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Harvard, Princeton researchers developing implantable "biocomputers"
Researchers at Harvard and Princeton have announced that they've made a "crucial step" in the development of so-called "biocomputers," which could one day be implanted in patients to directly attack diseased cells or tissues Fantastic Voyage-style. According to Physorg, the computers are actually constructed entirely out of DNA, RNA, and proteins, and are able to translate complex cellular signatures like the activities of multiple genes into a form that can be more readily observed. Currently, the researchers have demonstrated that the biocomputers can work in human kidney cells in culture, although they seem confident that they'll eventually find a wind range of uses, including working in conjunction with biosensors or medicine delivery systems to target, for instance, only cancerous or diseased cells, without causing any harm to the patient's healthy cells.
Harvard club gets all snooty about games
The Harvard Crimson has the story about the recently created Harvard Interactive Media Group, a fancy-sounding club that makes talking about video games into a legitimate extracurricular gathering as only the Ivy League can. Member Alexander Li says the group started simply as a way to find more Civilization IV players on campus, but has since split into four scholarly subgroups that all endeavor "to explore the form and impact of interactive media" according to their mission statement.There are plans for an academic review and a theory-soaked colloquium, but not everything is super-serious -- the group managed to attract 100 students to a gaming tournament in March. Nice to see these academic types haven't forgotten that games are meant to be played, not just talked about.Previously: Rhode Island's gaming convention and the college gaming scene
Bill Gates the dropout to receive honorary Harvard degree, will finally be able to do something with his life
Bill Gates, a true inspiration to college dropouts the world over, is about to crown his academic career with the ultimate irony by receiving an honorary degree from Harvard, the very school he ditched his Junior year to get Microsoft going. Harvard is handing him the degree to thank him for doing this year's upcoming commencement speaker gig at the school, as they do for all commencement speakers, and won't announce what the degree is for until then. (Hint: probably not Phys Ed). We haven't the foggiest what Bill Gates will have to say to the youngsters, other than to make fun of them for working hard these past four years while he's been busy earning billions of dollars, getting knighted and even being interviewed on the hallowed pages of Engadget.[Thanks, Motoi]
104 violent deaths per hour in M-rated games, says Harvard study
A group of Harvard brainiacs recently put together a study that attempted to quantify violence, blood, sex, profanity, drugs, and gambling in M-rated games. To do this, the grad students compiled a database of M-rated games, selected a random sample, played each game for at least one hour, and quantified the "mature" content. Among other observations, the study found that gamers witness roughly 104 violent deaths per hour while playing M-rated titles.The report's conclusion: "Parents and physicians should recognize that popular M-rated video games contain a wide range of unlabeled content and may expose children and adolescents to messages that may negatively influence their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors." [via GameBrink]
