Science Cures Color Blindness
It’s one of the most common disorders in the human species and is caused by defective cone cells in the eyes: color blindness ranges from a minor irritation to a serious problem, depending on its form. However, help is at hand – or soon will be, thanks to research conducted on spider monkeys.
Jay Neitz, an opthalmologist and professor in Seattle, has come up with a way to safely produce long-wavelength opsin in the retinas of the monkeys. This particular substance allows them to see colors normally.
Patrick Swayze Dies At 57
More sad news today, as an announcement from the actor and dancer’s publicist, Annett Wolf, stated that Patrick Swayze had succumbed to pancreatic cancer last night. He died with his wife and family at his side, after a courageous 20-month battle against the illness.
Swayze was best known for his role in the 1980s classic Dirty Dancing, alongside Jennifer Grey. In a statement to the BBC, she said he was “a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace. Gorgeous and strong, he was a real cowboy with a tender heart.”
Green Nobel Laureate Dies At 95
There’s sad news today of the death of a Nobel laureate. Norman Borlaug started the “Green Revolution” in 1970, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize and, as the Nobel committee said, was the man who “More than any other single person of this age, [...] helped provide bread for a hungry world.”
His work took him from an Iowa farm where he grew up, through Mexico and Asia, into Africa. Using scientific methods of crop adaptation, he helped exponentially increase the food output of some of the worst crop-growing places in the world. Thousands, if not millions, of lives have been saved by his work.
Disney Film News Update
In California yesterday, Disney put on a show to remember and, at the same time, released some news about the future of several of their most popular franchises. Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure, the Muppets, scary movies and lots more were covered at the “D23″ fan convention.
The biggest news is that On Stranger Tides is the title of PotC 4. As far as we know, it’s not related to the book by Tim Powers, though that wouldn’t be a bad thing in many ways – that particular story would suit Jack Sparrow quite nicely! Johnny Depp sailed onto the convention stage in full Sparrow garb and even remained in character while he was interviewed.
Trainspotting Sequel Rumours
According to people in the know, Danny Boyle – the Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire – is once again tentatively preparing to film the sequel to his blockbuster, cult 90s hit Trainspotting.
It’s been over 10 years since that film hit cinema screens and set a new standard in British film-making – not to mention making a lot of money. Irvine Welsh’s sequel novel, Porno, would be the basis for the film since it follows the same characters a decade after their heroin-induced adventures in the original.
Beatles Rock Band Release Day
It’s probably the biggest day in the video gaming calendar this year – at least so far. Today sees the The Beatles: Rock Band hit shelves after a massive media campaign and a great deal of anticipation in the gaming community.
The success of the Rock Band franchise has been stunning, despite some detractors who believe it stops young people learning to play real instruments. It could easily be compared to the success of Nintendo’s Wii – a seemingly simple idea which catches the imagination and sends sales rocketing.
WWF Report Warns Of Climate Disasters
A new report, published yesterday by the World Wildlife Fund, warns that the warming of the planet’s Arctic regions could cause flooding that would affect a quarter of the world’s population, increases in carbon dioxide emissions and extreme changes in global weather.
These predictions are dramatically worse than previous estimates of the effects of warming. Some may say that this is because the Arctic Climate Feedbacks: Global Implications report was produced by a wildlife organisation, but it’s not that simple – the peer-reviewed document brought together some of the world’s top climate experts to assess the current science and understanding of the problem.
