WADA
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Anti-doping agency to ban gene editing starting in 2018
Anti-doping agencies are constantly playing whack-a-mole with cheating; new drugs pop up as soon as tests are found for the old ones. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) now says it wants to to crush a new one before it grows into a monster: Gene-editing. Starting next year, the list of banned substances includes "gene editing agents designed to alter genome sequences and/or the transcriptional or epigenetic regulation of gene expression," the agency says.
Hackers doctored anti-doping files before releasing them
The World Anti-Doping Agency wanted Russia banned from the 2016 Olympics for operating a "state-run doping program." In response, hackers, believed to be from the country, breached WADA's systems and published a bunch of athletes' private health files. But now, the drug-testing body has revealed that some of the documents that were leaked to the public weren't actually legitimate.
Russian hackers leak health data from Olympic athletes
A Russian hacker group known as "Fancy Bears" has accessed and leaked medical files from some of the most popular Olympic athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed. Venus and Serena Williams, as well as gymnast Simone Biles, were among the targets. The attack isn't all that surprising, considering that WADA recommended banning all of Russia's Olympic contenders this year after it discovered a long-running state-run doping program. Ultimately, more than 100 Russian athletes were banned from this year's summer Olympics.
Electronic Sports League bans the same drugs as the Olympics
Sorry, everybody, but you can't get high and play Counter-Strike anymore, at least not in the Electronic Sports League. The fledgling pro gaming league announced on Reddit Wednesday that it is adopting the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances for its players. The league had announced it would ban performance enhancing drugs from competition after a team revealed that its members had consumed Adderall prior to a match in March to enhance their ability to focus.
Suda and Wada behind bloodless No More Heroes
A recent announcement that Europe would be getting a bloodless version of No More Heroes didn't go down well with many of our bloodthirsty commenters. At the time, PAL publisher Rising Star Games refused to reveal what was behind the decision, but more light was shed on the omission earlier today, in a joint statement from director Suda51 and producer Yasuhiro Wada (pictured above unsuccessfully trying to give away free toilet roll and autographs on the streets of Akihabara).Turns out that it was Suda and Wada themselves who decided to drop the outrageous levels of gore from the European version, citing the "broadly growing Wii market" in the region.Not that this affects many of you, as the U.S. version still contains plenty of the crimson stuff. Buckets of it, in fact.
Square Enix loves handhelds
Yoichi Wada, head of Square Enix, believes that handhelds are the way to go, at least until the next generation settles down somewhat. Wada told the Financial Times "There is a new breed of gamers in the market – we have to make games for all kinds of people." Which means, of course, the DS. It should be no surprise that the company has a lot of faith in portable systems, since their flagship franchise has moved to the DS. Still, it is a little unusual for Wada to publicly speak against next-gen systems with so many important Square Enix games headed to the PS3. "There are too many specs – and you also need a high-definition TV, a broadband connection and a deep knowledge of gaming – these consoles are mismatched to today's environment. In a year or two years they will fare better."
