We have approximately 25 days left to live. Well, depending on when you read this, and depending on when the scientists at CERN finally switch on the Large Hadron Collider, and depending on whether they were wrong about it being safe. At any rate, while we're still here, it's time for another edition of the Science Weekend Warrior!

According to a new report from Toward Freedom, the PlayStation 2's requirement of a metal called Tantalum helped fuel a war that caused the deaths of several million in the Congo. This event was labeled as the PlayStation War. Story in the full article.

Here's a switch: Chimps in the dense jungles of Congo seem to have gotten tired if being preyed upon by lions, leopards and other big cats, so they decided to eat the big cats instead.

It may be hard to believe stories chronicled by the area's natives about giant chimps howling at the moon and preying on deadly predators, but biologists and animal trackers from the University of Amsterdam were able to get to the truth and they discovered a lot of strange new things.

Once thought of as a hybrid of gorillas and chimps, this newly-discovered specie is actually more of a bigger and bolder version of their better-known cousins that we're familiar with. They've never been seen hunting lions, but they were photographed feasting on the carcass of a grown leopard.

What's even more riveting was the culture that these animals have. They sleep on the ground and not high up in trees. They use large nests which are easily accessible by other beasts but seem confident in their way of resting.

"I don't like to paint them as being more aggressive, but maybe they prey on some of these predators and the predators kind of leave them alone," comments biologist Cleve Hicks as he tries to find a reason on the seemingly complacent practice.

He was even more amazed at the fact that these chimps weren't afraid of humans. Instead of scurrying away at the sight of men, these monkeys didn't seem to mind. He also observed that the deeper in the jungle they got, the more confident the apes seemed to get. The apes were named "Bili" after a town near where they are seen frequently. Scientists, however, worry that the civil war in Congo could post a threat to the population of the animals.

For many people, the cell phone is a gadget of convenience or a flashy fashion statement. But in African it is an agent of change. Big change. In Congo, Zadhe Iyombe makes a 400 mile, eight-day boat trip up the Congo River to his jungle hometown just to talk to his mother or even check if she is still alive. But now with a cell phone in hand, he talks to his mother every day.

"Now I know immediately how she is doing," said Iyombe. Cell phones are also saving lives. "Before, if you had a sick baby in the middle of the night, he could easily die. Now you can call somebody to help," he says.

With the advent of mobile communications, people call a doctor, mechanic or police officer instead of walking for miles to find one. Farmers and fishermen have now eliminated middlemen by using text messaging to check market prices. News of births, deaths and illnesses are relayed instantly from one point to another. For people like Iyombe, the cell phone has become a business tool. He and countless others charge people to make calls, known as airtime economy, in which minutes on a cellphone are a commodity that can be used, bartered or sold for cash.

Africa is now the fastest growing region in terms of cell phone usage with a dramatic increase in subscribers from 63 million to about 152 million in just two years. As a result Africa has attracted multimillion-dollar investments from major cellphone companies, including Finland-based Nokia and UK-based Vodafone.

"People would rather be without a shirt and trousers," said Gilbert Nkuli of Vodacom Congo, "and they'd rather go for days without food, instead of not having a phone." Think about that the next time your cell phone rings.