Long maligned for turning healthy children into fat psychopaths, videogames are at last contributing something positive to society by leading the fight against Alzheimer's Disease.

Working at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, researchers have discovered that an insulin-degrading enzyme nicknamed "Pac-Man" may also function as an effective treatment for the deadly degenerative dementia by neutralizing the amyloid proteins associated with its onset. According to Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, the enzyme works by "gobbling up" said proteins in much the same way as Pac-Man gobbled up fruit and ghosts in his eponymous arcade debut.

However, when asked if videogames were at all relevant to the breakthrough in something other than the most superficial way imaginable, Wood responded: "No, it's just a name. But don't let that stop you talking about it on your internet blogs. I know how desperate you people are for content."

Pac-Man copyright holders Namco-Bandai have yet to announce when they're going to sue the Mayo Clinic out of existence, though sources close to the company expect it will be within the coming month.

(Thanks, Joystiq!)

NOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM

Here it is. Prepare for

Oh and hey, check it out: Dessgeega went ahead and made that button-holding-down game she mentioned in the interview. She's a whimsical whizard!

I’m back in Sydney’s Inner West at the moment, and on Saturday, on my way to Newtown station, I passed through the markets on the other side of the road. And you know how people make Mario and stuff by sticking little plastic beads together? Well I saw a bit of that! Check it out, homedogs:

I reckon brooches made from an old keyboard is a great idea:

All of this was done by two people who call themselves ‘SkullMonkey’:

They have a MySpace page, if you do the MySpace thing. Probably there is a way to contact them, and/or order their doodads? I’m not sure! I am an old man and find MySpace loud and confusing. But they were friendly and polite in person! Hi guys!

I want to assure you that today's comic is not in any way about Pac-Man.

I am so serious.

Click here for nothing Pac-Man-related.

The great thing about game mascots with cat faces is that anyone can make them at home, using toilet rolls, pipe cleaners and crêpe paper. Here are a few more examples to help you get started!

Hmmm, what uproarious, videogame-related jape shall I tell today, in comic form? Hmmm. Hmmmmm.

Wait, what's this? That Lord Mario comic is suddenly getting a million squillion hits, from all over the internet? Well, that makes the decision easy!

IT'S PANDERIN' TIME!!