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Behold: The power of watching pros play video games
Awesome Games Done Quick is a yearly charity event starring the gaming industry's best and brightest speedrunners -- people who play games very well, with truly superhuman quickness. This January after 160 hours of live streaming on Twitch (a live video service dedicated to gaming), Awesome Games Done Quick raised $1.58 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Yep, people playing video games on camera raised nearly $1.6 million to help fight cancer. Sometimes, the world can be a great place.
Awesome Games Done Quick concludes with more than $1 million raised
The Awesome Games Done Quick marathon, where speedrunners solicit donations for charity while blazing through video games as fast as they can (only pausing to get engaged) has concluded. This year, the event has raised more than $1 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, with donations still being accepted and a themed Humble Bundle still available for purchase (though at time of publication, that bundle will only be available for a few more hours). The Games Done Quick Twitter account announced the good news early Sunday morning, quoting a figure of "over $1.1 million," but that number has since climbed to nearly $1.3 million (as of this writing). For comparison, the Awesome Games Done Quick 2013 marathon raised $1,031,189. We said it then and we'll say it again: good job, internet. [Image: Awesome Games Done Quick]
The UK will decode the genes of 100,000 people to help fight cancer
The UK is about to launch one of the more ambitious attempts at using genetic research to fight cancer and other nasty diseases. The National Health Service's England branch plans to collect and sequence the genomes of 100,000 people in hopes of understanding both how DNA affects these sicknesses (such as gene-specific causes or symptoms) and what doctors can do to test and treat patients. The strategy will see the NHS run 11 specialized Genomic Medicine Centres across England, with more due in the future. So long as everything goes smoothly, the first recruits will sign up in February.
Lens-free microscope lets almost anyone spot cancer
High-powered microscopes are useful for spotting cancer and other diseases in cells, but they're expensive and complicated. Your local physicians probably won't have a microscope on hand, and you'll probably need at least some skill to use one. However, UCLA scientists have developed a lens-free microscope that could put this tissue scanning power in the hands of many more people. The device creates a holograph-like image of your sample using a CCD or CMOS sensor (like that from your camera) to detect shadow patterns cast by a light source, and reconstructs them in software to present what you'd actually see. The result is a microscope that's just as effective as its conventional optical brethren, but should also be much cheaper and simpler.
Tale of terminal illness That Dragon, Cancer funded
Joel Green, the 5-year-old boy who inspired the game That Dragon, Cancer may have passed, lost to the illness that plagued him, but his tale will be told on PC, Mac and Ouya thanks to the financial support of backers on Kickstarter. Developer and father Ryan Green and his team not only reached their goal of $85,000, but pushed beyond it in the campaign's final days, eventually closing this week with $104,491 raised. This means that every backer of That Dragon, Cancer on Kickstarter will receive a high-resolution, digital copy of the poster that hangs in the nursery of the Green family's young daughter, Zoe. The poster features Joel's fingerprints representing leaves on trees, and a text balloon that reads, "Thank you for giving me life." You can see the poster in full after the break. Joystiq's Jess Conditt recently interviewed Green about the game's progress and how it's changed since its initial vision, and a documentary called Thank You For Playing, due in 2015, will also help share the story of how Joel's short life made such a big impact.
That Dragon, Cancer dad, devs push on after tragedy
That Dragon, Cancer tells the real-life story of Joel Green, a young boy fighting terminal cancer, placed in a low-poly, point-and-click world. There are no puzzles in the game, only daily activities haunted by an unseen monster silently shaping the lives of Joel and his family. Joel's father, Ryan Green, is developing the game alongside Josh Larson and a handful of contributors. That Dragon, Cancer includes personal notes and stories from the Green family, describing their pain, joy, hope and despair as the story progresses and Joel's health continues to decline. In March, after battling cancer for four years, Joel died at the age of 5. The game must go on. Ryan Green, Josh Larson and the That Dragon, Cancer team are pushing forward with development, gathering funding from investors and today launching a Kickstarter campaign seeking $85,000 to help finish the game. That Dragon, Cancer has the financial support of Indie Fund – up to $50,000 – if it needs it and if the campaign is successful. This all means the game is delayed from its 2014 launch window, but when it does launch, it will do so on Ouya and Steam (PC and Mac) simultaneously. It was previously designed as an Ouya exclusive, but the micro-console maker is allowing a side-by-side PC premiere as a show of support for the developers, who wish to get That Dragon, Cancer in front of as many people as possible.
Google is tackling cancer diagnosis next, with magnetic nanoparticles
Google X is always looking for the next moonshot. The semi-secretive lab where the company has tested everything from self-driving cars, to internet broadcasting balloons has had a real fixation on health and longevity recently. The latest project involves using tiny nanoparticles that patrol the body looking for early signs of cancer or other diseases. Basically the particles, which would be just a thousandth of the size of a red blood cell, would be designed to bind to specific cells or proteins. One of the suggested delivery methods is to swallow a particle-packed pill. A magnetic wearable would then attract and count the particles, hopefully delivering an early warning to doctors. Andrew Conrad, head of the Life Sciences team at the Google X, revealed the project at The Wall Street Journal's WSJD Live conference. He said that he hopes this will provide a one-stop-shop for medical testing eventually, but acknowledged that we're probably about five years off from any serious implementation.
SpeedRunners recruits YouTubers to help fight cancer
SpeedRunners, a PC game about superheroes racing one another, is now a game about YouTubers racing one another - or at least it is for the duration of a week starting on Monday, October 20, when developer DoubleDutch Games and publisher tinyBuild host the "King of Speed" tournament. "A couple of months ago we had this idea. The idea that cancer sucks. And we should do something about it, with speed and running," an email to Joystiq from tinyBuild states. "SpeedRunners became popular in large part because of YouTubers. Why not put them in the game and create a charity campaign?" To that end, eight YouTube personalities have been adapted to the SpeedRunners world and divided into two teams of four. Each team will sell as a DLC pack for $2.99. Once the King of Speed tournament is underway, player wins will accrue under their respective team's banner. The team with the most wins, well ... wins. The entirety of the winning team's DLC sales will be donated to fighting cancer, while 30 percent of all DLC will go toward the cause as well. If you don't want to play as any of the YouTube personalities but still want to help push a team to victory, playing as either SpeedRunner or The Falcon will also count toward the tournament tallies for their respective team. To see who's on which team, check out the full list after the break:
Google teams with researchers to store and crunch cancer data
Healthcare is the new black, and Google has waded into the fray with projects like Helpouts and smart contacts. Now, its Research at Google arm will team with a think tank called the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) to create the Cancer Genomics Cloud. The $6.5 million project will migrate massive amounts of data from the Cancer Genome Atlas to the Google Cloud platform, giving cancer researchers around the world a common database to work with. Google will also provide the compute power needed to analyze the massive datasets. Though genome studies have provided a huge boost to cancer research, they've excluded many smaller institutions that don't have large processing clusters. ISB said the new cloud will "democratize" the field by opening it up to more researchers and making collaboration just a Hangout away. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Play Ms. Pac-Man on iOS in October and help fight breast cancer
Want to fight breast cancer using your iPhone or iPad? Bandai Namco is making it as easy as downloading a new in-game map for one of the company's many Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man titles from the App Store in the month of October. The new maze is priced at US$0.99 and all proceeds go directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The download -- called "The Hope Maze" -- is shaped like the iconic pink ribbon of breast cancer awareness, and can be downloaded on any of the following Pac Man titles: Pac-Man Ms. Pac-Man Pac-Man Lite Ms. Pac-Man Lite Ms. Pac-Man for iPad Ms. Pac-Man for iPad Lite
Nano 'missiles' help kill cancer through the power of green tea
Many will tell you that green tea is good for your health, but researchers at Singapore's A*STAR might just make it a literal life-saver. They've developed nanoscale drug delivery "missiles" that use a key ingredient from green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), to kill cancer tumors more effectively. Compounds based on EGCG both shield the drug carriers from your immune system and provide some therapy of their own; in other words, these hunters are more likely to reach tumors and do a better job of healing your body when they arrive. They're also less prone to accumulating in organs where they aren't wanted, so there are fewer chances of nasty side effects. It's not certain when these tea-based transporters will be available to your doctor, but A*STAR's team is determined to make them a practical reality before long. [Top image credit: Shutterstock / Africa Studio]
Yogurt bacteria could replace colonoscopies for cancer detection
Let's face it: colonoscopies are pretty unpleasant. But what if you could eat a spoonful of yogurt to check for cancer rather than enduring that procedure? MIT professor Sangeeta Bhatia is working on engineered bacteria that detects colorectal cancer. After the nanoparticles pass through the digestive system, a urine sample shows results on a reactive paper -- similar to that of a pregnancy test. In addition to being much less invasive, the high-powered yogurt method doesn't require a lab full of equipment, making it an attractive alternative for poor locales. Here's to hoping scientists figure out a better way to get through a root canal next. [Photo credit: Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images]
Here's how doctors will test Apple's new patient tracking features
Apple briefly hinted last week that hospitals would soon try out HealthKit's patient tracking technology, and we now know how those experiments are going to work. According to Reuters, both Duke University and Stanford University are weeks away from launching trial programs that will let doctors monitor vital stats with patients' permission. In the Stanford test, young Type 1 diabetes sufferers will carry both an iPod touch and a smart glucose meter to keep tabs on their blood sugar levels. There are fewer details surrounding Duke's pilot, but it will track the blood pressure and weight of those with cancer or heart disease.
Reseachers are testing a breathalyzer for cancer
For doctors, catching lung cancer can be tricky even on a good day. That's why a new study presented in front of the European Respiratory Society in Munich today seems so titillating: you see, researchers may have figured out a way to detect lung cancer in patients just by measuring the temperature of their breath.
Researchers working on nanobots that directly attack tumors to cure cancer
For all the advancements we've made with technology and medicine, a cure for cancer still eludes us. But maybe that's because we haven't enlisted nanoparticles to attack tumors just yet. New research from the University of California's Davis Cancer Center, spotted by PhysOrg, suggest that could be a reality sometime soon. By attaching a tumor-recognition module to a nanorobot, doctors would be able to both diagnose a cancerous growth and inject drugs directly into the carcinoma. This would effectively target only the malignant cells and leave the surrounding areas unharmed -- taking things a few steps further than, say, the nanodiamonds we've heard of. It's a stark contrast to how chemotherapy treatment typically works, too, which is a blanket attack on all of a certain type of cell that often inflicts as much collateral damage as it does good. Who knows, a world where cancer patients don't have their hair or bone marrow destroyed during treatment might not be too far off after all. [Image credit: Shutterstock / StockLite]
Researchers want to flood your body with disease-detecting diamonds
Forget the age-old cliché: diamonds might soon be a cancer researcher's best friend, too. One of the real rubs in cancer screening is trying to detect breakaway tumor cells before they spread too far, causing the cancer to metastasize throughout the body. There's where a young biotech company called Bikanta comes in: the team has started to use fluorescent nanodiamonds -- basically a dust of crushed, imperfect diamonds -- to help ferret out those tiny, troublesome proto-tumors before they get a chance to spread.
Samsung issues 'deep apology' over illnesses and deaths of factory workers
Samsung has admitted it didn't respond quickly enough to deal with illnesses and deaths of workers at its Korean semiconductor plants, Yonhap News reports. Following a string of recent accidents at its manufacturing facilities and an ongoing dispute over hazardous working conditions, which may have caused over fifty employees to contract leukemia and other incurable diseases, Samsung CEO Kwon Oh-hyun has gone on record to issue an official apology. "We should have settled the issue earlier," admitted Kwon. "We are deeply heartbroken that we failed to do so and express our deep apology." In a bid to put things right, Samsung says it will employ a third party to "make due compensation" to victims and their families. The company also intends to bring in a outside agency to conduct health and safety inspections of its chip plants to stop similar incidents from occurring in the future.
This smartphone app can detect skin cancer
You can already use your smartphone to do things like hail a pimp ride home or order an artisan pizza, obviously the next step is cancer detection, right? Researchers at the University of Houston think they've created a smartphone app that can detect melanoma even better than your doctor. Called DermoScan, the app works by taking a photo of your odd-shaped mole, and then analyzing it to determine if it might be cancerous. Initial testing found that DermoScan was able to identify skin cancer roughly 85 percent of the time, making it just as effective as visiting a dermatologist and even better at diagnosing melanoma than the average primary care physician. Don't head over to the app store just yet. The app requires a special $500 magnifying glass to make the magic happen -- not exactly more cost effective than a trip to the old MD.
Longest Journey voice actor seeking help for medical bills
Sarah Hamilton, the voice of The Longest Journey protagonist April Ryan, is currently raising funds via GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills. Hamilton, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2002 and Stage 2 parotic gland cancer 18 months later, recently had part of her spine fused - unfortunately, the cost of the procedure has caused an uptick in stress, which in turn caused Hamilton to experience a relapse of MS symptoms. "So what is my opportunity here?" Hamilton wrote on her GoFundMe page. "It's to acknowledge that I need help. Help with my bills. Once I am given the go ahead to go back to work it will be part time, and in conjunction with all my regular bills I won't be able to pay my previous doctors bills let alone my new ones. I also acknowledge how so very grateful I am for being allowed the time to get well and for having those around me who love me. Yet I need help. And if you are able to do so I would be so grateful to all of you for the rest of my healthy life." Hamilton is seeking $13,800. As of this writing, she has raised $2,916. [Image: Sarah Hamilton]
Oculus Rift helps terminally ill woman take one last stroll in the sun
A terminally ill woman has reminded us of the limitless potential for devices like the Oculus Rift beyond just gaming and entertainment. After Roberta Firstenberg's cancer treatments failed last year, she was told she had just a few months to live. That prompted her game artist granddaughter Priscilla ("Pri") to send a moving note to the Oculus Rift support team, who quickly decided to send a dev unit. Using the 3D headset, Roberta was able to experience mobility again with the Tuscany Villa demo, complete with virtual trees, stairs and butterflies. She was even able to see her younger self and a beloved, deceased pet via a fortuitous Google Street View snap -- which inspired another idea.
