A hitherto unknown fossil hominid lived on a remote island, possibly surviving to the beginning of recorded history, while our ancestors spread across the world. Nicknamed a “hobbit,” the small hominid had only one-third our brain capacity. Some anthropologists, like University of Pittsburgh’s Jeffrey Schwartz, dispute whether the little guys, who appear to have used tools and built fires, belong in Homo, but Homo floresiensis remains a major discovery. Details here
Category Archives: Science
New pictures of Titan
Cassini made the closest pass ever by Saturn’s large moon Titan. Often called a primitive earth– and inevitably inhabited in older SF– Titan remains a fascinating place.
More at SpaceNews.
SpaceShipOne
If you haven’t already heard, SpaceShipOne took the Ansari X prize. Read all about it
SpaceshipOne ships into space, once more
Privately-funded SpaceshipOne rolled its way into space today. If the feat can be repeated in two weeks, it will take the Ansari X prize.
(Relatively) Earthlike Extrasolar World Confirmed
Ok, it’s a little on the big side, and kind of hot, but this extrasolar planet, in orbit around mu Arae, ranks as one of the most-Earthlike extrasolar planets discovered thus far.
Mutation gives boy super-powers!
Okay, the real news in this New England Journal of Medicine report would be the advance in our understanding of the body and the potential to cure muscular dystrophy and a host of other diseases. But it’s hard to miss the sense that life is imitating comic-books.
He’s the first known human with this mutation. Not yet five years of age, he has twice the muscle mass of his fellows, and can hold seven-pound weights with his arms outstretched. So far, no health problems have resulted from his condition. He decided to use his powers to….. Uh, sorry. Read the story.
Travel Space!
Well, everyone has the article; MSN’s account may be found here. We’ve had our first private suborbital flight. Will we finally see the opening up of the final frontier to everyman?
Textbook Review – “Axiomatic Set Theory”
Here’s one of those science-based textbook reviews that will pop up once in a while.
Continue reading →
Will NASA Ever Get the Shuttles Back into Space?
Space.com has a great piece on the subject. It mentions fears and the new seemingly-conflicting White House task of Moon and Mars missions.
The Humpty Dumpty quote seems particularly apt.
Water Once Abundant on Mars
NASA just announced their findings from the Opportunity probe. Apparently the crater now occupied by the lander was once filled with water. Questions posed now are: Is there any water left and did they support life?
We do live in exciting times!