Sound zany? “[T]his is not so crazy … What’s crazy is what we do today”, Forgacs says. “[W]e raise and slaughter billions of animals to make our hamburgers and our handbags.”

It’s clear why we need to move away from the current system of abusing and killing animals for food and clothing: by 2030, he predicts, it will take 100 billion land animals to provide the world’s population with meat, dairy products, eggs and leather goods if we continue in the same destructive fashion. That’s no good for the planet and even worse for the animals involved.

Could a transfusion of young blood REALLY rejuvenate old people's brains? Vampire-like treatment could stave off the effects of ageing, say researchers

• Blood transfusions helped mice to perform as well as memory tests as rodents a third of their age
• Scientists are hopeful the findings could apply to humans and ease burden of ageing population

It might sound like something from Dracula, but old brains have been made sprightly again thanks to young blood.

Giving ageing mice blood from much younger animals rejuvenated connections between brain cells and improved memory, experiments have shown.

The treatment is so effective that 18-month-old animals did as well in memory tests as those of only four months. Mice usually live to between 18 months and two years.

If the treatment is shown to be safe and as successful in humans, it could be used to stave off the ravages of old age.

Those in middle-age could be given regular jabs of blood donated by 20-somethings, a conference heard. Diseases such as Alzheimer's could also be held at bay.

Researcher Saul Villeda told the Society for Neuroscience's annual conference in New Orleans: 'Do I think that giving young blood could have an effect on a human? I'm thinking more and more that it might.

'It's not a drug that will have deleterious effects. It's just blood. We do it all the time for blood transfusions.'

Scientists from Stanford University in the US 'sewed together' two mice of different ages.

They created connections between their veins and arteries that allowed young blood to flow into the older animal's body, and vice versa. The younger animals' brains appeared to age. But in the older animals, young blood boosted the number of connections between brain cells. The connections, which are thought to be vital to memory, were also stronger.

The older mice also did just as well as the younger ones in memory tests. The treatment is now being tested on mice with an Alzheimer's-like disease. Experts said that if the research continues to bear fruit, it could lead to treatment that brings even greater benefits than penicillin.

Other work suggests an infusion of young blood could be good for the muscles, liver and immune system. However, the work is at an early stage and it will be some time before it is tested on humans.

It may be possible to identify the compounds in blood that are rejuvenating the brain and turn them into a pill.

Professor Andrew Randall, a brain disease expert from Exeter and Bristol Universities, said: 'Although this may suggest that Dracula author Bram Stoker had ideas way ahead of his time, temporarily plumbing teenagers' blood supplies into those of their great-grandparents does not seem a particularly feasible future therapy for cognitive decline in ageing.

'Instead this fascinating work suggests there may be significant benefit in working out what the “good stuff” is in the high octane young blood, so that we can provide just those key components to the elderly.'

Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine from University College London, added: 'The important questions are; what is in the blood of the younger mice that impacts the ageing process, and is it applicable to humans?

'Even if the finding leads only to a drug that prevents, rather than reverses the normal effects of ageing on the brain, the impact upon future generation will be substantial – potentially outweighing other wonder drugs such as penicillin.'

Dr Villeda said: 'Our findings open the possibility of utilising young blood towards future therapeutic interventions aimed at reversing cognitive impairments in the elderly.

'It now becomes a promising prospect to test whether this extends beyond normal ageing towards reversing cellular and cognitive decline in those suffering from age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's diseas

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Well now, where shall i begin to tell you about my Infest 2012.  I don't think anyone who was there would argue that the turn out this year was well down on usual, I don't doubt tough economic times may have played a part for some, having Resistanz early next year also may have informed some regulars decisions but I think that this years line up may have had a large part to play, hmmm to go or not to go that was the question, the one part of me wanted to go 'cos, well it's Infest and not only the event but the chance to catch up with friends I only get to see when we're there.  I did want to see Suono and of course Suicide Commando, now you understand this is just my opinion and of course I don't expect you to agree but the rest of the line up didn't set me on fire and so after a degree of mming and erring booked tickets, accommodation and stuff and prepared

to party.

Friday saw us arrive at the venue at around 3pm and it's no exaggeration to say it was very quiet.  Spacebouy provided synth pop with a modern twist and though noise isn't really my thing Dirty K managed to bring both rhythm and noise together, yeah it's noise but good noise.  As more of our friends and aquaintances arrived we tended to get caught up in the usual drink, greet, gossip, drink scenario and so the rest of Friday past without us spending too much time in the main room.

 Saturday saw another fairly quiet start and instead of needing to be down front at least 15 minutes befoe kick off there was still loads of room at 5 minutes to go.  We got well up front for Suono at 5pm and in hindsight 5 was way too early for them to be on as they were the "dark horses" of Saturday if not the weekend and for me personally saved the day!  Having seen them I know what people mean when they say their studio sound doesn't quite yet catch the essence of their live performance but man do those boys deliver when you do see them live !! I've heard them compared to Sam and XRX and I get that but if you have had doubts about seeing them live, my friends, doubt no more and if you missed them then you missed a treat.  Their boundless infectious enthusiasm and techno dance beats soon had everyone partying along, I just wish that there had been more in the room to see them, I can see them rapidly becoming firm favourites not least for the music as I distinctly heard the comment from behind me "oohh they are cute boys too" Suono, you heard it here first !

Sunday seemed for the most part a more chilled affair during the day, I think a lot of us had partied pretty hard on Saturday and were taking things a bit steady, however as the day wore on and various "hairs of the dog" pulled everyone round an air of anticipation began to build, no surprise really as headlining - drum roll, Ladees and Gentlemen, Infest gives you for one night only, the one, the only, Suicide Commando !! cue storms of applause and rush for the front !! and rush we did as it was the only time of the weekend you had to be down front half an hour before - and we were.

Right from the first storming song, Johan pounded around the stage at once admonishing us with the famous waggy finger whilst encouraging us to "Come on and hate Me"  Attention Whore had everyone pounding up and down (was it meant for all of us? of course it was ! we know what we are) along with Die Motherfucker Die and classics such as Time, but for me, the highlight was being forehead to forehead with the man himself yelling Bind, Torture and Kill an experience which will stay with me for quite some time.  After two encores the set came to a sweaty, shouty, excitable end way too soon for all of us, leaving the lovely Tails (Tales) ?? sorry man, forgive me, I don't know which way to spell it our world famous M.C. to announce the raffle and the prize of prizes must surely have been the wonderful Beer Can Headpiece, for those who saw it you know what I mean, finally a big shout out to The Infamous Rubber Nun, Das TinTin and Zombie Chris - you know who you are ...........

As always Infest delivered on many levels, the Jager, the stalls, the crowd and the bands, if there is just one small comment I would make it would be that what Infest does Brilliantly is give lesser known and new artists a platform but for next year we need a few more names please, in the current crappy economic climate in this country and with Resistanz snapping at Infest's heels we need bands to pull us all in and keep Infest what it is, well Infest, let's face it if you've never been before you really need to come along next year and to everyone who always is, see you there next year motherfuckers !!!

Love and Jager to all,

Dawnie xxxx

credits@ photos adam w/ www.amodelofcontrol.com

- See more at: http://www.darkasylum.co.uk/blogs/1317/42/infest-2012-review#sthash.oJBdpqTw.dpuf

A gargoyle on a historic 13th Century abbey has caused a social media sensation with its resemblance to the monster from the Alien films.

A photograph of the gargoyle at Paisley Abbey, which looks like one from the 1980s movie, has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter.

The Reverend Alan Birss said most of the gargoyles were replaced during a refurbishment in the early 1990s.

He thinks that one of the stonemasons must have been having a bit of fun.

Mr Birss, minister at the abbey, said that 12 medieval gargoyles which had been on the abbey for hundreds of years had to be taken down in 1991 because they had "crumbled and were in a very bad state".

The purpose of the grotesque figures was to take rain water away from the roof in the days before down pipes.

Just one of the original gargoyles was left outside the abbey to show how they would have looked, although there are medieval grotesques inside the building.

Mr Birss said a stonemason from an Edinburgh firm was contracted to create the new gargoyles.

"I think it was a stonemason having a bit of fun," he said.

"Perhaps the film was fairly new when they were carving this and if he was thinking of an alien perhaps the alien from the film was his idea of an alien.

"I'm sure he wasn't deliberately copying the alien in the film. It was just a concept of an alien."

Mr Birss said an internet search showed that someone had pointed out the similarity as far back as 1997.

"But it obviously did not pick up and take off then like it has now," he said.

Church officer Matthew McIntosh said: "It is a beautiful building. Paisley gets a bad press but the abbey is the jewel in the crown.

"People will be surprised and delighted by everything they see outside and inside."