twins
Latest
NASA compared twin astronauts to see if space ages the human body
A NASA study that compared two twins, one who finished a nearly year-long mission in space and one who spent that time in Earth, found that most of the dramatic changes that happen to the human body in space aren't permanent. Scott Kelly, who was aboard the International Space Station between 2015 and 2016, experienced many physical and genetic changes that his twin brother and fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, who was back on Earth, did not. But once the Kelly brother who was in space landed, his body gradually returned to normal. Some negative impacts from the mission still linger on Kelly, posing a challenge for scientists as they explore longer space flight, such as travel to Mars.
Police can spot differences between identical twins by melting DNA
Believe it or not, police have a real problem with identifying suspects who are identical twins -- unless you're willing to spend a month sequencing genes, DNA samples are all but useless. They may be far more effective in the future, though, as British researchers have developed a technique that melts DNA to identify what few differences exist. The team has determined that heating genes will break hydrogen bonds that form due to a person's environment and habits. Unless the twins live eerily similar lives, those bonds will snap at different temperature points and quickly identify who's who.
The Daily Grind: Is your character modeled after you?
Earlier this week, we ran a story about someone who made celebrity look-alikes in the Guild Wars 2 character creator. While this ability isn't new, we've reached a point in our MMO technology at which our characters can be tweaked to look more easily identifiable as real, recognizable human beings. With those tools in hand, we may also experiment with our own doppelgangers from time to time, although that may be a little too creepy for some people. So what do you say? Do you regularly, or have you ever created an MMO character in your image? Or do you tend to steer clear of resemblances in favor of creating a character you'd rather be instead? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Daktronics HD-X LED scoreboard coming to Twins' Target Field
You know that ridiculously large HD-X LED scoreboard that keeps tabs on which Arizona Diamondback is up to bat? Yeah, one of those things is coming to Target Field in 2010. Said ballpark is slated to open in under two years in downtown Minneapolis, and Daktronics will be installing a 101- x 57-foot high-def scoreboard (the fourth largest in MLB) that can be "operated as a single giant display or be divided into multiple zones." If you'll recall, this isn't the first gigantic HD scoreboard to be ordered up by a Minnesota-based team, but this particular deal also includes a variety of ribbon boards and a sophisticated out-of-town scoreboard in right-center field that measures 109- x 12-feet. So, any Twins fans jazzed to see their club at the new park? Or are you really just jazzed about the new 'boards?[Thanks, Andrew]
Breakfast Topic: Your doppleganger
I am engaged to Grandmaster Vorpil. I found this out during my first run of Shadow Labyrinth, when I bumped into my fiance, who was not in my party. Fortunately, my confusion kept me from attempting any communication with Vorpil, as he turned out to be somewhat prickly.Of course, just because Vorpil dresses just like my fiance, has the same hair and nearly identical features, does not mean he's exactly the same. Actually, he's a touch more pallid. That's when it was pointed out to me that I very much resemble a cross between Thrall and Drek'thar. Harumphing, I pointed out that the skin was all wrong and that I have an owl. I began to ponder what other famous NPCs look like me (!), or one of my alts. Have you ever bumped into your NPC doppleganger? Furthermore, have you ever met a twin from another realm in a merged battleground? A couple of months ago I found a holy pally with my shield, my hair, my skin, and my name (spelled with inferiority) in Warsong. The moment was definitely eerie.I also cannot help but wonder how Wrath of the Lich King will affect all of this. Will we finally be able to break away from looking like a third of all NPCs of a given race? Will the customization allow us to avoid bumping into ourselves in battlegrounds?
Show and Tell: Gamer babies in the house
We're not sure children really count as gaming gear, but who are we to define the boundaries of a parent's love? Don't worry, Elmer, we're just kidding -- we absolutely approve of your sending us this picture of your twin daughters, which is why we've chosen to feature them in our first edition of Show and Tell. These little dolls are only a year and a half old, and they've already mastered the art of wrangling the handhelds away from their parents ... and from those looks of intense concentration, they're already on their way to becoming serious gamers. The proud papa even sent us a video -- you can check it out after the jump. And just remember, you too can be in this spot, with everyone cooing over your awesome game-related photos and swag. Just take some pictures and send them to showmeit at dsfanboy dot com, and we'll take care of the rest. We've gotten lots of great submissions so far, but we always want more. Thanks again to Elmer and his lovely daughters!
Hands-on with Qool: hip, stylish... qool
We saw a few "Qool" (sorry, we were mandated to get that in) products at CeBIT this year: the QDA "Glider," QDA "Icon," and the Qool "Twins." The Twins come in two different flavors; the Twins 168 is a tri-band dual SIM handset that allows both SIMs to be active at all times. Rolling with CDMA? Then the T178 is for you, with tri-band GSM, plus a CDMA 800 / 1900 / 1X radio all in one set. This is top-shelf stuff if you are a business traveller -- no need to swap between SIMs to check your messages at home and throwing in the dual-purpose CDMA / GSM model does the same for CDMA users. The Glider is a quad-band Windows Mobile device with a sliding keypad, a 195MHz OMAP850 core, 2.8 inch touchscreen, Bluetooth 1.2, WiFi, EDGE data, and a 2 megapixel cam. This is a solid device and we absolutely loved the red backlit touch-controls mounted on the face. The QDA Icon is touted as the world's slimmest PDA phone with a 4 megapixel camera, and as such, it was given props with an Innovations honour at CES. The touchscreen QDA Icon is available in either dual-band GSM 900 / 1800 or 900 / 1900 versions, with the grunt delivered by a 200MHz OMAP730. Sadly, the only data options are Class 10 GPRS, Bluetooth 1.2 and USB -- no EDGE or HSDPA here. %Gallery-2193%
