Ask yourself this…

What would a humanized mouse really BE like?

Good idea, right?

*shakes head sadly*

And yet…

[via Medical Xpress] While the hepatitis C virus can infect chimpanzees and humans, scientists have been unable to study the progression of the virus’ life cycle or possible treatments in small animal models. The new mouse model is the first to be developed with a fully functioning immune system.

“Our genetically humanized mouse model for hepatitis C will allow us to gain deeper insights in the biology of this important pathogen,” says senior author Alexander Ploss, a research assistant professor at Rockefeller. “This robust small animal model also has the potential to serve a critical role in testing and prioritizing drug and vaccine candidates. Results from these tests can potentially guide more expensive pre-clinical and clinical studies in higher order organisms, including humans.” [Read More]

Bad idea.

Almost as bad?

Making cows produce HUMAN breast milk.

[via Gizmodo] Kwame Opam— Amidst all the concern going around that cows’ milk is bad for you, Chinese scientists have found a way to fix the problem: By genetically engineering cows to produce human breast milk. Is soy milk just not in favor yet?

Researchers at the Agricultural University in Beijing managed to produce milk with the same healthful properties as mothers’ milk. The milk itself was taken from a herd of 300 transgenic cows bred after inserting the human milk-making gene into bovine embryos. Safety tests are still being administered, but taste testers have described the product as “sweeter and stronger” than the regular old cow stuff and the scientists hope to see it on the market in three years.

It’s easy to imagine there being some kind of backlash to this, considering that “Cloned Cows Making Human Breast Milk!” sounds pretty science fiction-y. However, Professor Li Ning, director of the project, has already weighed in against the critics:

“There are 1.5 billion people in the world who don’t get enough to eat,” he said. “It’s our duty to develop science and technology, not to hold it back. We need to feed people first, before we consider ideals and convictions.”

I wonder how well it goes with cereal. [Sky News via Fox] [Read More]

OK…

The milk is not almost as bad as the human mouse.

It’s JUST as bad maybe worse.

Because?

We will be actually consuming this mutant abomination, laughing-in-the-face-of-mother-nature, milk.

Never a good idea.

And on that note?

Forewarned.

[via Newslite] Leicester City Council has been forced to make the bizarre admission that it has no emergency plan of how to deal with a zombie apocalypse.

After receiving a Freedom of Information request from a “concerned citizen” the local authority had to reveal how they would protect residents from the undead.
The FOI request had asked, “Can you please let us know what provisions you have in place in the event of a zombie invasion?”

It went on to say the request came after the writer had watched several films and become concerned about the level of preparation.

And it looks like they were right to be concerned, because the authority says the undead do not yet appear in their emergency plan. Anyone think they need a zombie awareness officer?  Speaking to Newslite a spokesperson from Leicester City Council said: “We do get some weird and wacky FOI requests from time to time, but we accept that people have their own reason for asking their questions.

“We do have in place a very through emergency plan – but we have to confess that it has no mention of zombies in it”. [Read More]

Might want to jump on this, UK.

Seriously.

With all the crazy things science is creating lately, a Zombie epidemic?

Right around the corner.

Thanks, science.