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Gene editing can end disease and fight global famine
We're looking at the single greatest advancement in genetics since Mendelev started growing peas. CRISPR-Cas9 gene-modification technology is powerful enough to cure humanity's worst diseases, yet simple enough to be used by amateur biologists. You thought 3-D printers and the maker movement were going to change the world? Get ready for a new kind of tinkerer -- one that wields gene-snipping scissors.
Take revenge on infuriating flies with FlyOut for iOS
Flyout for both iPhone and iPad is a free game that's all about killing flies -- many different kinds of very annoying flies. The good news is that you get to kill them with all sorts of wonderful devices. The aim of the game is to kill as many flies as possible, wave by wave, without letting any survive. Things start off relatively easily with a slow wave of normal flies. You're equipped with a fly swatter to get the business done. However, things rapidly get more challenging with fast, sturdy flies who require multiple zaps and quick strikes. Fortunately, your arsenal improves with a machine gun, rocket launcher, bug spray, and my personal favorite, the say-hello-to-my-little-friend minigun! Annihilating the pesky flies is quite satisfying. However, there are some annoying ads in the game, which can be zapped by a small, one-off in-app purchase. The game is entirely playable if you don't make the purchase. When first launching the FlyOut it asks for your Facebook and Twitter account information, but you can dismiss that request without consequence. Regardless, if you've ever been infuriated by a fly, FlyOut will let you serve justice.
Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth
Call us crazy, but we're guessing one Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford has been watching just a wee bit too much Fringe. Gero here, along with a few of his over-anxious colleagues, has seemingly figured out a way to actually write memories onto a fruit fly's brain using only a laser pen and three-fourths of a Ouija board. We know what you're thinking, and we're thinking the same. But all terrifying thoughts aside, what if boffins could burn memories of hard lessons learned into our minds without us having to suffer through them first? You know, like upgrading to Snow Leopard.
The Professor: Cellphone mind control, robotic fly eyes, lab-on-a-chip meets papercraft
The Professor rounds up a handful of interesting and informative gadget-related science stories from the week and presents them in an easily digestible liquid form. Having trouble keeping your fingers, thumbs, or eyeballs on the pulse of modern science? Do you find yourself in the throes of panic due to misunderstandings in molecular goings-on? Did the latest aircar, split atom, or robotic insectoid go buzzing over your head before you had time to ready a response? Don't worry friends, The Professor is here to help. Though not an actual scientist, professor, or even a college graduate, he can help guide you through the cascading, complicated, and spasmodic visionary vistas of human invention and achievement as smoothly as a hot knife descending into softened butter.
