Piglets Inherit Fluorescent Gene of Parent

Glowing tobacco plants, cats, and now we have fluorescent pigs! Chinese scientists have altered the genes of a pig to make it glow when exposed under ultraviolet light. Now, the pig has given birth to glowing piglets. What is the significance of all this? It simply means that pigs can now be turned into factories for human organ replacement. The glowing color seems to be a favorite marker to determine inheritance since it is so easy to see.

More on the glowing pigs in i-Mash. Click here for a photo of the original fluorescent hogs.

First Photo of Lunar Surface by Chang'e 1 Unveiled

This is the first photograph made by the Chinese Chang'e 1 lunar satellite of the Moons surface. The unveiling was controversial as the photograph was claimed by some to be the same one taken by a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spacecraft in 2005. This was denied by Chinese officials, who said that the same site would naturally produce a similar image. They did, however, note a difference in the number of craters in one part, although the details are sketchy. Jump here to i-Mash for the details.

China Goes for Second Phase of Lunar Program

With the successful launch of China's first unmanned lunar satellite (Chang'e 1) mission, it now goes ahead for the next phase of its lunar program which will eventually lead to the sending of the first Chinese taikonaut to Earth's nearest neighbor. While it has no timetable for this milestone, Luan Enjie, the chief commander of the country's lunar orbiter project, says there are big hurdles to go over, like technical problems, and lots of money to spend. Luan says there is yet no timetable as to when that will be. I guess that means other countries like Japan can still try to be the first from East Asia.

Coincidentally, a Chinese company called Lunar Embassy has begun to sell real estate property on the moon. For those in the know, there is also a company in the US with the same name that also has the same business. What's the relation of the two companies? Well, the owner of the Chinese company, Li Jie (sounds like Jet Lee), says he had already spoken to the owner of the US company, Dennis Hope, before. There seems to be no conflict of interest in selling the same thing to different people, but then again, it's just the fancy "land title" certificate that people pay for anyway. You can't really claim land on the moon or any other body in space.

In more serious matters, Google, which has developed an online cartographic service of the Earth and the Moon (Google Earth and Google Moon), has launched a contest with a $30 million pot money to whoever gets a robot on the moon. Click here to find out more.

China Moves in on the Moon

The Moon is a favorite place to go to for countries who gain the economy, technology, and will to do so. It happened to the United States and Russia. Now, China plans to survey the whole of the Moon, land a rover on it, bring back samples, and then send taikonauts there and back all within 20 years. India and Japan have their own plans as well. It seems competition will keep the hands of the United States space program full again.

Qin Dynasty Tomb Contains Skeletons Believed Buried Alive

Archaeologists have discovered a tomb dating back to the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) in Fengyang China that contains the remains of nine people believed to have been buried alive in an enclosure that had been filled first with corpses. The location of the tomb was the hometown of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming-dynasty. He is famous for driving the Mongols out of China in AD 1368.

Extinct Lizard Glided on Ribs

The fossil of a small lizard that lived in the Early Cretaceous period 150 million years ago was discovered recently. It is unique because it has extended ribs covered with a membrane that it may have used as wings to glide. Dubbed Xianglong zhaoi, its fossil was described by Xing Xu of the Shenyang Normal University in China. Judging from its immature "feathers," it had died young. Birds are now thought to have originated from dinosaurs.

Birds use "arm" bones to fly and flap their wings in the air. Unlike them, the lizard may have simply extended its ribs outwards when jumping between trees, much like flying squirrels do today. They may have used their forelimbs to grasp onto things upon landing.

Video Game Overdose?

A man from Jinzhou, Liaoning province in China reportedly died after playing online video games "continuously" for seven days over the Chinese New Year holidays. The cause of death was unclear but the man was reportedly obese, although was young at 26. He collapsed on the last day of the holidays. Internet use has been steadily rising in China despite censorship by the government.

Research on the effect of video games on the human body have resulted in both positive and negative findings. One study reports that the flashing lights of video games cause epileptic seizures. Another says it can improve mental acuity. But whether playing video games is beneficial or not, what happened to the Chinese man was most likely the result of having too much of something one's own good. But, then again, maybe it was just his time. There is an old Chinese proverb that says: Enjoy yourself. It is later than you think. The photo is from http://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tepsili_xewer/2005/09/13/internet?simple=1