NIH Won’t Fund Human Embryo Gene Editing
Recently, the use of gene editing has proven a useful practice in the prevention of genetic diseases and disorders for many humans around the globe. However, its ethical nature continues to be questionable in the eyes of modern researchers.
Particularly the National Institutes of Health, who recently released a statement recognizing the importance and usefulness of the procedure, but clearly stated they would not fund gene editing research conducted on human embryos.
"The concept of altering the human germline in embryos for clinical purposes has been debated over many years from many different perspectives, and has been viewed almost universally as a line that should not be crossed," the statement reads. "Advances in technology have given us an elegant new way of carrying out genome editing, but the strong arguments against engaging in this activity remain.
Madden NFL 16 Cover Star Vote Begins Today
Today EA revealed which four NFL stars will get a shot at gracing the cover of Madden NFL 16.
The finalists are New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown, New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, and Arizona Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson.
You can now vote for the cover star on your phone via Madden NFL Mobile, or on your console through Madden NFL 15's Ultimate Team mode. As outlined on the EA Sports website, Madden NFL Mobile players can vote once a day by completing Live Events.
Voting for the first round will end May 11 at 3am ET, with the two finalists being announced the next day. The winner will then be revealed May 13 at 6pm ET during ESPN's SportsCenter.
Expect to Play More Wolfenstein 3D in The Old Blood
In an effort to acknowledge its classic roots, Machine Games will be including more Wolfenstein 3D in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood.
The first level of Wolfenstein 3D was playable as an easter egg called "Nightmare," found in the resistance hideout toward the beginning. In the upcoming standalone expansion The Old Blood, more of the classic shooter will be available to play.
"There are nine Nightmare levels in The Old Blood – one for each chapter in the game," Gustafsson confirmed on the Bethesda blog. According to him, a number of changes have been made to make the extra replayable.
8 Things to Watch This Week
This week on the ol' tube, FOX's Gotham closes out its hit first season while HBO airs an intimate documentary about Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Dr. Wells uses Gorilla Grodd as a weapon on The Flash.
Netflix in May: Inglourious Basterds, Boxtrolls, More
Plus, CBS' Person of Interest caps off its thrilling fourth season, Damon Wayans Jr. bids farewell to New Girl, Revenge wraps up its series run, NBC's Undateable runs a live episode, and the villains get their own personal happy endings on Once Upon a Time. Let's take a look...
Middle-Earth has a High Oxygen Content, Study Reveals
Ever wonder how Aragorn pulls off the insane moves he does in battle? A new study explains that it may be due to the higher oxygen content available to people in Middle-Earth.
In a study titled "Does the Oxygen Content of Tolkien’s Middle Earth Allow for Greater Endurance?," Richard Walker and Alice Cooper-Dunn of The Centre for Interdisciplinary Science at the University of Leicester attempt to provide an answer.
Citing incidences such as the Battle of Helms Deep and Aragorn's ability to survive the night tirelessly fighting orcs, the study found Aragorn's endurance was likely explained by a higher level of oxygen available for him to breathe, which would in turn afford a greater amount of oxygen to the blood for a longer, more sustained amount of physical activity.
Digital Honeybee Brain Used to Pilot Quadcopter Drone
Green Brain Project scientists in the UK have successfully piloted a drone using a digitally recreated honeybee brain.
Using video cameras and the artificial honeybee brain, the quadcopter drone was able to fly down a corridor the same way a trained honeybee would. According to Green Brain Project's James Marshall, the drone even reproduced similar behaviors seen in honeybees. You can see the drone in action in the BBC video below.
For now, the scientists have only been able to recreate the part of the honeybee's brain related to its vision. However, they hope to eventually recreate a complete European honeybee brain.
Toys-to-Life Are Gaming’s Hottest-Selling Accessory
Toys-to-life Skylanders Trap Team, Disney Infinity, and Nintendo Amiibo comprise the best-selling gaming accessory of 2015 so far.
According to data tracker GfK Chart-Track and as reported by MCV UK, sales of Skylanders toys are up 44% in units sold and 25% in revenue for the year so far.
Disney Infinity is up by 56% in units sold and 37% in revenue.
Winning the sales race is Nintendo's Amiibo line, which has seen unit sales jump to 145% and revenue to 121%.
“Skylanders and Infinity are up year-to-date because of the launch of Skylanders Trap Team and Disney Infinity
Grey Hulk Originally Planned for Age of Ultron
Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron was originally going to feature a grey version of the Hulk.
In a recent interview with the visual effects team at ILM, it was revealed that the color change for Bruce Banner's alter ego would've happened during the Hulk vs. Hulkbuster scene.
“Initially, Hulk was actually planned to turn grey when he’s angry Hulk in the Hulkbuster sequence but hey, everybody wanted the green guy," Wired reports. "So, in the end, ILM just changed his eyes to make them look more sullen when he’s under the control of Scarlet Witch.”
Interestingly enough, we were teased with the possibility of a grey Hulk earlier this year when a new Funko POP! Vinyl toy showcased the assembled team, complete with a grey rendition of the character.
I Am Bread Gets Free Star Wars Update
Star Wars content is in full force (sorry) for May the 4th and Bossa's I Am Bread is no different.
A new update titled Starch Wars adds a full-fledged space shooter to the bread simulator, which you can play for free now.
Based on the trailer, the update features various bread loaf and toast-inspired ships, including bagel TIE fighters.
This isn't the only Star Wars news and content spawning from today's date.
There's a new leaked image of the chrome trooper from The Force Awakens, plus the reveal of Adam Driver's character.
Nintendo Apologizes for Amiibo Shortages, Working on Solution
Nintendo has provided an update on how it plans to handle its toy-centric NFC platform amiibo going forward, apologizing for supply issues in the past and promising to deliver a better experience for consumers in the future.
"We appreciate the enthusiasm that our fans continue to show toward amiibo. Sales for the product have exceeded our expectations. We understand how frustrating it can be at times if consumers are unable to find certain figures, and we apologize for that," the company said in a newly released statement.
"We’re trying to meet the demands of our fans and consumers by increasing the amount of amiibo we manufacture and ship to retail. We may continue to see consumer demand outpace supply levels for certain characters at times, but we will do our best to prevent that from happening."