What is significant about this feat, is that this is the first time primates have ever been created using this method of mixing embryo cells. “Knock-out” mice would be an example of a scientific method similar to the mixed-embryo monkeys. However, this is literally a whole different animal.

To produce “knock-out” mice, scientists would take the embryonic stem cells, culture these cells in a lab, and then inject the cultured cells into a mouse embryo. With monkeys, their bodies rejected these cultured cells. But scientists discovered that they could get past this barrier by taking embryonic cells from different monkeys in order to produce the same effect.

Here is a graphical abstract of the mixed-embryo process from Science Direct:

Why should we care? Because these scientists aren’t creating mutant lab pets for pleasure. Many animals and their cells have significantly helped researchers understand and treat diseases such as diabetes, obesity, polio, and rabies.

Fun Fact: The breed of monkey that scientists used is the Rhesus monkey. This is the same monkey that has been launched into space.

For just about any type of gathering you could conceive, Windows Live Events has a template at the ready.  As users work with these, some of the standard stuff that Facebook fans have come to expect is present – general descriptions, directions, and attendee lists.

“But I think the coolest thing about Events is that you can use it as an online scrapbook for memories of the event,” adds Microsoft’s “Kirsten B.” in a Windows Live blog entry.  “Your guests can go to the website before and after the party to post comments, tell stories, and share photos.”  This could save some clicking-around, compared to competitors’ services.

So will Windows Live Events gain any traction?  Probably, among Microsoft fans and those who stay within that family of products out of habit.  But to grab people who have ventured further into the Web, Microsoft may need to put a little more “oomph” into its latest offering.  An example that illustrates the problem: the monkey in a CareerBuilder ad was the most interesting thing on Windows Live Events’s homepage.

Douglas responded to their request for a comment but only with a short on the record statement:

My only on-record comments are:
“I still like Nick Denton.”
“I’m wide open for job and gig offers.”

Nick himself has also issued a statement at Valleywag saying that he is indeed open to lunch (prefers Italian and suhsi and especially wine).

So what will Douglas do?

10 Zen Monkeys speculates that maybe Douglas was going to do a deal with Rocketboom or Amanda Congdon but dismisses both after tracking down Andrew Baron and Amanda Congdon.

They also point to Nick Denton speculating that Douglas may be going to Wired.

As for Denton’s side of things. He’s still being pretty tight lipped about Douglas although he seems to have at least rolled back the decision to take Valleywag in the direction of the Courier font. As one Valleywag reader, Blackjack, commented yesterday, “IBM just called from 1955, they want their Courier font back.”

So the site seems to be in an easier font to read today and Denton says that he is creating a mirror site of Valleywag in the old layout for those who would prefer it. Nick responds to the rest of the criticism here. As far as comments on Douglas though, Denton is leaving it up to Douglas to give the story, “It’s up to Nick Douglas to explain, as much as he wants to, and I think he may be making a farewell post, or jumping into this comment thread. And you can quiz him.” Which of course subsequently has happened.

So the million dollar question still remains.

What will Douglas do next?

Dave Winer’s name keeps coming up. He says a little bird told him that Douglas was going to get into video. Although Andrew and Amanda could always be lying of course, let’s explore the other video options that could be out there to Douglas.

All of this of course is just wild speculation. I have no knowledge of what Nick’s up to. But… if he is going to work in video there are a couple of other avenues that could be considered.

1. Nick makes the jump to actual broadcast TV. One of the things I’ve been noticing a lot lately is that Hollywood seems to be creeping into the Valley. At the GigaOm Xing party in San Francisco last month I spent some time talking to a couple of guys from the Hollywood crowd. They had flown up here and talked about Hollywood being interested in figuring out how to filter out the best of user generated video for mainstream TV. It’s also interesting to see folks like famous producer/director Jerry Zucker, from Airplane and Naked Gun fame show up at the Vloggies the weekend before last. Hollywood certainly seems to be sniffing around, and the right tech celebrity gossip show could be just the thing for them.

2. PodTech. Since hiring Robert Scoble, John Furrier has been building a powerhouse video network. PodTech already has the snarky Geek Entertainment TV. But could they, would they, push the envelope enough for a Nick Douglas style show? I love PodTech. I love doing photowalking shows over there with Scoble — but is PodTech the network for a gossip video? I will say that Scoble mentions Valleywag a lot.

3. Revision3. In September I wrote about Revision3 being the future of TV. The Revision3 team is already collecting some of the hottest shows on the internet. They are the highest profile cutting edge video blog network out there right now.

4. Nick goes independent on YouTube. Now this would truly be the interesting angle. It would have very little cost. Nick’s got a reputation at this point big enough to launch his own show. Why should Nick share the wealth with a network on an ongoing basis when he can build independent content himself. By staying independent this also gives him flexibilty it structuring future distribution deals while building up his popularity. Eventually when he found the right VC money he could launch at his own site, move the show over there. Note to VCs, I’d give Douglas a call and see what he’s up to.

5. Nick becomes a catalyst for a blog network to break into video. I would have thought Weblogs Inc. an interesting play. Calacanis could add video to his empire and distribute it though Netscape and the Weblogs Inc. channels. Of course this already seems unlikely as Douglas already has had a snarky exchange with Calacanis over Calacanis calling Douglas “Little Nicky.” Of course… what if that snarky little exchange though were *actually* planned. Think about *that* for a minute.

Still, Douglas has gone after Calacanis before and Calacanis has an awfully large ego and even if there were potential there the ego thing could be problematic. Then again, business is business.

6. CNET. Unlikely, but should be mentioned. Two problems here. The first is that CNET has had their own business troubles and probably wants to deal with those without a Nick Douglas distraction — they probably would also worry about the reputation of CNET News being tied to a gossip video blogger.

7. Wired could also get into video which might be behind Denton’s comments. Certainly pushing video content through Wired’s distribution channel could be interesting.

More likely than not Douglas really truly actually has not made up his mind about what he will do next — which is why if I worked in venture capital or video I’d probably be taking him up on that lunch offer.

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Thomas Hawk is a San Francisco based photographer and technology writer.
He publishes the web site Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection and is also
the Evangelist and CEO of the photo sharing site Zooomr.

The paintings are no Campbell’s soup can pieces de resistance, but they do demonstrate the ape’s forte of coloring inside the lines.

Congo the Chimpanzee learned early the control of brushes and paint in the late 1950′s. At just two-years-old, he had already stopped trying to eat them, and had begun to create mind-spinningly original tours de force (please excuse the excessive use of French. This is an art story, after all).

Reportedly, even Picasso noted Congo’s penchant for abstract expressionism and honored the ape by framing one of his paintings for display in his studio.

And now, 50 years later, Congo’s suddenly en vogue paintings are to be auctioned off at the Modern and Contemporary Art at Bonhams of London. The three paintings are tempera on paper and are said to be “brightly colored compositions of bold brushstrokes.”

Sold as a single lot, they are expected to sell for up to $1500.

Congo created his art under animal behaviorist Desmond Morris, who was exploring chimpanzees’ ability to “create order and symmetry as well as to explore, at a more primeval level, the impetus behind our own desires for artistic creativity.”

Howard Rutkowski, director of modern and contemporary art at Bonhams, said, “I would sincerely doubt that chimpanzee art has ever been auctioned before.

“I don’t think anybody else has been crazy enough to do this. I’m sure other auction houses think this is completely mad.”

It is unclear if Congo is still alive, but he is thought to be living somewhere in France seeking a new raison d’etre.