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Bigger Frankenfish to Fry |
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| Topic: Science |
9:28 am EST, Jan 5, 2004 |
The GloFish is here! Well, not exactly here, but there and everywhere else, starting today. (... expect a lively black market ...) [State and federal regulators will] have to do better when a scarier biotech fish comes up for approval in 2004: a salmon that grows at five times the normal rate. Bigger Frankenfish to Fry |
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The Edge Annual Question - 2004 |
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| Topic: Science |
6:33 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
The Edge annual question will be published on Monday, January 12. |
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The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality |
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| Topic: Science |
12:40 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
From Brian Greene, one of the world's leading physicists, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way. Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? Brian Greene's new book goes on sale February 10. The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality |
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The Time We Thought We Knew |
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| Topic: Science |
12:37 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
Time dominates experience. We live by watch and calendar. We eagerly trade megahertz for gigahertz. We spend billions of dollars to conceal time's bodily influences. We uproariously celebrate particular moments in time even as we quietly despair of its passage. But what is time? Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe, has written an op-ed for the New Years Day edition of the New York Times. The Time We Thought We Knew |
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| Topic: Science |
10:40 pm EST, Dec 23, 2003 |
Based on interviews with eighteen prominent scientists and public policymakers from around the globe, A Parliament of Science provides a rich overview of the challenges, promises, and perils of science and technology in the twenty-first century. What can we hope for? What must we fear? How can scientists, civil society, and politicians work together to harness science and technology into a power for the good of all humanity? Those interviewed speak candidly of their passions, hopes, and concerns as they explore the scientific and policy implications of the major issues of our time, including sustainability, politics, cloning, ethics, global climate change, the digital divide, and mass extinction of biological species. This welcome introduction to the debate on mankind's needs for a true "science for the twenty-first century" also serves as a sobering reappraisal of where we have been, what our ingenuity has wrought for better or for worse, and where we and the whole planet seem to be headed. A Parliament of Science |
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Radiant Cool: A Novel Theory of Consciousness |
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| Topic: Science |
10:38 pm EST, Dec 23, 2003 |
Radiant Cool may be the first novel of ideas that actually breaks new theoretical ground, as Dan Lloyd uses a neo-noir (neuro-noir?), hard-boiled framework to propose a new theory of consciousness. Radiant Cool is a real metaphysical thriller--based in current philosophy of mind -- and a genuine scientific detective story -- revealing a new interpretation of functional brain imagining. With its ingenious plot and its novel theory, Radiant Cool will be enjoyed in the classroom and the study for its entertaining presentation of phenomenology, neural networks, and brain imaging; but, most importantly, it will find its place as a groundbreaking theory of consciousness. Radiant Cool: A Novel Theory of Consciousness |
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| Topic: Science |
10:28 pm EST, Dec 23, 2003 |
Interweaving anecdotes from his own life and research with imagined dialogues between historical figures -- including Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein, Francis Crick, and Steven Pinker -- Aleksander leads readers toward an understanding of consciousness. He shows not only how the latest work with artificial neural systems suggests that an artificial form of consciousness is possible but also that its design would clarify many of the puzzles surrounding the murky concept of consciousness itself. The book also looks at the presentation of "self" in robots, the learning of language, and the nature of emotion, will, instinct, and feelings. How to Build a Mind |
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Consciousness, by Susan Blackmore |
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| Topic: Science |
10:25 pm EST, Dec 23, 2003 |
Is there a theory that explains the essence of consciousness? Or is consciousness itself just an illusion? This groundbreaking book is the first volume to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies--from those rooted in traditional Western philosophy to those coming out of neuroscience, quantum theory, and Eastern philosophy. Susan Blackmore, the author of The Meme Machine, was written a book about a wide variety of issues, including lucid dreaming, philosophy of mind, and cognitive neuroscience. Consciousness, by Susan Blackmore |
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| Topic: Science |
7:47 pm EST, Dec 23, 2003 |
A lucid, pleasing chronicle of how genes construct the human mind. There is only a tiny genomic difference between humans and primates, but an immense one between their minds. There isn't one gene "for" some attribute, such as intelligence, which is implied when the human genome is compared to a blueprint. Instead, genes act in "exquisite harmony." The Birth of the Mind |
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Biomimetic ratcheting motion of a soft, slender, sessile gel |
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| Topic: Science |
2:35 am EST, Dec 19, 2003 |
Inspired by the locomotion of terrestrial limbless animals, we study the motion of a lubricated rod of a hydrogel on a soft substrate. We show that it is possible to mimic observed biological gaits by vibrating the substrate and by using a variety of mechanisms to break longitudinal and lateral symmetry. Our simple theory and experiments provide a unified view of the creeping, undulating, and inchworming gaits observed in limbless locomotion on land, all of which originate as symmetry-breaking bifurcations of a simple base state associated with periodic longitudinal oscillations of a slender gel. These ideas are therefore also applicable to technological situations that involve moving small, soft solids on substrates. Be sure to check out the supporting movies, for which no subscription is required. Biomimetic ratcheting motion of a soft, slender, sessile gel |
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