First, there were test tube babies. Now comes test tube blood! Scientists have managed to create test tubes upon test tubes of the rare type O-negative blood using those magic stem cells we hear so much about. Vampires need not risk getting staked just to get some ever food again!

Welcome to yet another issue of the QJ.NET MMORPG Weekend Warriors. Whether you want to get more news about upcoming games such as Star Trek Online, DC Universe Online (PC, PlayStation 3), and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning or are more interested in industry news such as Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' impact on World of Warcraft and new laws governing our video games, we've got it all here. Hit the "read more" link to find out more.

More game legislation today. GamePolitics reports that, due to one consumer's difficulty in cancelling his MMO subscription, a new law has been passed in Illinois that essentially makes it illegal to have difficult unsubscription processes in MMORPGs. Find out what that spells for MMOs everywhere after the jump.

Another lawsuit against Nintendo has cropped up once again, this time over the touch-screen capabilities of the Nintendo DS. John Martin of Illinois claims that the popular handheld has infringed on his patent, that describes a electronic game device that has "an improved method of operating a touch screen." More details in the full article!

Jack Thompson is at it again, and this time he has his eye on the recent shoot out that occurred at North Illinois University earlier today. In an interview with Fox News, he presented the same arguments as with previous campus massacres and other violent incidents, pinning the blame once again on violent video games. You can read more about what Jack Thompson had to say, as well as the video interview in the full article after the jump.

Scientists have challenged Mother Nature by building a better plant - only theirs is a digital one. Researchers at the University of Illinois have built a simulation program for a SuperLeaf: it doesn't leap tall building in a single bound but its efficiency allows it to produce more leaves and fruit using the same amount of energy a normal leaf uses.

Now if only they can actually make the leaf... Read the full article for more details on SuperLeaf.

If you think that all the matter in the universe is made up of the stars, planets and other stuff within galaxies, you'd only be partly correct. Scientists now consider that most of the other matter in the known universe is hidden.

Around 75 years ago, astronomers noticed that all matter in the universe are innately endowed with gravitational forces. Measuring their gravity in relation with their mass, scientists were able to accurately calculate the specifics of heavenly bodies such as density, mass, gravity and size. This enabled them to predict how the sun and moon move, along with the motion of the planets. All was going well until they tried the same thing with stars.

As it turned out, various anomalies were noticed in the study of the gravity of stars. It was noticed that each one of them had hundreds of times the gravity that they should have with respect to their mass. Baffled, astronomers started looking for an explanation.

It was out of the question to assume that distant stars had more powerful gravity, lest they would draw in other bodies. The only other possible answer was that there was immense matter hiding unseen, and scientists theorize that it might actually make up 74 percent of all the matter in the cosmos.

Cosmologist Michael Turner calls this stuff "dark matter" and he says it's an extremely weird concept. Turner believes that most of the matter in the universe may be trickling in undetected fashion in forms never considered before by human science. These particles also wield a force called "dark energy" which acts as an anti-gravity force that repels galaxies, pushing them apart at very high speeds.

One theory is that dark matter comes in different forms. One of which are neutrinos that trickle off the sun. These, however, may only make up a small amount of the total dark matter in the cosmos. Scott Dodelson, an astrophysicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois says one thing's certain "until we actually discover particles, we're not home yet."

It won't take long for 2K Sports to have its All-Pro Football 2K8 soundtrack release kicking off after the game's release, but before they let it loose on the gridiron, they're making sure it makes a stylish entrance, and that's why they called in DJ Z-Trip to do the job.

DJ Z-Trip, one of the more popular names in his field, has come up with some killer mixes to get you riled up and set the mood for hard-hitting, fast-running, in-your-face football action on the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360. He'll be touring to give gamers and music lovers everywhere a taste of what's up in All-Pro Football 2K8.

He'll be joined by pals Aceyalone and Gift of Gab in a tour that covers the US from coast to coast starting in Sacramento and climaxing in New York promoting the game's soundtrack album All Pro. If you want to get in on the shindigs, these are the dates and places to watch out for.

Jul 23 Harlow’s Nightclub Sacramento, California
Jul 24 The Independent San Francisco, California
Jul 25 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon
Jul 26 Last Supper Club Seattle, Washington
Jul 28 Suedes Park City, Utah
Jul 29 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado
Jul 31 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois
Aug 01 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, Michigan
Aug 02 Middle East Cambridge, Massachusetts
Aug 03 Theatre of Living Arts (Filmore) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Aug 04 Sonar Baltimore, Maryland
Aug 05 Highline Ballroom New York, New York
Aug 06 Konkrete Jungle Richmond, Virginia
Aug 08 Higher Ground Burlington, Vermont
Aug 09 Agora Cleveland, Ohio
Aug 12 Shambhala Festival Salmo, British Columbia
Aug 15 House of Blues Los Angeles, California
Aug 16 Rialto Theatre Tucson, Arizona
Aug 18 Elysium Austin, Texas
Aug 19 Granada Theater Dallas, Texas
Aug 21 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, New Mexico
Aug 22 Brickhouse Phoenix, Arizona
Aug 23 The Grove Anaheim, California
Aug 25 Southern Comfort Festival San Diego, California


Buy: [All-Pro Football 2K8 (Xbox 360)]

A play entitled "First Person Shooter", written by Aaron Loeb, is debuting at the San Francisco Playhouse. Those expecting a play defending our favorite pastime may be disappointed though.

Loeb spoke about this play saying that "It would have been easy for me to write a screed defending video games" he then added that "That would have been a very dull play. Instead, I tried to chronicle what I'd seen, heard and experienced — and imagine how a conflict like this would play out."

The story involves a company named JetPack Games which produced an FPS called Megaton. Some time later, news regarding a shooting at an Illinois school comes out stating that 14 students are dead at the hands of a gunman - a Megaton expert. The main characters of the play are JetPak’s CEO and a local farmer whose son was among the 14 victims.

This is a very sensitive topic because a lot of the affected families and communities are still, and perhaps will forever be hurting over the losses these school shootings have caused. There is no excuse for the deaths of the individuals in school shootings. You can put the blame on video games or on something else, but the fact of the matter is, the victims will never get their lives back. Perhaps the play will give some of those who are actively speaking against video games to re-asses the situation and give some more thought on their arguments. Remember for every finger you point, you'll have three pointing right back at you.

For those avid World of Warcraft role players or just role players in general, the Renaissance Faire might be a good place to visit.

Renaissance Entertainment Corporation hosts a variety of events in different locations in North America. As the name suggests, the Renaissance Faire is a medieval-themed event that features a market, sword wielding displays, performing troupes, and maybe a joust or two. They are currently also offering a 20% discount for tickets on the first one - Renaissance Pleasure Faire to be held in SoCal - for World of Warcraft players.

Interested? Hop over to the Renaissance Faire site by clicking the via link below. Grab the chain mail, sword, and a damsel in distress, and you're good to go. It may be a nice primer for World of Warcraft players waiting for Blizzcon.