From nuclear terrorism to Earth-killing asteroids, avian flu and global warming, these days you can choose to set aside every hour of the day for a specific worry and never repeat yourself. To insure it stays that way, I’d like to introduce you to Ug99. Ug99 is a strain of black stem rust that attacks …
Tag: biology
"The purple, purple grass of home…"
I blogged briefly a couple of posts ago about the fact the early Earth might have been purple, not green. This means, of course, that other planets could even now be predominantly orange or purple rather than green, and still have organisms drawing their energy from the sun just as green plants do here. John …
Mrs. Beeton’s Ad of the Day
I can’t find out much about this–it mostly shows up on Google in the form of vintage bottles of ink being sold to collectors (I didn’t know there were vintage-ink-bottle collectors until now!), but I did find an interesting mention in an old scientific paper online, called Herring Investigations at Plymouth, written by E. Ford, …
The early Earth may have been purple…
…not green. Chlorophyll, it seems, may have been a relative latecomer.
"The Spider-Goat Clones of Montreal," revisited
Every day or two I check the SiteMeter stats for edwardwillett.com, and today I noticed my visits were around 200 higher than I would expect (I usually get 350 to 450 visitors each day, but today I’m up over 600). A check revealed that the extra traffic is coming from people searching for “spider goat” …
Made-to-order DNA…
…is about to get a lot easier to create: Installing one of those prefab, snap-together wood-flooring kits is a lot easier than shaping and sanding rough planks. Adapting a similar construction strategy, a biotech startup called Codon Devices, based in Cambridge, MA, aims to streamline genetic engineering. It makes made-to-order DNA strands, freeing scientists from …
Plugging computer memory into the brain
Researchers have created computer chips that can talk to the brain, chips which could revolutionize the way we think about thinking, and how we treat various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s: “It’s the type of science that can change the world,” says Richard H. Granger, Jr., a professor of brain sciences who leads the Neukom Institute …
Universal blood
Blood is always in demand, and not just by vampires. Blood transfusions mean the difference between life and death when people suffer traumatic injuries, or undergo major surgery. But there’s always been a problem with transfusions: people don’t all have the same blood type, and giving someone the wrong blood type is worse than giving …
Sour things taste sweet…
…thanks to this miraculous berry: People who eat the berry say that lemon juice tastes like lemonade and stout beer seems more like a milkshake. They add that after consuming Synsepalum dulcificum, rhubarb tastes like a sugar stick and strawberries taste like candy.Work is underway to commercialize the “miraculin” protein that causes this effect, so …
Universal red blood cells?
This sounds promising: An international team of academic and industry scientists has come up with a feasible way of making universal red blood cells that are stripped of their blood type. The hope is that it can be developed into a viable way of relieving blood bank shortages.(Via Austin Bay Blog.)
This sounds promising…
“UBC Researchers Find New Superbug Weapon for Near-empty Antibiotics Arsenal“:The team found that a peptide, or chain of amino acids, they have dubbed innate defense regulator peptide (IDR-1), can increase innate immunity without triggering harmful inflammation, and offer protection both before and after infection is present. *** “Antibiotics are now under threat because of the …
Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home…
…you’re stinking up my wine: Ladybugs may look pretty but they also have a dark side. In some places, the polka-dotted insects have become a nuisance by invading homes and crops, including some vineyards. To make matters worse, the bugs produce a foul-smelling liquid that, besides irritating homeowners, can be inadvertently processed along with grapes …
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Episode 131: Alex Shvartsman
An hour-long chat with writer, translator, game designer, and anthologist Alex Shvartsman, author of three fantasy novels and more than 120 short stories. Websitewww.alexshvartsman.com Facebook@shvartsman.alex Twitter@AShvartsman Alex Shvartsman’s Website Alex Shvartsman is a writer, translator, game designer, and anthologist from Brooklyn, NY. His adventures so far have included traveling to over thirty countries, playing a… -
Episode 130: James S. Peet
An hour-long chat with James S. Peet, author of the Corps of Discovery science fiction series, set in the multiverse. Websitejamespeet.com Facebook James S. Peet’s Amazon Page The Introduction James S. Peet is a modern-day Renaissance Man. He’s lived on four continents in six countries and visited countless more. He’s been a National Park Service… -
Episode 129: Julie Czerneda and Edward Willett
Listen in as DAW Books authors Julie Czerneda and Edward Willett talk to each other about their latest books, To Each This World (Julie) and The Tangled Stars (Ed). Websitesczerneda.comedwardwillett.comDAW Books Facebook@JulieCzernedaOfficialFanPage@edward.willett@DAWBooks Twitter@julieczerneda@ewillett@DAWBooks Instagram@julieczerneda@edwardwillettauthor@DAWBooks Amazon Author PagesJulie CzernedaEdward Willett Source -
Episode 128: Eli K.P. William
An hour-long chat with Eli K.P. William, Japanese literary translator and author of the Jubilee Cycle science fiction trilogy, set in a near-future Tokyo. Websiteelikpwilliam.com Facebook@elikp.william Twitter@Dice_Carver Eli K.P. William’s Amazon Page The Introduction Eli K.P. William is a novelist and Japanese literary translator. He is the author of the Jubilee Cycle trilogy, set in… -
Episode 127: Monte Schulz
An hour-long chat with Monte Schulz, novelist, composer, owner of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and eldest son of the late Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. Websiteswww.monteschulz.comwww.metropolisthebook.com Facebook@monte.schulz.7 Twitter@monteschulz Monte Schulz, author of the dystopian coming-of-age novel Metropolis (Fantagraphics), received his M.A. in American Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He published his… -
Episode 126: Robin Stevens Payes
An hour-long chat with Robin Stevens Payes, author of four novels in the Edge of Yesterday series, intended to entertain young adult readers and spark an interest in STEM/STEAM careers, especially for girls. Websiteedgeofyesterdaybook.com Facebook@RobinStevensPayesAuthor Twitter@robinstevenspayes Instagram@robinstevenspayes Robin Stevens Payes’s Amazon Page About the Author Robin Stevens Payes is the author of four novels for… -
Episode 125: Brian Trent
An hour-long chat with Brian Trent, award-winning author of Redspace Rising and Ten Thousand Thunders plus numerous short stories. Websitewww.briantrent.com Facebook Brian Trent’s Amazon Page Brian Trent’s work regularly appears in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, the New York Times-bestselling Black Tide Rising anthologies, The Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF, Terraform, Flash Fiction Online, Daily… -
Episode 124: Chadwick Ginther
An hour-long chat with award-winning Canadian fantasy writer Chadwick Ginther, author the Thunder Road Trilogy. Websitechadwickginther.com Facebook@chadwickginther Twitter@chadwickginther Instagram@chadwickginther Chadwick Ginther’s Amazon Page Chadwick Ginther is the author of When the Sky Comes Looking for You, the Thunder Road Trilogy, and Graveyard Mind. His short fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and his story “All… -
Episode 123: Alan Smale
An hour-long chat with Alan Smale, NASA astrophysicist and Sidewise Award-winning author of alternate and twisted history and hard SF, including Hot Moon and Clash of Eagles. Websitealansmale.com Facebook@alansmale Twitter@alansmale Alan Smale’s Amazon Page The Introduction Alan Smale writes alternate and twisted history and hard science fiction. His novella of a Roman invasion of ancient… -
Episode 122: Brad R. Torgersen
An hour-plus chat with Brad R. Torgersen, Dragon Award-winnning (and Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell-nominated) science fiction and fantasy author. Websitewww.bradrtorgersen.com Facebook@brtwrites Twitter@bradrtorgersen Brad R. Torgersen’s Amazon Page The Introduction Brad R. Torgersen is a multi-award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer whose book A Star-Wheeled Sky won the 2019 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel at the…
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