New Yorkers beware! New cockroach hits the Big Apple

NEW YORK (AFP) – New Yorkers are used to fighting each other for space, but there may be a new contender in town according to a Rockefeller study that appears to have uncovered a new species of cockroach.

“The cockroach is genetically modified. Species don’t differ more than one percent, this cockroach is four percent different, which suggests it is a new species of cockroach,” Professor Mark Stoeckle, an expert on genomics and DNA barcoding at Rockefeller University, told AFP.

“We think that the museums of natural history in Paris or New York could be interested.”

The previously-unidentified creepy-crawly was uncovered as part of a project undertaken by two high-school students, Brenda Tan, 17, and Matt Cost, 18, under Stoeckle’s supervision.

In their roles as “DNAHouse investigators,” the pair trawled New York apartments, stores and street, collecting 217 specimens between November 2008 and March 2009.

They took samples from supermarket food, the remains of an insect found in a box of fruit, a feather from a duster, dried dung and a cockroach and matched DNA sequences using the Barcode of Life Database and GenBank.

The American Museum of Natural History laboratory identified 170 genetic codes, leading the researchers to identify 95 different animal species, including some that were unexpected.

“A feather from a duster yielded ostrich DNA. A delicacy labeled ‘sturgeon caviar’ instead turned out to be from the strange-looking paddlefish. A popular Asian snack was revealed as giant flying squid. Bison DNA was found in a dog biscuit,” the pair wrote on the Rockefeller University website.

In fact, they found that 16 percent of food items were mislabeled, including cheeses labeled sheep’s milk that were actually made of cow’s milk, a potentially dangerous labeling error for those with allergies.

But perhaps the biggest surprise for the researchers was the discovery of “a genetically distinct ‘mystery’ cockroach that might be a new species.”

“By appearance it looks like the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) but it is genetically different from other American cockroaches in the databases,” the researchers said.

The Frankenstein MAME cabinet — it's alive!

It’s cool enough to build your own MAME (multiple arcade machine emulator) cabinet – imagine having thousands of classic games ready to play. Mix in a little monster-movie magic and some steampunk styling and you have yourself a fantastic toy, albeit a pretty large one.

The only thing I can think of that it’s missing are some Tesla coils – now that would be a show-stopper!

See the project at Frankencade (via Gizmodo).

Blood Energy Potion, authentic looking synthetic blood drink in a transfusion bag

Thirsty at twilight – or after reading or watching Twilight? Slake your blood-lust by grabbing a transfusion bag of Blood Energy Potion, the best bloody drink around!

Vampires, zombies, witches and more – the culture of horror seems to have been given a shot in the arm. Speaking of which, Urban Collector’s Blood Energy Potion looks frighteningly like a fresh transfusion bag of people juice, so much so that we’re sure some overzealous Goth will attempt to infuse it IV style.

That would be unwise, because although Blood Energy Potion looks like blood, has the same viscosity as blood, has the same nutritional composition as blood and comes in a resealable plastic bag designed to emulate a Red Cross blood transfusion bag, it’s NOT blood.

Blood Energy Potion does, in a similar vein (sorry), provide 4 hours of energy, protein and electrolytes plus it’s a "delectable source of iron" and doesn’t contain garlic.

See the full article at Inventor Spot.

Lawn Chairs in Times Square

Native New Yorkers were a tad confused today when they learned that Broadway was shut down between 42nd Street and 47th Street over the long weekend. A new traffic pattern was put in place and a huge number of lawn chairs were placed to give Times Square tourists a place to sit.

Why toddlers don't do what they're told

New cognitive research shows that 3-year-olds neither plan for the future nor live completely in the present, but instead call up the past as they need it. ‘There is a lot of work in the field of cognitive development that focuses on how kids are basically little versions of adults trying to do the same things adults do, but they’re just not as good at it yet. What we show here is they are doing something completely different,’ says professor Yuko Munakata at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Munakata’s team used a computer game and a setup that measures the diameter of the pupil of the eye to determine mental effort to study the cognitive abilities of 3-and-a-half-year-olds and 8-year-olds. The research concluded that while everything you tell toddlers seems to go in one ear and out the other, the study found that toddlers listen, but then store the information for later use. ‘For example, let’s say it’s cold outside and you tell your 3-year-old to go get his jacket out of his bedroom and get ready to go outside,’ says doctoral student Christopher Chatham. ‘You might expect the child to plan for the future, think "OK it’s cold outside so the jacket will keep me warm." But what we suggest is that this isn’t what goes on in a 3-year-old’s brain. Rather, they run outside, discover that it is cold, and then retrieve the memory of where their jacket is, and then they go get it.

Source: Slashdot.

California May Ban Black Cars

The California legislature is considering regulating the color of cars and reflectivity of paint to reduce the energy requirements to cool them. A presentation on the proposed legislation by the California Air Resources Board is below.

The problem isn’t the color per se, but the reflectivity of the paint overall. And dark colors just don’t reflect well, so they are likely out. “Jet black remains an issue,” says the report.

Anyone who’s ever entered a very hot car knows that it can be cooled down immediately by driving a few feet with the windows open, effectively neutralizing any color-caused heat issues before engaging the air conditioner. But whatever, black is evil.

The new regulations would be phased in beginning in 2012, so if you want that black car, you better buy it soon. More on Autoblog and CrunchGear.

And you thought that black Toyota Pious you bought made you such a good person. Think again, you tree hating energy slob. Luckily, black websites are still ok, even though they, too, use more energy.

[ed]Wow, I think Batman might get screwed in this deal![/ed]

Source: TechCrunch.

Nanotech Invention May Be Golden Bullet for Controlling Drug Addiction

Scientists at the University of Buffalo have found a new use for nanotechnology–as an extremely precise way of delivering chemicals to the right part of the brain to combat drug addiction. And, pleasingly, the science really does fit the "golden bullet" label as these nanoparticles are literally made of gold. 

Medical researchers have known for a while that a particular brain protein, DARRP-32, is a key element in the chemistry of drug addiction. It’s a "trigger" for a host of reactions in the brain that creates craving, and if it’s "silenced," then the urge to re-take a drug should diminish. The trick is getting to the protein to quash its influence, which requires conventional therapies to cross the blood-brain barrier, something that’s proven difficult.

Enter the gold nanoparticles. They’re actually nanorods, and in the Buffalo technique, they’re coated with short-interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules which switch off the DARRP-32 protein. The combination is apparently 40% efficient at reaching the target sites in the brain, which is much higher than previously possible, and it’s apparently the first time siRNA molecules have been combined with gold nanoparticles. The gold is particularly suited to the task due to its high biocompatibility and the fact that the rods have a larger surface area than nanospheres, thus allowing more RNA to stick to the exterior (in the image, the brain cells show as blue, and gold nanoparticles within them as orange spots.)

Read the full article at Fast Company.

Borrow A Cat’s Affection At Japan’s Cat Cafés

We’ve seen pet rental companies, which while successful, have created controversy with animal rights activists worldwide. Now, there is a new more humane way for people to mix and mingle with their favorite furry friends in the comfort of a public place. In Japan, cat cafes have been popping up all over the place, allowing people to relax with a cup of coffee while receiving the purr-fect, relaxing companionship of a kitty.

The Calico Cat Café is one example of a successful cat café business in Tokyo. With over 3 locations in existence in Japan, people are flocking to the unique cafes because they love pets, but just can’t commit to having one at home or are restricted by the strict housing regulations in the country. For 800 YEN per hour or 2000 YEN for three hours, animals lovers can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and find themselves ignored, or occasionally delivered affection by the cats when the mood suits them; just like any pet lover would if they could have cats in the comfort of their own homes.

While there are many strays in Japan, they do not join the furry ranks at Cat Café; however, advertisements for strays that need a home are posted throughout the establishment. To protect their animals from illness, Cat Café requires that patrons thoroughly wash their hands, and any animal brought on the premises is vet checked and vaccinated.

Unlike other pet rental services, the cats at Calico Cat Café are cared for in one location by experienced pet lovers and not passed around from home to home. Although, I would be willing to bet that for some, this form of pet leasing remains a controversial topic.

Original article: InventorSpot

Teens Capture Amazing Shots 20 Miles from Earth's Surface With a Balloon

Using a $77 Nikon Coolpix and a $60 latex balloon filled with helium, a team of teenage students captured these remarkable shots from 20 miles above the Earth’s surface.

Radio-synced to Google Earth, the team tracked the package as it soared 885 feet per minute into the sky, taking shots on a periodic timer. The balloon eventually failed around 100,000 before the system parachuted to the ground.

See more pictures and the full article at Gizmodo.

20 Crazy Cool Cupcake Designs

Check out some amazing cupcake designs at My Modern Met!