Hasta La Gadget!

Japanese researchers from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology recently announced that they have cloned one mouse a total of 581 times. They did this by making clones, then making clones out of its clones and so on for 25 generations. The Nutcracker is screwed.

Original images by Karl Palutke and CJ Isherwood; resulting masterpiece by Lambert Varias

The researchers, who began their experiment back in 2005, used a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer. That in itself is nothing new; in fact it’s the same technique that was used to clone the legendaryDolly the sheep. However, according to Live Science and the researchers themselves, repeated cloning was usually highly improbable, if not outright impossible, probably because successive clones had genetic defects in them. Interestingly enough, Dolly lived for only 6 years, even though domestic sheep live 10 to 12 years on average.

To counteract the defects, the Japanese used trichostatin, a histone deacetylase inhibitor or HDI. HDIs are compounds that stop certain genes from being expressed. As a result, not only is my nose bleeding because of all these advanced biology terms, the 581 mice clones (seen above) “were all fertile, they gave birth to healthy pups and lived a normal lifespan of about two years, similar to normally conceived mice.”

The leader of the research team Dr. Teruhiko Wakayama said that they hope their breakthrough could be used to make “superior quality animals” for conservation and agricultural purposes. All I know is that it is imperative that these people not get their hands on Jango Fett, or we’re all doomed.

[via RIKEN, Cell Stem Cell & Live Science via Popular Science]

Dentists have Simroid and Hanako to practice on, while doctors also have their own simulator robots which they use to perform simulated surgeries. It was only a matter of time before vets got their own robots to practice on – and that they did get back in 2010, when Robo-Jerry II and Robo-Fluffy made their debuts at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Now these ‘bots and their ‘homes’ are getting an upgrade to give better training to the future veterinarians of America who will see to the welfare and well-being of your furry best friends. The University is currently working on a much more advanced robo-dog called ‘Butch’, which will have more realistic features even though it will be constructed using cheap, standard components.

Aside from that, veterinary students will also be working in a new simulation center which features fully equipped exam rooms and two rooms for video-feed observation.

Assistant professor Daniel Fletcher explains: “Our model can enhance CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) scenarios and can simulate a slew of other conditions, and we’ve seen interest in it growing. We’re gathering evidence and tools to help bring the simulation capability and teaching model outside Cornell.”

The simulation center is part of a larger plan for a hands-on lab for students to practice everything from listening to robo-pet vitals, to suturing and other clinical skills.

[via Gizmag]

Reports of an amazing story concerning a lost cat have turned up this week. A couple who owned a four-year-old cat named Holly took her on vacation, 200 miles from home. While they were there, the cat ran away and they couldn’t find her anywhere. The couple eventually gave up looking and had to return home, figuring they would never see their beloved kitty again.

You can imagine their surprise when a month later they received a call from their hometown vet that their cat had turned up there. That means that somehow Holly traveled 200 miles and found her way home.

Not Holly the Cat

The cat was found in a part of West Palm Beach, Florida where Jacob and Bonnie Richter reside. Some people on the other side of their town found Holly, and took her to the vet because she was weak and thin. The veterinarian discovered that Holly was implanted with a tracking chip and called the Richters to come pick her up. Apparently, some cats have integrated GPS. This is even more amazing because our cat won’t come to me from across the couch.

[via Science Recorder]

Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. We’ve seen some odd photos turn up on Google Street view over the years. My personal favorite was the little girl who played dead on the side of the road as the Street View car rolled by. A donkey has now played a very similar game with a Street View car in Botswana.

To make this an even stranger story, it started to go viral after a tweet from the account of fictional character Dr. Sheldon Cooper saying that “I think Google Street view ran over a donkey in Botswana.” The story gained enough traction the Google has had to come out and offer up an official explanation of the circumstances surrounding the downed donkey.

Google says that because of the way its 360-degree imagery is put together it appeared as though it’s Street View car cruising down a dirt road in Botswana had run over the poor creature. Google says that in fact the donkey was laying down and taking a dirt bath as the car approached, and then stood up and moved to the side of the road as the vehicle drove by.

Having known someone who rear-ended a cow, and assuming running over a donkey would work basically the same way as running over a cow, I can say without a doubt that there would have been donkey poo all over the front of the Street View car had an impact actually taken place. If you’re curious, the rear-ended cow survived with nothing more than an significantly cleaner colon after the impact. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the vehicle.

[via TheNextWeb]

What do squirrels have in common with the deceptive robots that researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology developed recently? Apparently, a lot, although that much isn’t obvious at first glance.

If you’ve ever seen a squirrel in the process of collecting acorns, then you’ll see that they can get pretty protective and paranoid over their hoard of nuts. I get like this myself over my hoard of clothes, shoes, and gadgets, but not for the same reason as the squirrels.

You see, they freak out because other squirrels might be on to their hiding places and steal their stash while they’re away. On the other hand, my problem has more to do with limited storage space and less with theft, but that’s a whole different story.

Anyway, once squirrels feel like they’re being watched, they begin checking empty cache sites to mislead any thieving squirrels and steer them away from the real sites with their acorns. This is the particular behavior that the researchers looked at and embodied into their deceptive robots.

The project is funded by the Office of Naval Research and is headed by Professor Ronald Arkin. There are many potential applications for this technology on the field, as Professor Arkin highlights:

This application could be used by robots guarding ammunition or supplies on the battlefield. If an enemy were present, the robot could change its patrolling strategies to deceive humans or another intelligent machine, buying time until reinforcements are able to arrive.

You can watch the robot in action in this video demo.

PS. On a side note, if you’re having the same problem because you’re hoarding too much tech and stuff, then maybe it’s time to consider a self-storage space. Just a tip, what with the holidays (and more gifts!) coming and all.

[via GIT via RDMag]