Cosmic Society
From the 2009 Terry Lectures at Yale University by Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel Primack.
Cosmic Society
From the 2009 Terry Lectures at Yale University by Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel Primack.
Similar Posts
First Evidence of Coevolution Between Invasive, Native Species
Invasive species such as kudzu, privet and garlic mustard can devastate ecosystems, and, until now, scientists had little reason to believe that native plants could mount a successful defense. A new University of Georgia study shows that some native clearweed plants have evolved resistance to invasive garlic mustard plants—and that the invasive plants appear to…
Stanford Bioengineers Introduce ‘Bi-Fi’ — The Biological Internet
Using an innocuous bacterial virus, bioengineers have created a biological mechanism to send genetic messages from cell to cell. The system greatly increases the complexity and amount of data that can be communicated between cells and could lead to greater control of biological functions within cell communities. The researchers, Monica Ortiz, a doctoral candidate in…
Far From Random, Evolution Follows a Predictable Genetic Pattern
Evolution, often perceived as a series of random changes, might in fact be driven by a simple and repeated genetic solution to an environmental pressure that a broad range of species happen to share, according to new research. Princeton University research published in the journal Science suggests that knowledge of a species’ genes—and how certain…
Peopling the Planet
Not long ago, the story was simple. A vanguard of modern humans left their African birthplace 50,000–60,000 years ago and quickly conquered Asia. They turned left into Europe some 40,000 years ago, later crossing the Bering Strait and marching southward into the Americas. With their advance, Neanderthals and other earlier peoples dwindled and vanished. But…
Do We Live in a Computer Simulation?
A decade ago, a British philosopher put forth the notion that the universe we live in might in fact be a computer simulation run by our descendants. While that seems far-fetched, perhaps even incomprehensible, a team of physicists at the University of Washington has come up with a potential test to see if the idea…
Atom Smasher Hiatus Sets Stage for More Discovery
The Large Hadron Collider will operate for two more months then shut down through 2014, allowing engineers to lay thousands more superconducting cables aimed at bringing the machine up to “full design energy.” This will vastly improve its capacity to simulate the moments after the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago. Author Metanexus Editors