremote310.swf', 'swffile', 480, 409, 8); myFlash.altTxt = ''; myFlash.addVariable('umid', 11079); myFlash.write(); Afraid of global warming? Hate seeing gas prices keep on going up? You can blame George W. Bush, but the secret's finally out. This hard-hitting edition of Video Sandwich reveals that every single problem in the US of A is caused by monkeys. Yes. Monkeys. These are no ordinary monkeys, though. They are college educated bionic monkeys that are trying to destroy the world. I have complete faith in our president to stop this evil menace: I mean, imagine how much he's learned due to Brain Age.The heart-stopping news doesn't stop yet, folks. PSP Fanboy revealed recently that PSPs may be used as weapons by terrorists. Well, it looks like I've uncovered one of these terrorists' videos. It shows a scrawny white guy dancing to the music of Loco Roco and is obviously used as a torture device. His awful outfit, and even worse moves, clearly go against all Geneva Convention laws.
