“Apples that won’t go brown could be could be planted in Canada as early as 2014. Canadian biotech company Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. has applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for permission to grow and market its ‘arctic granny’ and ‘arctic golden’ apples. The genetically engineered fruit, initially developed in Australia, was created with its gene responsible for enzymatic browning turned off, or ‘silenced.’ There are other varieties of apples, such as empires, that keep their white flesh even when exposed for several hours, but the arctics are completely non-browning, and will remain white for several days, even weeks. Okanagan Specialty Fruits hopes to complete the approval process by this summer in Canada and the United States so it can begin planting its trees next year. The company said test fruit could be expected the year after.” w/ photo

“There are a couple things at play here, some involving the paper, some involving your skin. For one thing, what part of your body comes in contact with paper the most? Right, the majority of paper cuts happen on the fingers and hands. Your hands are pretty complex sensory instruments, and they’re absolutely jam-packed with nerve fibers called nociceptors. These guys sense temperature, pressure and pain, and there are more of them per square inch in your hands and fingers than most other parts of your body. Injuries there are noticed much more than similar injuries elsewhere. The same small paper cut on a less nerve-dense area, such as, say, your leg, won’t send nearly as many pain signals to your brain.” w/ photo

“In humans, we believe a small part of the brain, known as the ‘anterior insular cortex’, controls our self-awareness and our empathy. Within that region lies a unique brain cell – the von Economo neuron, or VEN – which seems to lie at the heart of our consciousness – helping us feel those feelings which give life meaning, from love and confidence, to hate and embarrassment. For a long time, the VEN was assumed to be unique to humans, great apes, whales and elephants. But now Henry Evrard, neuroanatomist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany, has discovered that the VEN occurs also in the brains of macaque monkeys.” w/ photos

“The biggest fear for a projectionist at a movie theater used to be loading reels out of order, or tearing the print. Now, it’s deleting the film… Digital conversion and projection is already common in chain theaters across the country, with 27,000 screens in the U.S. (over two thirds) converted to digital. The switch started in earnest last year after major studios like 20th Century Fox privately notified theater owners in December 2011 of the coming new world order. And at CinemaCon this year, Fox’s master plan was announced: all digital, no film by 2013.” w/ photos

“The ancient Babylonians used a number system with base 60 (sexagesimal)… but why? time to find out.” — numberphile

“These are Josef Mengele stuff that made me feel sick. Horrified. Along with the poor monkey who’s head was reattached to another body. Thank God it died shortly after. How awful to survive that. Also, there are many different experiments people did through the history. While researching ‘mad scientist’s’ lab it made me think of people who did this. What was it, a pure scientific curiosity or something else? Some of the experiments I can comprehend and somehow justify. If an experiment on poor dog will help in saving many people I will support, but some of the experiments makes you wonder. Why the hell would someone do this? These are just the experiments we know about.” w/ photos

“What was the reason for these scientist to perform experiments like these ones. In first part we were talking about some pretty sick stuff. Scientist who was researching asphyxiation by hanging himself, still sounds bizarre and it makes me wonder if this was his masochistic outage or a really important research. Than there was a story of veterinary who experimented with possible mixture of human and primate gens. Thanks to God that didn’t work out. But that was just an introduction into the real madness.” w/ photos

“Too much sugar could be making you stupid, according to researchers. The suggestion follows tests in the laboratory comparing high-fructose corn syrup, which is six times sweeter than cane sugar and a common ingredient in processed foods, with omega-3 fatty acids, known to aid memory and learning. In an experiment on rats, one group had a sugary diet for six weeks and another was fed healthily. At the start of the study, published in the Journal of Physiology, the University of California team tested how well the rats navigated a maze – placing landmarks to help them learn the way. Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats’ ability to recall the route. Study co-author Professor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla said the rats fed just a sugary diet were slower and their brains had declined.” w/ photos

“A mini documentary about The White Roof Project which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to curbing climate change through a simple solution.” — PressToPlayIt

“As part of our special feature on ribbon mics this week, we’re taking a trip through the microphone’s early days — from invention to old-school broadcasting. Enjoy these historic photos of a time when recorded and amplified audio were a novelty, rather than a necessity of everyday life.” w/ photos