Friday, August 24, 2007

Frankensteinian News, reported somewhat tardily

First, all the news in science that can be called Frankensteinian:

Artificial living human brains are coming, zombies will need never go hungry

From the website The Register: "Israeli boffins [research scientists-- Max] may be on the road to building artificial, living human brains which can function without a body to support them. Honest.

"According to an article in yesterday's Scientific American, Tel Aviv university researchers led by biophysicist Eshel ben-Jacob have manipulated cultured human brain cells so as to 'imprint persisting multiple memories' on them.

"The research was revealed in a paper published last month by the American Physical Society, titled 'Towards [a] Neuro-memory-chip: Imprinting multiple memories in cultured neural networks'.

"Ben-Jacob and his fellow boffins apparently mounted their artificially-cultured brain tissue on "a polymer panel studded with electrodes." (Won't be long before they start using full-size brains in jars of bubbling transparent fluid, we reckon.) The scientists then injected the hapless culture with 'picrotoxin, a cocktail of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).'"

To read the rest of the article, go here.

Artificially created life forms coming within a decade

From the Associated Press: "Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer.

"Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of "wet artificial life."

To read the rest of the article go here.

Now for news in the arts and entertainment sectors:

The musical play Young Frankenstein had its Off-Broadway opening this week in Seattle. To see brief interviews with the stars of the show, go here.



To the right is actor Shuler Hensley as he appears in the comedy musical. Hensley has previously played The Monster in a serious musical version of Shelley's story-- 2002's Frankenstein:The Musical, which was staged for investors and theatre industry folk only, but which is being revived and will open Off-Broadway on Nov. 1. Shuler Hensley also played The Monster in the 2004 film Van Helsing-- but the less said about that, the better.

To see more photos of Hensley being made up for the role, go to the site where this pic comes from, the website of The Seattle Times.

In other Frankenstein entertainment news
, a GREAT new Frankenstein website has debuted auspiciously. It's a dark and welcoming place I plan to visit often! It's named FRANKENSTEINIA, and I am insane with giddiness that "It's ALIVE!!"

Site......GOOOD.






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