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September 30, 2006
Allerca Cat
Cat allergy sufferers rejoice because a biotech company called Allerca have finally begun selling their long awaited Allerca cat.
These are the world's first hypo-allergnic cats. Now you may think it all sounds creepy but rest assured, these cats aren't some lab experiment grown in test tubes. Quite simply, the company has identified the gene that triggers allergies. By screening and breeding only cats who have the genes missing were they able to carefully create a new cat that doesn't carry the gene at all.
Aside from its biotech origins, the Allerca cat is assured to be as healthy as any pedigree. They are loving, energetic, and very expensive. At $4,000 a pop and a year long wait list already, the company can hardly breed enough of the kitties to go around. So if you have cat allergies but love furry little felines, go ahead and put yourself on the wait list. For you non-allergy sufferers, save yourself the money and go adopt a cat. There are many that need homes.
via slash gear
Posted by tranism at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
September 18, 2006
Oh SNAP! Photovoltaic OLEDs
Organic light emitting diodes or OLEDs are heralded as the future of LCD technology, for its ability to turn electricity into light with very little loss of energy, making them appear brighter and more efficient.
Scientists decided to think backwards and realized if you reversed the process, (light turning into electricity), you get a photovoltaic cell. They put that theory to the test and found OLEDs can not only generate light but also recover some of the energy lost by turning light back into electricity.
Just think about it! Imagine your cell phone screen bright as it wants to be, when it's in idle mode, the screen captures ambient light and recharges your battery. The same tech can apply to everything from TV's to windows. Soon, OLEDs will offer both low-cost lighting and low-cost energy production.
via ecogeek
Posted by tranism at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
September 16, 2006
Largest Known Planet
It's a planet name HAT-P-1, some 450 light-years from Earth. Normally I'm not impressed by new planetary discoveries because it's obvious more and more will be discovered as our spy glasses into the vastness of space continue to improve. However, I am interested when something discovered wipes the smugness off our Scientist's faces. HAT-P-1 is just that one discovery.
The gas giant is almost twice as large Jupiter but only 1/4 the density. In other words the planet is lighter than water. Find a big enough tub and it'll float in it. The planet turns all known theories about planetary size and density upside down. It was long thought size is directly proportionate to weight. The bigger something gets, the heavier it is, but this planet doesn't follow those rules. Obviously Scientists now have to go back and reevaluate their current theories about planets in our own system. One could say the planet may be larger in size but it might be made of lighter gases. That's true, but there's another theory that says the core of a planet is directly proportionate to it's mass. For a planet this large, it's core should be heavy enough to sink in water. Our current telescopes detect no core at all. A planet with no core?
So kids, moral of the story is, our existence - so far, is only a micro-instance in the corporeal timeline. So much we don't know, but the exciting thing is that means there's more to discover and that's where I think our truth nature exists. Doesn't that excite you more than trivial concerns like making money, getting rich, dying, only to do it all over again? The more you know (star bursts across the screen, twinkles).
Posted by tranism at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)