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Genetically modified mushrooms cleared by the USDA
While the ethical debate rages on about genetically modified human embryos, the United States Department of Agriculture has cleared its first CRISPR-modified organism. CRISPR, in case you've forgotten, is an editing technique that can alter the genome of almost any organism pretty easily. Penn State University's agriculture department used the method on white button mushrooms to include an anti-browning phenotype that reduced the polyphenol oxidase enzyme (turns produce brown when exposed to air) down to about 70 percent effectiveness. Popular Science notes that because CRISPR doesn't use bacteria or viruses to affect the DNA like previous methods have, these 'shrooms aren't considered "plant pests."
Russia bans all of Reddit over a single 'shroom thread
Russia's censoring spree continued on Wednesday when the government's internet agency, the Roskomnadzor, banned the entire Reddit website from Russian access -- all because of a single thread that discussed how to grow psilocybin (aka "magic") mushrooms titled, "Minimal and Reliable Methods for Growing Psilocybe". According to reports from Meduza, the ban came at the behest of Russia's Federal Drug Control Service, which felt that the content promoted discussion of these substances. The government had first sought to ban just the individual threads it found objectionable but, because Reddit uses HTTPS, the only way to eliminate of those threads was to nuke the entire site from orbit (it's the only way to make sure).
Super Smash Bros. hints that Mario's extra lives are clones
Descriptions for items within Super Smash Bros. for 3DS have already discussed Metroid protagonist Samus' inability to crawl. Another meme-referencing bit of text surfaced this week, this time providing a theory for Mario's extra lives. According to the description for 1-Up Mushrooms in the European version of the game provided by NeoGAF user SalsaShark, an extra life means "a whole extra version of you." The bit of text within Super Smash Bros. pondered the meaning of Mario's clones and whether "making more copies of yourself the real goal of any adventure" before imagining "a bunch of Marios getting together to discuss it." The North American version rephrases the same notion, which recalls a video of the double cherry power-up in action in Super Mario 3D World, found after the break. Do you have any favorite Easter eggs from Super Smash Bros. on 3DS? If so, share them with us in the comments! The Wii U version of the game will launch November 21. [Image: Nintendo, Imgur]
The Queue: Mushrooms are pretty gross
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. Just look at those things! Barforama. Unless they're on my pizza. Then they're amazing. Phranklin asked: You posted about that fairy ring in Tirisfal last week ... at least people were calling it a fairy ring. What IS a fairy ring? Is it something that was in Warcraft before?
Mushrooms, planets and Klingons among newest STO screenshots
Today brings three new screenshots from Cryptic's upcoming Star Trek Online. While these crazy space mushroom trees in the ground shot gave us overwhelming "heebie-jeebies" they're beginning to grow on us at a startling rate -- they're almost majestic. The same could be said for this familiar Klingon Empire starship, which appears to be a variant on the Bird of Prey. But don't quote us on that, as our Trek-fu will never be as strong as the fan collective's.This new planet with ring shot is quite possibly the most impressive yet. If the game's visuals continue to increase at this rate until launch, we'll have a built-in incentive for exploration. And while we're certainly expecting some in-game rewards, the sheer beauty of that shot makes us wonder about black holes, quasars, red giants, nebulae and all sorts of wonderful celestial bodies.Hey Cryptic, think you can get a naked singularity or two in the game? We'd be eternally awestruck if you could pull it off.%Gallery-28615%
It's-a Mario World: Mushroom Feast
Commence with the spending frenzy! Black Friday's door-busting sales and no-holds-barred consumer fistfights initiate holiday shopping today, and that means the annual limited-edition Nintendo swag is now being clawed from store shelves. As many of you know, this year is no slouch with two new DS Lite colors, one of which is a phenomenal Mario-red. No cause for alarm; some foaming at the mouth is to be expected. Almost harder to believe is DS Fanboy's current giveaway where one lucky reader will take it home free. The rest of us can bag it at Amazon.com while supplies last.ANYWAYS. We still have a gallery this week amidst all of the excitement. It started out as a series of photographs capturing every possible angle of the aforementioned DS Lite, but that didn't quite work. Instead, being so stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey and delicious pumpkin pie, we couldn't help thinking about what comprises Mario's diet. The short answer? Mushrooms. Lots of them. Seriously, what is it about fungus? Chomp down on our new gallery in which you'll taste a smorgasbord of 'shroom varieties Mario has consumed throughout his career. Yum. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps.
Rock Band Mushroom Drum Pads: nearly too awesome to hit
Until very recently, Rock Band on the Wii was little more than a pipe dream. Still, that didn't stop Jennifer and Vance from whipping up what's likely the hottest Rock Band drum kit mod we've seen to date -- one Mario and friends would unquestionably appreciate. We doubt the shrooms will help those fragile pads resist breakage if you're heavy-handed by nature, but it's entirely likely to make rocking out that much more fun when banging on these guys. Leap on past the break for a video demonstration, and check the read link for lots more pics.
Vote for juvenile Mario humor on Threadless
The problem with gaming shirts is that even when they have fantastic art, they usually also involve some puerile joke. This one on Threadless is no exception! Oh, drug humor. It's a shame, because this artist draws Mario in a unique and cool-looking way, but we'd never wear this particular shirt.Your mileage may vary, however. If you're into this design, you should vote for it at Threadless, because the number of votes will determine whether or not it gets printed. More gaming shirts on Threadless is a good thing, because it'll lead to better ones.[Via GoNintendo]
Around Azeroth: Does this look stable to you?
I've walked across this mushroom bridge in Zangarmarsh (in case you've never been, it leads you to Ango'rosh Stronghold) on more than one occasion. But I have to say that in this screenshot sent in by reader Rick, that mushroom looks like it could fall into the abyss below at any second. I wonder if the ogres of Ango'rosh have to replace their mushroom bridge on a regular basis, as their building material deteriorates. (And, if so, how many ogres are lost because of it?) Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Around Azeroth: A mushroomy sunset
Maybe I haven't spent enough time adventuring in Zangarmarsh (I do seem to jump straight from Hellfire Penninsula into Terokkar Forest on most characters), but I've never seen the sky quite this shade of pink. However, reader Humata of Twisting Nether (EU) managed to snag this impressive shot of the brilliant Zangarmarsh sky. Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Girlfriend's gift to boyfriend: Mario Bros hoodie
Flickr user "Sabellachan" made this sweet hoodie for her boyfriend for consumermas, then shot him in the back with her new D80 as he strolled down Palo Alto streets. Nice work on both counts. For fun and insight into our editorial process here at Joystiq, we share with you rejected headlines for this post:
