science

See Mario transformed into bacteria

December 16th, 2009 at 04:30pm Under DS

We’re always happy to see gaming encroaching on the rest of the world, a sign that it’s becoming more culturally accepted and mainstream, but this example is so nerdy, it might actually be a step in the other direction. What you see on the right there is the classic NES Mario sprite, recreated in specifically-engineered bacteria by the nanobiology laboratories at the University of Osaka, Japan.

We love the idea of gaming’s leading man being transformed this way, we can’t help but think how great it would have been if Team Osaka could have achieved the same effect with fungus. … You know, because the Mushroom Kin — oh, never mind.

[Thanks, Modern Epicurian]

See Mario transformed into bacteria originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: bacteria, mario, nes, retro, science, super-mario-bros

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Wii Remote turned into water sensor

December 16th, 2009 at 05:00am Under Wii / Nintendo

The Wiimote has been used for plenty of non-gaming needs, including tidying up the house and controlling robots. Even the US military got in on the action, using the Wiimote to defuse bombs in Iraq. And let’s not forget the groundbreaking work done by Johnny Chung Lee — a man who just happens to have inspired the creation of the setup you see above.

See, a team of scientists in Luxemburg (via Wired) figured out that using the sensor-filled gutty-works of the Wiimote would — through some tinkering — be a good way to measure water evaporation. See, this type of measurement usually requires sensors that can cost up to $500 a piece, making the $40 Wiimote quite the attractive alternative. This has applications outside of just measuring water evaporation, the team said — including measuring the speed at which a structure collapses.

[Via Gizmodo]

Wii Remote turned into water sensor originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: mod, science, water-evaporation, Wii / Nintendo, wiimote

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Xbox 360 being used to detect heart defects

September 25th, 2009 at 05:00am Under Xbox 360

We’ve suffered our fair share of broken hearts at the hands of the Red Ring of Death — now, the Xbox 360 is being used to mend our ailing blood-pumpers. A computer scientist at the University of Warwick in England recently did some sweet console modification to allow his 360 to calculate heart rhythms using a complex algorithm. Microsoft’s console is capable of performing these calculations five times faster (and 10 times cheaper) than a lab computer, and has the added benefit of letting its users play Madden in between bursts of scientific study.

To sum up, the 360 is now being used to cure heart disease, and the PS3 is being used to cure cancer. Ball’s in your court, Nintendo.

Xbox 360 being used to detect heart defects originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.