Change to a single gene increases mouse lifespan 20%

Scientists also discovered individual organ and body parts reacted differently to the process in the engineered mice.

Most Americans aren’t entirely fond of the idea of immortality as shown by recent studies. But it’s probably a good bet that they still wouldn’t mind extending their lifespans by 10-15 years. If researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have their way, that wish could become a reality. These scientists have successfully extended the lives of mice by changing a single gene.

 

 

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Eek! Mice are evolving an immunity to poison!

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Feisty little buggers.

The rodents of the future will eat poison pellets like candy, according to new research conducted on mice found in a German bakery. The baker called in an exterminator to rid his business of the pests and discovered, to his horror, that the little buggers weren’t even fazed by bromadiolone, which is a very concentrated and deadly version of the common rat poison warfarin…

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Japanese Scientists Create Mouse that Tweets Like a Bird

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLu37VvCozw[/youtube]

Japanese scientists have produced a genetically-engineered mouse that tweets like a bird, it was revealed today.  A team of researchers at the University of Osaka are breeding genetically modified mice that are prone to miscopying DNA and are more likely to develop mutations.

 

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AirMouse – The Mouse You Wear Like A Glove

airmouse

AirMouse

It’s no secret… Studies have shown that excessive mouse usage can cause repetitive stress injuries. Unfortunately for most of us, “excessive” can mean anything more than a few hours a day. Fortunately, however, there are alternative styles of mice out there designed to be easier on the hands and arms. One of the more interesting ones to come along in a while is the AirMouse, made by Canadian firm Deanmark Ltd. What makes it unique is the fact that you wear it like a glove.

 

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Combimouse: The Crazy New Computer Input Device

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The Combimouse was invented by Ari Zagnoev. Like its name implies, the Combimouse combines a qwerty keyboard with a mouse, resulting in a wtf-inducing, but allegedly functional bizarro thing. The idea behind the Combimouse is to create an “effortless transition between keyboard and mouse operation” by integrating the mouse into the right half of the conventional keyboard. Enough of that crap. I know you just want to see what it looks like:

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Learning With Robot-Aided Therapy

Learning With Robot-Aided Therapy 

A robot named Cosmo has become six-year-old Kevin Fitzgerald’s unlikely ally in his uphill everyday battle with developmental difficulties.

At a strip mall clinic in suburban Maryland, Kevin is at the unlikely intersection of new efforts to treat symptoms of autism, cerebral palsy and other developmental disorders with robotics and computer work.

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Hooked On Light – Could Reveal The Biochemistry Of Addiction

Hooked On Light - Could Reveal The Biochemistry Of Addiction

mouse responding to light 

A newly created set of light-sensitive proteins grants scientists unprecedented control over the brain’s biochemistry, potentially shedding light on addiction and other complex neural processes. To demonstrate the potential of this novel molecular toolbox, researchers from Stanford University engineered mice to carry light-sensitive proteins in the brain’s reward center, which responds to drugs of abuse. Using pulses of light delivered directly to the brain, researchers were able to induce a druglike state, ultimately conditioning the mice to behave like drug-addicted animals.

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