A company in China successfully created the nation's first cloned kitten named Garlic. (Photo Credit: Cindy Strife / Unsplash)

China’s first “copy cat” is ready to make its debut: A Beijing-based company reportedly created the nation’s first cloned kitten and it is an adorable fur baby.

Huang Yu, the kitten’s owner, contacted Sinogene, a commercial pet-cloning company that has previously cloned 40 dogs, after his feline, Garlic, died after urinary tract infection complications earlier this year, Fox News reported. Heartbroken over the loss of Garlic, Huang hoped that Sinogene could create a clone of his cat that he loved so much.

“In my heart, Garlic is irreplaceable,” Huang told The New York Times. “Garlic didn’t leave anything for future generations, so I could only choose to clone.”

The cloned kitty, which is also named Garlic, was born on July 21, AFP noted. It was created from skin cells collected from the original cat, which was unearthed by Huang before the cloning process. Sinogene then retrieved DNA samples from the deceased cat and placed them inside feline eggs. The process resulted in 40 cloned embryos that were placed in surrogate cats, and only one of the pregnancies made it to full term, according to Chen Benchi, who leads Sinogene’s experiments team.

Garlic the kitten is an exact copy of Garlic the beloved cat who died – his owner paid for him to be cloned ?? pic.twitter.com/2ff03DQHOK

— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) September 6, 2019

Huang had to shell out $35,000 for the cloning process and even though the “similarity between the two cats is more than 90 percent,” he was still slightly disappointed over some differences, including the new kitty lacking a patch of black fur on its face.

“If I tell you I wasn’t disappointed, then I would be lying to you,” Huang explained to The New York Times. “But I’m also willing to accept that there are certain situations in which there are limitations to the technology.”

Mi Jidong, Sinogene’s CEO, told AFP that even though pet cloning may be expensive, not all of his clients earn a lot of money and are looking to fill a void in their lives after losing their pets.

“In fact, a large proportion of customers are young people who have only graduated in the last few years,” he said. “Whatever the origin of pets, owners will see them as part of the family. Pet cloning meets the emotional needs of young generations.”

More on Geek.com:

• Officer Attempts to Rescue ‘Kitten,’ Finds a Bobcat Instead
• Kitten Encased in Spray Foam Rescued By Garbage Collector in Oregon
• This AI Neural Network Gives Cats Creepy, Cute Names

The USA Network hit The Purge is back for its sophomore season just in time for tricks and treats during the month of Halloween.

Based on the hit movie franchise, The Purge revolves around a 12-hour period when all crime, including murder, is legal. Season 2 explores how a single Purge night affects the lives of four interconnected characters over the course of the ensuing year, all inevitably leading up to the next Purge. From Blumhouse Television and UCP, the second season of the anthology series opens on Purge night but dives deeper than ever before into what the Purge world looks like the other 364 days of the year. 

The Purge Season 2 is executive produced by the film franchise creator James DeMonaco, who executive produces along with his partner for Man in a Tree, Sébastien K. Lemercier; Krystal Houghton Ziv, James Roland, Tim Andrew, and Jason Blum. Additionally, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form, from the film franchise, serve as executive producers under the Platinum Dunes banner, as does Thomas Kelly. The series is a co-production between Blumhouse Television and UCP. Season 2 stars Derek Luke (13 Reasons Why), Max Martini (Pacific Rim), Paola Nuñez (The Son) and Joel Allen (Never Goin’ Back).

The post Season 2 of ‘The Purge’ Makes its Debut October 15th appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Sometimes, it takes a while to breakthrough. Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t win his first Oscar until “The Revenant” (it should’ve been “The Wolf of Wall Street”. Don’t @ me). Kofi Kingston was a top star for over a decade before this past WrestleMania where he took home his first world title. And then there’s Monster Hunter.

With its first installment dropping in 2004, this franchise was, to put it mildly, a slow-moving train. It was big in Japan, like Bobby Caldwell or corn on pizza, but didn’t cross over. That is, until 2018’s Monster Hunter: World. This title changed everything for Capcom, becoming its greatest success not only in years but, indeed, of all time. As of this writing, the game has shipped 13 million copies and with an expansion imminent, shows no signs of stopping.

On September 6, the monster hunting world will get bigger with the release of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. I got to go hands-on with this game in beta and early release and I’m here with some Day 1 (or earlier) impressions. On the whole, the game sticks with its tried and true formula – one to four players, or hunters, get put on a map with a monster (ranging from a lizard of unusual size to a lizard of REALLY unusual size), and must use their wits and comically oversized weapons to win the day. You also employ traps, bombs, bigger traps, bigger bombs, and an army of anthropomorphic cats.

You go places and do the thing, craft new equipment, do the thing again, repeat. This is the way and this game does what the series does best: double down. More places to explore! More weapons! More cats! And MORE MONSTERS.

Your World, But with a Parka

I have lived long enough to thank god that not every game has an ice level. However, from Ducktales to Mega Man X to Devil May Cry 3¸Capcom has a rich history of engaging and, dare I say, fun ice worlds. Iceborne, thankfully, is no different. The game takes place in the original locale of Astera (itself divided into six monster zones and two human settlements), and the newly trekked lands of the Hoarfrost Reach. This area is, if I’m being honest, about as big as the whole of Astera, and has a huge amount of diversity for such a weather-limited environment. There’s new endemic wildlife, new research missions, and of course, new monsters.

On announcement, I was skeptical of introducing a single new area with only one weather condition. Monster Hunter is a series that prides itself on ecological diversity and being a hunting game before it is anything else. To that end, a wide array of environs are not only welcomed, they are expected! Worry not: even in its lone and it’s cold, the Reach has a great deal of what we’ve come to know and love. There are challenges, there are beautiful pictures, and there are booby traps on top of booby traps. For some good fun, try luring a monster to the cliffs in the northeast corner of the map. You’re welcome.

I’M ON A MASTER QUEST

Historically, Monster Hunter has been lauded for its rewarding gameplay system and backbreaking difficulty. While the latest installment in the series is known for its accessibility to new players, there was still a substantial base clamoring for that tradition and looking to get mushed by some Mons. Capcom listened, and gave these players master rank. I’m here to tell you, friends, it does not disappoint.

The original MHW has tempered and arch-tempered monsters. These are a challenge to be sure, but not one that can’t be handled solo with enough time to prep. Iceborne introduces Master Rank, this generation’s answer to the previous ones’ G-rank, a difficulty beyond the most difficult monsters in the base game. These monsters pack more punch, tank more hits, and are generally the things that keep people like Geralt of Rivia awake at night. Bring the squad. Bring potions. Bring a lunch; you’re gonna be here for a minute.

This mode is a task but never a chore. For the initiated, it will be a fun way to test skills and get a lot of sweet new equipment. For the uninitiated, there is still not only the base story, but an entire other story added with the expansion.

Something for Everyone

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne has features that are not for the faint of heart. And of course, this game is known for its somewhat unforgiving learning curve. However, there is still plenty here for the new or new-ish player.
As I said, there is a serviceable, if not mind-blowing, story to this game. IB adds to it by giving us the mythos of the Hoarfrost Reach, complete with new alpha monsters and a mysterious “Everwyrm”. The story involves solving a mystery and making new monster friends along the way. And by friends I mean mortal foes.

This balances the new Master Rank well, serving as introduction where needed and a palate cleanser where needed. I like this versatility and wish I could see it in other multiplayer-focused affair. Newer players may, however, still find the action a bit hard to get into due to difficulty.

Worth the Wait, Worth the Price?

It’s been just shy of a year since Iceborne was announced. In that time, they’ve announced a new area, new story, new difficulty, and over two dozen new and returning monsters. They also added new mechanics, with new moves and combos for each of the 14 weapons and the new universal gear, the clutch claw. I don’t have time to go into all the magic of the claw, but I will say: use it. Make mistakes. Get messy! Have fun.
When I consider what this expansion costs ($40 USD), I feel like Capcom went above and beyond to deliver bang for that buck. I have grown to expect less, and judge new content accordingly while also appreciating a good effort. There’s months of new content here, plenty enough to bring us to whatever’s next, and they’ve already announced the first bit of post-launch DLC (Rajang, the thunder ape). For those who weren’t thrilled originally, I can honestly say there’s enough here to warrant a second look. For those that were, there’s enough here to keep you thrilled for a long while to come. This is what expansions are all about. Expanding. Making the game (even more) expansive.

With that in mind: what’s cooler than being cool?

ICE
BORNE.

I’ll see myself out.

I give it 9.3 super hardcore anime slashes out of 10. Let’s chat.

Written by friend of BNP and guest writer DJ Rogers. See his other writing here. You can follow his nerd adventures and gaming thoughts on Twitter.

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Lend a hand to new hunters and claim SWEET REWARDS with new Hunter Helper feature in both #MHWorld and #Iceborne! ? pic.twitter.com/fqg8PtkGMq

— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) September 5, 2019

The post What is Cooler Than Being Cool? Monster Hunter World: Ice Borne Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.