Word: protoplasm
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Dates: during 1992-1992
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ABOUT THE ONLY EXCITEMENT IN AN AMOEBA'S LIFE is the chance to inflict major intestinal distress on unwary world travelers. And as every high school student knows, these one-celled blobs of protoplasm never get to fool around; they reproduce asexually, by splitting in two. But now comes a report in the journal Heredity that suggests amoebas are not dull so much as discreet. French scientists have looked at the genetic material of species of amoebas and found that their genes show the telltale signs of sexual mixing. They've never been caught in the act, though...
...Initial responses were mixed. A reviewer for the Austin American-Statesman griped, "I don't remember ever seeing animated retching before, and hope to never see it again." Campus critics took a different view. Ren's constant bleat -- "You bloated sack of protoplasm!" -- began to replace Bart Simpson's "Eat my shorts!" as their put-down of choice. Frank Zappa joined the fan club. So did Robert De Niro and pop singer Matthew Sweet. Dormitories at Yale, the University of Michigan and U.S.C. staged viewing parties, where undergraduates displayed their new Ren & Stimpy T shirts...
...These episodes are designed to be refreshingly outrageous for at least 15 years," says Coffey. Which means the bloated sack of protoplasm will be eliciting laughter well into the 21st century. The thought fills Kricfalusi with equanimity. "I think we are destroying the minds of America," he concludes. "And that's been one of my lifelong ambitions...