Hasta La Gadget!

A study by scientists at UCLA and the University of Pittsburg published today shows that a harmless virus that naturally lives on our skin infects and kills Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that causes acne. Of course, the next step is to weaponize it against unsightly blemishes:

“There are two fairly obvious potential directions that could exploit this kind of research,” says Graham Hatfull of the University of Pittsburgh, an author of the study. “The first is the possibility of using the phages directly as a therapy for acne. The second is the opportunity to use phage-derived components for their activities.”

Unlike synthetic antibiotics, which is the currently most prescribed treatment for acne, a phage-based treatment wouldn’t cause P. acnes to develop a natural resistance.  The phage is a predator of P. acnes, not an antibiotic, so resistances can’t form. The study was published in the American Society for Microbiology, and details the process of isolating the different phages’ DNA, which found that all different species of phages on a face have incredbily similar DNA, which means that phage-based antimicrobial therapy is less likely to develop.

Of course, when a topical cream does hit the market, the medicine you buy won’t be trumpeting that it’s clearing your pores through bacteria-eating viruses that have always lived on your face.

Image courtesy of Caitlin Regan.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Tim Cook apologizes for Apple Maps fiasco, suggests you use Bing, InsideAR Augmented Reality Conference: Munich, Oct 1-2,

The Curiosity rover is examining all sorts of things on the surface of Mars, but today, NASA is reporting a major breakthrough. Curiosity has discovered evidence on an old, dried up streambed on the surface of Mars, suggesting that water did once indeed flow on the Red Planet. Of course, we’ve seen evidence for the presence of water on Mars a few times in the past, but NASA scientists are calling this discovery “the first of its kind.”

The big breakthrough here isn’t the discovery of the channel – we’ve known about channels like this for a while now – but rather the discovery of gravel carried by the long-gone stream. The gravel is embedded in a conglomerate of rock, and it gives scientists a lot of information about the stream that once filled the channel. Curiosity science co-investigator William Dietrich says that the stream was likely flowing at three feet per second, “with a depth somewhere between ankle and hip deep.”

Most of the gravel discovered by Curiosity is round in shape, which means that it traveled a significant distance. The conglomerate was discovered between the northern rim of the Gale crater and the base of Mount Sharp, which is where Curiosity will eventually end its two-year journey. The gravel likely came from above the rim, where the Peace Vallis channel feeds into an alluvial fan containing many other channels. NASA scientists say that the number of channels in the fan suggest that water was frequently flowing, which is a pretty big discovery.

The rounded shape of the gravel also confirms that the it was carried by water, not wind. NASA says that it might use Curiosity to examine the material holding the outcrop of rocks together as well as the composition of the gravel discovered embedded in the streambed. In doing so, it will give scientists a broader picture of the regional geography, and Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist John Grotzinger says that NASA may have “already found our first potentially habitable environment,” on the surface of Mars. That is definitely exciting, and we’re looking forward to hearing more about Curiosity’s mission soon. Stay tuned.

[via NASA JPL]

Curiosity rover discovers ancient streambed on surface of Mars is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

For people like musicians who use more sophisticated 30-pin devices, Apple’s switch to a new dock connector could potentially be devastating. Luckily, initial reports indicate much of this hardware will work with the new Lightning connector. More »

RIM may have given us hope that its transition to BlackBerry 10 has turned a corner, but that doesn’t mean the dark clouds have entirely broken just yet. The company’s second fiscal quarter saw it generate $2.9 billion in revenue, a slight gain over last quarter, while it posted a net loss of $235 million — again better than expected, but not the best news it could deliver. Waterloo’s main challenge was holding on to its smartphone base. While RIM did expand the total BlackBerry user base to 80 million, its phone shipments dropped from 7.8 million to 7.4 million and were braced by shipments of just 130,000 PlayBooks, or half as many tablets as were delivered in the spring.

The sunshine is mostly found in the total picture. RIM says it’s still on track to deliver the first BlackBerry 10 phones in early 2013; while the smartphone maker is bracing for an operating loss in its ongoing third quarter, the higher revenue and reduced losses suggest to CEO Thorsten Heins that RIM is getting its fiscal house in order before BlackBerry 10 (hopefully) renews interest. Full details of the company’s financial performance are available after the break.

Continue reading RIM posts Q2 earnings: $2.87 billion in revenue, softer $235 million loss

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

RIM posts Q2 earnings: $2.87 billion in revenue, softer $235 million loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I wouldn’t be surprised if millions of Pokémon fans have been wishing for years for a MMO version of their beloved game. Nintendo may soon have more reason to consider making such a game. And I’m not talking about the impending release of World of Warcraft’s Mists of Pandaria expansion and its Pet Battle System. I’m talking about a fan-made effort called PokéMMO.

PokéMMO is a Windows MMO based on the Gameboy Advance version of Pokémon Fire Red. Currently in its alpha stage, the game is a lot like most MMOs, but with the beloved monsters and battling system. The picture above says it all. If you’re a Pokémon fan, the trailer below might make you faint with joy. Skip to about 1:10 to see its gameplay.

This game redefines the meaning of PvP. Head to PokéMMO’s website to sign up and play for free. Again, the game is still in alpha so expect a lot of bugs and missing content and features – this FAQ highlights some of them.

[via Geekosystem]