How NASA might build its very first warp drive
I want to see this work as much as anyone else on io9, but every time I read an article on warp drive, I expend so much mental energy trying to wrap my head around the concept that my entire left hand side goes numb. Somewhere along the line my understanding of concepts such as the nature of Spacetime is deficient. Here's the problem. When I think about the idea of expanding the conceptual framework that describes the continuum between two abstract concepts, behind a spaceship, whilst contracting the conceptual framework that describes the continuum between two abstract concepts, in front of a spaceship; all I can think of is that this like saying that when in conversation with another person, I can reach out with my hand, grasp hold of the words that are coming out of that other persons mouth and fold them in half. If someone could point me towards some legible books that I could buy that would help me understand where my understanding has gone wrong, I would be grateful. Thanks.
This Micro-Algae Lamp Absorbs 150-200 Times More CO2 than a Tree! (Video)
CleanTechnica/via French biochemist and Shamengo pioneer Pierre Calleja has invented this impressive streetlight that is powered by algae which absorbs CO2 from the air. We have featured algae-powered lamps before but this one takes out 1 ton (!) of CO2 per year. This is as much CO2 as as a tree absorbs on average during its entire life. It seems to me that this is a pretty amazing idea that could really work and clean the air pollution from urban areas (like parking lots, tested in the video above) and at the same time look good. See also: Favorite Nature Spots of the TreeHugger Team (Part 1 of 2)
The Stonemaker Argument
Hi friendly readers. I know a lot of you may have many different beliefs and philosophies on life. Now this is all well and good, but regardless of what beliefs you may hold, please, for the benefit of everyone, do not use the following argument. You may have heard this argument before, as it comes in many forms. It is often called the watchmaker argument, or the watchmaker analogy. It has been described in many different ways by many people, but the basic idea is this: This statement does have an element of truth to it. But first, l'd like to introduce you to Steve.
Bioluminescence in the Gippsland Lakes | Phil Hart
These pictures of bioluminescence in the Gippsland Lakes in my gallery have proven quite popular, so it seems time to provide a story to accompany them. But this is not a short story, rather a convoluted one of fires and floods, of microscopic algae and the inspiring, remarkable and surprising beauty of nature. The story begins with alpine bushfires in Victoria, which started on 1st December 2006 when over 70 fires were started by a band of thunderstorms and lightning strikes which moved across the state. Smoke from the Great Divide Complex fire spreading over south-east Australia [MODIS image via Romsey Weather Site] These fires burnt a vast area of the catchment for the Gippsland Lakes, a chain of large inland lakes in eastern Victoria. In the end, it was not any ordinary rainfall event that arrived that winter. Floodwaters around Bairnsdale, East Gippsland in June 2007 Floodwaters over Glenmaggie Weir [ABC Australia] Synechococcus in the Gippsland Lakes
profhugodegaris | Species Dominance, Artilects, Artilect War, Cosmists, Terrans, Gigadeath, Essays, Media, etc
Know the signs of paleontology.
I must die now. Farewell... Black people problems. Joking around in class will get you nowhere in life. A new drinking game... Watching my parents use the computer. Results are in:
Etes-vous Cosmiste, Terran ou Cyborguien ?
Article déjà publié par le même auteur, sous un autre nom, sur Silicon Maniacs, à cette adresse. C’était le 9 janvier dernier, Steven Spielberg annonçait à ses fans que le très ambitieux projet d’adaptation de Robopocalypse, de Daniel H. Wilson, était retardé « indéfiniment ». C’est d’autant plus dommage que l’adaptation de ce roman, dans lequel les robots deviennent une menace mortelle pour l’être humain, aurait pu « nous sensibiliser » aux dangers robotiques. Le transhumanisme est un mouvement culturel et intellectuel international qui prône avec un optimisme parfois déconcertant l’usage des sciences et des techniques afin d’augmenter les capacités de l’être humain. Théodore Brutal avait eu l’occasion de l’interviewer il y a exactement un an, à la Cantine, à Paris. Bonjour, pouvez-vous vous présenter pour nos lecteurs? Je suis le Dr. Pour vous, qu’est-ce qu’un transhumaniste ? Qu’est-ce qu’un Artilecte ? L’artilecte est le nom que j’ai donné à une intelligence artificielle supérieure.
Publications
Given the central role of scientific research in MRF, we have created a section for all of the peer reviewed scientific papers produced by MRF staff or papers using MRF material. Many MRF volunteers helped excavate many of the localities that are now being published on. There is a brief summary of each paper. A pdf of the paper can be downloaded by clicking on the reference. Click on an item to read the full paper. A New Large-Bodied Oviraptorosaurian Theropod Dinosaur from the Latest Cretaceous of Western North AmericaPLOS ONE (2014)Matthew C. We examine patterns of occurrence of associated dinosaur specimens (n = 343) from the North American Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and equivalent beds, by comparing their relative abundance in sandstone and mudstone.Transitional fossils and the origin of turtlesBiology Letters (2010)Tyler R.
Predictability: The brass ring for synthetic biology
Predictability is often used synonymously with "boring," as in that story or that outcome was soooo predictable. For practioners of synthetic biology seeking to engineer valuable new microbes, however, predictability is the brass ring that must be captured. Researchers with the multi-institutional partnership known as BIOFAB have become the first to grab at least a portion of this ring by unveiling a package of public domain DNA sequences and statistical models that greatly increase the reliability and precision by which biological systems can be engineered. The DNA sequences produced by BIOFAB provide precise control of gene expression in Escherichia coli, the rod-shaped bacterium that is one of the principal model organisms for genetic engineering. While these DNA sequences serve as standardized parts specific to E. coli, they also provide a set of rules for how the sequences fit together that should apply to other microbes as well.
conservation biology
It’s interesting when a semi-random tweet by a colleague ends up mobilising a small army of scientists to get pissed off enough to co-write an article. Euan Ritchie of Deakin University started it off, and quickly recruited me, Mick McCarthy, David Watson, Ian Lunt, Hugh Possingham, Bill Laurance and Emma Johnston to put together the article. It’s a hugely important topic, so I hope it generates a lot of discussion and finally, some bloody action to stop the rapid destruction of this country’s national parks system. Note: Published simultaneously on The Conversation. It’s make or break time for Australia’s national parks. National parks on land and in the ocean are dying a death of a thousand cuts, in the form of bullets, hooks, hotels, logging concessions and grazing licences. Australia’s first “National Park”, established in 1879, was akin to a glorified country club. In Victoria, new rules will allow developers to build hotels and other ventures in national parks. Like this:
