Will the human genome diminish humanity by taking the mystery out of life? (The third of five questions I may be asked tomorrow as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) We’ve had the human genome all along; its been here all along, just like gravity existed before Newton. What’s new is the Human…
What are the potential injustices or misuses of DNA information? (The second of five questions I may be asked tomorrow as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) According to the Human Genome Project’s website on genetic legislation, no laws have yet been passed regarding the use of genetic information in healthcare, employment, and…
Is our fate in our genes or in our stars? (The first of five questions I may be asked as part of a panel on DNA and ethics.) I’ll take “in our stars” as a metaphor for something like “determined by the cosmos,” rather than a literal reference to astrology. I don’t think the average…
China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, 38, was hurled into outer space by Shenzhou-5 spacecraft at 9 a.m. Wednesday from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province. —Xinhaunet —Shenzhou-5 launch successful (China View)
Just as a shark must swim to breathe, a hard drive must be in motion to receive or return data. This air bearing technology, as it is called (pioneered at IBM in the 1950s), explains why dust and other contaminants must be kept out of the drive casing at all costs. If the heads touch…
Monkeys can control a robot arm as naturally as their own limbs using only brain signals, a pioneering experiment has shown. The macaque monkeys could reach and grasp with the same precision as their own hand. —Duncan Graham-Rowe —Monkey’s brain signals control ‘third arm’ (New Scientist)
These are your panel questions. You will be asked some of them, not necessarily in this order: Is our fate in our genes or in our stars? Explain. What are the potential injustices or misuses of DNA information? Will the human genome diminish humanity by taking the mystery out of life? Jurassic Park was a…
A self-taught bear expert who once called Alaska’s brown bears harmless party animals was one of two people fatally mauled in a bear attack in Katmai National Park and Preserve – the first known bear killings in the 4.7-million-acre park. —Rachel D’Oro —Bear enthusiast, companion fatally mauled in Katmai National Park (Ancorage Daily News) Just in…
A person’s mental ability as a child could well be an indicator of their chances of surviving to a ripe old age, according to a landmark study which has followed up on surveys carried out in the first half of the last century. —David Salt —Mental Ability Linked To Survival Age (Discovery)
“We now have a greater understanding of why biscuits develop cracks shortly after being baked.” — PhD student Qasim Saleem, quoted in an article by Christine McGourty —Broken Biscuit Breakthrough (BBC) A biscuit in the UK is what Americans refer to as a “cracker”. Thanks for the suggestion, Rosemary.
In his new book, War Against the Weak, investigative reporter Edwin Black makes the case that 20th century American proponents of eugenics — the belief that controlled breeding can improve humanity — had substantive ties to the architects of Hitler’s racial extermination machine. — Dan Vergano —Book explores eugenics’ origins (USA Today) A student in my…
Chemtrails: 18,600 hits on Google. A lunatic fringe of dittoheads, convinced Doom is wafting down on the populace via 747s and DC-10s. A whole subculture of contrail conspiracy freaks. God bless ’em, at least they’re looking up. —Matt Rasmussen —Contrails (Orion Online)
Professor Leif Salford, who headed the research at Sweden’s prestigious Lund University, says “the voluntary exposure of the brain to microwaves from hand-held mobile phones” is “the largest human biological experiment ever”. And he is concerned that, as new wireless technology spreads, people may “drown in a sea of microwaves”. — Geoffrey Lean —Mobiles ‘make…
A mechanism description is a short report designed to convey to the reader a technical understanding of the function, appearance, and operation of a particular object. In one or two sentences, give the reader a quick overview of these three elements, before you lauch into the details. —Dennis G. Jerz —Mechanism Description: Analyzing the Function,…
Three short steps into the New Millennium, written SF is paradoxically in sharp decline. …. And the reason is depressingly clear: Those few readers who haven’t defected to Tolkienesque fantasy cling only to Star Trek, Star Wars, and other Sci Fi franchises. | Incredibly, young people no longer find the real future exciting. They no…
In December, 1990, Galileo began its “Earth-1” maneuver: the first Earth flyby. This happened to coincide with the buildup to the first Gulf War. nasa had to inform the North American Aerospace Defense Command that the blip that would appear on its radar screens on December 8th—an incredibly fast-moving object that might well seem to…
Usually, the bears would come to greet him within a day or two of his arrival, sniffing his scent in the air, nuzzling his footprints and then making contact.|This year, there was nothing. But there were fierce snowstorms and he thought they might be keeping the bears away. He travelled far and wide, looking for…
“[E]excuse me, I just got my sight back last week after being totally blind for 43 years. Could you help me figure out what I am seeing?” — Mike May —Mike’s Journal (Sendero Group) A fascinating excerpt: I found it very distracting to look at people’s faces when I was having a conversation. I can see…
Technonerds go to movies strictly for entertainment, and of course, the most entertaining part comes after the movie when they can dissect, criticize, and argue the merits of every detail. However, when supposedly serious scenes totally disregard the laws of physics in blatantly obvious ways it’s enough to make us retch. The motion picture industry…
You might be surprised to learn that the outskirts of the solar system are loaded with Plutinos, Centaurs, cubewanos and EKOs. Astronomers didn’t even know this a decade ago. In fact until 1992 they hadn’t even invented three of the terms. | Now it seems they don’t have enough of these crazy names. — Robert…