Dinosaurs: Bioengineering and Mad-Science

The question that is on nearly every 8 year old’s mind, and every 20 something’s geek guy’s mind is: “Can We have a dinosaur theme park? Can we bring back the dinosaurs please?”

The answer lies in two forms “Can We?” and “If we can, should we?” I will try and answer both these questions as quickly as possible in under 1000 words. For me to answer these we have to look into the most up-to date theories by scientists that has changed the way we think about Dinosaurs.

Let us skip to Extinction theory first. Scientists now believe that Dinosaurs were NOT wiped off the planet, only a handful of species were wiped off the face of the earth that day 65 million years ago. It was in-fact that a lot of dinosaurs adapted to the harsh aftermath, and became smaller, more agile, grew thicker feathers and gained the ability to fly in most cases. Yes dinosaurs still live amongst us as birds, no they didn’t die out at all, today we are feeding, hunting, and killing dinosaurs. They’ve just changed slightly over the last 65 million years.

Now how do we know that dinosaurs are birds? First of all the skeletal structure is far more bird like, even the skeleton had air holes inside the bones which made dinosaurs like tyrannosaurs run faster. More recently it has been found that most dinosaurs at least by a certain period of time were covered in downy fuzz. Yes dinosaurs were fuzzy, not scaly. This may indicate that Dinosaurs had evolved a warm-blooded system quite early on.

The fearsome, yet fuzzy Dilophosaurus

These proto-feathers may have disappeared on some of the larger species, leaving just a few bits of small hair like structures, such as elephant hair. We now also come to more modern evidence. If you kill a turkey and boil away its feathers and flesh you wi

ll see that apart from a few tiny differences the skeletal structure of that turkey is almost identical to that of viloceraptor; Almost undisputed evidence that some dinosaurs still survive today.

The family resemblance, you must be twins: A Velociraptor (above) and a Turkey (below)

Dinosaurs were not giant birds though, they were reptilian too: In fact Tyrannosaurs soft tissue was uncovered in March 2005 including red blood cells. What was found was that T-Rex share similar ancestor not just to ostriches, but with alligators too. This shows the missing link and shared recent ancestor between Birds and Reptiles.

So we’ve explored what the closest relatives are, lets look more into that soft tissue discovered in March 2005. Well there was blood vessels, and red blood cells, and maybe a few proteins. But any DNA was way too broken to get anything. You see even if there was a decent amount in tact (which is highly, highly improbable), you have to remember that there is only a 1% difference between us and dolphins, less that 1% with us and chimps. So finding a unique strand of DNA which would be useful in bio-engineering a dinosaur like the way they did it in the novel and film “Jurassic Park” would be near enough impossible.

However there is a fly in the ointment of impossibility. Scientist have been screwing around a lot recently with DNA, now they’re making half human half animal hybrids for medical purposes, something morally I think is just fucked up. However it means we have the power to map, and alter DNA strands and grow new animals. Which means that in the future we will have the technology to map out a species DNA, and tinker with it virtually, and get a 3D model of what kind of creature you’ll get on the other side, in which you could produce in a lab.

BUT there are many spanners in the works of mad-science. We don’t know enough about genetics to find out what genes control every animal’s behaviour, if they are omnivores, carnivores or herbivores, what their vocal chords will develop to etc.

Even if we did would scientists mess around with the genetics to build an accurate model, would they tinker with things, and how would the scientists truly know the behaviour and sounds and noises etc of these great creatures? Would T-Rex be a hunter of a scavenger (something which still makes some scientists angry). Would they clone a raptor and teach it to hunt and kill, or would they train it to sit, and play with the ball?

All these things have to be addressed. Then the huge question is, is it right to bring back a species back though the evolutionary stage to a time where it was not meant to survive? Would recreating a dinosaur for science be ok, but banned for commercial use? What would we learn? That we can be absolute douchbags when it comes to nature? Would this be our downfall? Would this mean some mad-scientist would start engineering Bio-organic Weapons or Xenomorphs or even giant crabs?! Where would it end?

Can the human fascination with these lumbering creatures ever be quashed, or is this technology on the horizon too tempting for one scientist? Because that’s all it takes: One scientist!

We’re already creating foetuses that are half human half animal, what is stopping us from taking the step into bio-engineering crazy creatures, maybe ones that resemble dinosaurs?

BUT let us say that we

- Got a turkey

- Got a super computer DNA sequencer from the future

- Got all the DNA facts down to a T, and after hundreds of dead raptors who “gobbled” like a turkey, or has some sort of horrid disability (like not being able to walk, because its eyeballs were on its feet).

- Made sure we bought it up as much as possible as far away from human nurture to behave like the killing machine it’s supposed to be

Ok we have a live velociraptor. We still have problems.

- Adaptability to our colder climate

- Adaptability to different meats

- Behavioural problems, this species hunted in packs, it needs brother and sisters that it wouldn’t try to eat or attack.

- We have moral dilemmas discussed before, and now we have a new species, do we give it the right to breed? If so how do we provide enough genetic differences for it not to inter-breed. Or do we deliberately cause inter-breeding? How would we control that species? We’ve not actually created a creature YET that could breed, but if we did, you see there are far too many things to address when you bioengineer a dinosaur, or any other creature for that matter.

The trouble is that everyone wants to see a dinosaur, without any of the consequences, and I’m afraid that there are consequences not just to that species, but to every species on the planet.

I’m afraid we’ll have to stick with Walking with Dinosaurs.

"You spent so much time wondering whether you could. You never considered whether you should."

-Dr.Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park)

Google OS review

Well I booted up Google Chromium, the beta of Google Chrome OS.

So far with Google Chromium things aren't looking at all that impressive. I've tried it out, and to be honest, I'd rather just download the browser!

Um, well lets start with the possitives?

Well the boot up is about 7 seconds, and I hear they want a 3 second boot up, and good luck to them. It's so nice not to have the annoying splash screens, and loading up, Google just cuts the bollocks and gives you the login screen.

Another positive is that the OS is simple to navigate, you can switch from the net to an app, and use the app while surfing, however I can see a problem with those who can't multitask as well, and things might get too distracting. It'll be interesting what customisations you can use in the future for this feature. Things run simply and they run slickly.

On that notes, the apps are pretty piss poor, apart from a few quirky apps like twitter etc, and the "google docs" app, which is meh to say the least, I hate they cheat with their games, and their apps are too light, I feel that they might break any second. The games are just SWF games streamed of their browser, no app window, just a new tab in a browser, and It makes me feel cheated. Hopefully someone will programme some decent FPS games without having to play flash abed games. Not saying flash based games are bad, I'm addicted to miniclip games. But you can't beat PC games if you're going to use a laptop/desktop based system to play games. Google have to acknowledge that if they are to succeed in a very dominant market their nintendoesque business strategy just isn't going to work for a niche. This OS will have to do and preform just as well as any other PC desktop and laptop if they are going to succeed in the OS market. Although they don't need to, their adverting revenue is a money monster.

I know Microsoft does plan to build Microsoft Office Lite as an optional app download, but I'd rather trust a non-cloud app.

I really feel that this OS really needs compatibility to be installed on a basic PC, and to have full functionality offline as well as online. I know you shouldn't really own a web based OS if you're not online, but sometimes shit happens and you're left without internet, then what? How the fuck do I access all my private data then?! I really hope that the "cloud" is just there as a back up of your solid state drive, because I really would like a hard copy of my data.

All in all I do want Google to provide me with a simple, easy and online ready OS, but I just want the solidness of a Windows or Mac OS. I want to be able to surf the web, play DVD/Blu-Ray, be able to have a HDD or any other device accessible, I want the choice of the cloud stealing my information. I want to be able to download MP3s, edit movies, edit photos, make flash animations, burn professional DVDs, I want to play Bioshock 2 or 3 on there. I want it all... To be honest if google don't do that I'm sure Microsoft will, with a Windows 7 lite or some crap like that :/ But Google OS needs to be so much better to impress...

My last impression on Google Chrome OS so far is that If you're a Yuppie who wants to Skype and Office Lite his way through twittering their facebook off, or you're a paris hilton spoilt brat who wants to twitter and facebook her prada bag off with her cute pink Google OS notebook showing it off to her equally superficial bratty friends, then be my guest. If you want a real OS that will do the heavy lifting, then stick with your PC or Mac.

Fuck You Google, Fuck You!

Ok so chrome has been revealed, and yeah, it worries me.

First of all you can't JUST install it on an PC: First of all it doesn't rely on "DVDs" or "Hard-Drives" now everything is stored on the "Cloud" s concept that sounds so terrifying to someone like me it's unbelievable. The cloud is a concept of everyone on the internet being connected to the same central hub, in which all your document and processing needs, are well processed and stored. So you don't have to worry about running out of HDD space, you just store it for everyone to access, so long as they have your password....fucking idiots.... Another worrying thing is that Google already have a scary amount of browsing data you have stored, right from what you search, to the sites you visit, where you live etc. So now they want all your pictures, video, IM conversations and documents such as your latest accounting details, or even a screenplay you're writing. Sure you can access it ANYWHERE but that means ANYONE else can look at it as long as they have the right password. Hacking used to require complicated Torjan Horses or 1337 hacking skills or even just physically stealing your computer. Now all it takes is for someone to access your password or of course the usual stealage of the super light notebooks Google Chrome OS will be packaged with.

FUCK SAKE

If Google just allowed HDDs to be recognised then we could keep a hard copy of our data, and maybe they will due to the super light notebooks having solid state drives. hopefully as Chrome OS is open source we'll get a nice hack or an update to install in PCs which want to switch from Windows to Chrome, but don't want to upload every document to the web, especially for people in the UK with piss poor broadband connections....

What happens to those with no financial means for mobile broadband? I thought google were the "free" and "easy" company.

I may be paranoid, but fuck you google fuck you!

Edward Woodward R.I.P

Edward Woodward 1930 - 2009 R.I.P dude :(

The Long History of Resident Evil (Final Part)

First of all an apology, this site has been playing up and not posting anything. So here I now present to you the final part of my history lesson!

Not only that but a Wii exclusive game was announced at the same time. Finally revealed to be a FPS rail shooter.

In 2007 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was released. This went into further detail about the Umbrella Corporation and its downfall allegedly in 2003. The game was commercially successful, despite being slated by critics, although it’s said to be the best FPS Resident Evil to date. In 2008 RE5 was delayed for a further year, and fans became wrestles, trying to decide whether to buy the game or not. Especially when in 2007 the poorly voice acted, more action orientated version of the classic games such as Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 3 were ruined in The Umbrella Chronicles.

2009 came about and the first game cannon CG film was released: Again we had both Leon and Claire team up to fight another T-Virus outbreak in 2005, it also introduces us to Umbrella’s successor in evil: The Tricell Cooperation. Degeneration was praised by fans, and was made into a mobile phone game in 2009.

Resident Evil 5 was released in march of this year with online co-op. It was a great commercial success, and a critical one too. But pas panned by the more old school fans who wanted a horror game rather than an action shooter. This Resident Evil saw the end of Albert Wesker and the ridiculous plot lines that the character eventually brought to the series. Despite bringing new life to a series struggling to survive, it has started to lose its loyal fans. Even the founder of Resident Evil Shinji Mimaki said he refuses to play it, in fear of what they have done to the series.

With this another sequel is said to be a complete reboot of the series, and will finally decide to either stick with Horror or continue on with action as its genre, it is predicted to be up to 8 years in the making.

Recently a sequel to the Umbrella Chronicles called the Darkside Chronicles will be released for the Wii exclusively. It is said to be more horror orientated, with both graphics, gameplay mechanics, script and voice acting being improved upon. Maybe it will deliver instead of disappoint?

Just recently “Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition” was announced this September which will be a paid downloadable spin-off pack following the events of Chris and Jill’s mission to arrest Ozwell E Spencer in 2006 shown in the flashback sequence in Resident Evil 5 for PC (in 3D), X-box 360 and Playstation 3.

The Long History of Resident Evil (Part 7 + 8)

During the fourth phase of development Resident Evil 4 underwent a change to involve Zombies again, however it felt that it was again being too stale, and with the poor sales of Outbreak File 2, Resident Evil 0, 1, 2,3 and CODE; Veronica it was definitely time to introduce a new Enemy. E3 ‘04 introduced us to the new and final design of Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil 4 had completely re-invented itself, first of all Umbrella was finished and there is no T-Virus or any virus for that matter within the game. Secondly the setting was in an unknown village at first thought to be South America, and later revealed to be Spain.

This time Leon would have to fight against faster and more intelligent enemies that would hound you throughout the game, no longer were they mindless monsters, this time they used weapons and traps against you.

Resident Evil 4 had turned into a panic ridden action game, the mechanics had been given an overhaul, of which you could carry items in an attaché case which was upgradeable, instead of carrying 6 – 8 items at a time. The action button could mean object you could interact with it, such as jumping over fences, climbing ladders etc.

Fans were at first shocked and disgusted by what Mikami had done to the franchise, but grew to love the game with every new development.

Eventually upon its release Resident Evil fans were quick to hail the game as the best Resident Evil game to date, despite it not involving Umbrella or the T-Virus. Resident Evil 4 had attracted new audiences who would never usually touch a Resident Evil game with a taser on a pole. Resident Evil 4 had become one of the most popular and talked about games of 2005, however 6 months into it’s “exclusive” time with Nintendo Capcom decided to break contract due to the poor sales of the previous gamecube tiles, Resident Evil 4 was ported onto the PS2, and then went multiplatform apart from Microsoft’s X-Box.

While people speculated what RE5 would be like, many hardcore Resident Evil fans decided the honeymoon period with the new style was over, and wanted a more horror orientated game. Come July 20^th 2005 Capcom announced RE5 with mixed results, while it was announced that the game would be going back to the routes of the original, it seemed that the enemies, like last time were fast moving. Many speculated a cross-breed between Las Plagas and T-Virus, to produce Zombies seen in 28 days later. It wasn’t until 2006 that it was revealed to be an even more action orientated game, leaving out much more horror than previous.

The Long History of Resident Evil (Part 6)

A year passed and to make sure fans didn’t get angry for the already 2 year delay Resident Evil 4 they released an Online co-op ResidentEvil, which once again gave use a higher detailed insight into Raccoon City with Resident Evil: Outbreak.

The same year and Resident Evil: Dead Aim (Gun Survivor 4) for the Playstation 2 hit the stores. Dead Aim consisted of both first and third person gameplay. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that great either, especially in the story department. ‘

Outbreak was the more popular, and helped keep the anxiety of the impressive Resident Evil 4 which was about to change without the knowledge of anyone: Resident Evil 4 took on it’s third form; this time it took on a more paranormal route involving Leon hallucinating due to the effects of the virus in his system. Enemies including creepy dolls, suits of armour and the famed “Hooked Man” who stalked you through the game. However this version was ultimately scrapped without the knowledge of the general public and press on the grounds that it was too paranormal and didn’t fit that well with the “Biohazard” theme. However gameplay footage shows that this game could have been the most innovative and most scary Resident Evil to date despite the lack of Zombies. However the game again was still under development until 2004 making it excessively hard on the fans who thought it would be out by then.

To tide over the fans Capcom brought out Outbreak File 2 which improved gameplay and added new scenarios and added extra plot elements, and for the first time YOU could play a Zombie. This game wasn’t really enough to quench the thirst of fans, and they began to run impatient.