Category: Zeitgeist

BBC News – Neanderthals could speak like modern humans, study suggests

An analysis of a Neanderthal\'s fossilised hyoid bone - a horseshoe-shaped structure in the neck - suggests the species had the ability to speak. This has been suspected since the 1989 discovery of a Neanderthal hyoid that looks just like a modern human\'s. But now computer modelling of how it works has shown this bone … Continue reading BBC News – Neanderthals could speak like modern humans, study suggests →

Google’s Android Dreams: Annoying, Not Apocalyptic : The New Yorker

A couple of weeks ago, shortly after the Amazon C.E.O. Jeff Bezos unveiled, on “60 Minutes,” that his company plans to deliver packages to customers with a swarm of autonomous, flying drones, Google made an announcement that seemed far less explosive: Andy Rubin, the former head of Android, would lead an “effort to create a … Continue reading Google’s Android Dreams: Annoying, Not Apocalyptic : The New Yorker →

Experience Earthrise with Apollo 8

When we think of Apollo missions, most people think about Apollo 11. But Apollo 8 was a major breakthrough mission, with humans going beyond low earth orbit for the first time, going hundreds of times further away from Earth than anyone had ever been, and orbiting another body (the moon) for the first time. Earthrise … Continue reading Experience Earthrise with Apollo 8 →

RealClearScience – 5 Easy Tips for Denying Scientific Consensus

Faced with unfortunate facts or inconvenient truths? Tired of closing your eyes, sticking your fingers in your ears, and screaming \"LA LA LA LA LA LA?\" Well, simply read RealClearScience\'s handy guide for denying scientific consensus. It\'s 100% proven to work against a variety of well-substantiated topics, such as: Drinking Water Fluoridation Global Climate Change … Continue reading RealClearScience – 5 Easy Tips for Denying Scientific Consensus →

BBC – Future – Science & Environment – Infographic: Absolute zero to ‘absolute hot’

BBC - Future - Science & Environment - Infographic: Absolute zero to ‘absolute hot’. The infographic at this link is worth checking out.  A few observations: The temperatures are all in Celsius. Calling the Boomerang nebula the "coldest place in the universe" has always seemed a bit presumptuous to me.  Still, the nebula is colder … Continue reading BBC – Future – Science & Environment – Infographic: Absolute zero to ‘absolute hot’ →

Rationally Speaking: Rationally Speaking cartoon: Evidence & Reason

via Rationally Speaking: Rationally Speaking cartoon: Evidence & Reason. Click through to see a enlarged version. This succinctly mirrors my earlier comments on a post Massimo made a while back expressing frustration on a relative's unwillingness to see logic.  Sometimes the logical thing to do is to recognize that logic won't work. Related articles Rationally Speaking … Continue reading Rationally Speaking: Rationally Speaking cartoon: Evidence & Reason →

Virtual afterlives will transform humanity – Michael Graziano – Aeon

Imagine a future in which your mind never dies. When your body begins to fail, a machine scans your brain in enough detail to capture its unique wiring. A computer system uses that data to simulate your brain. It won’t need to replicate every last detail. Like the phonograph, it will strip away the irrelevant … Continue reading Virtual afterlives will transform humanity – Michael Graziano – Aeon →

Attempts To Terraform Mars Could Fail – With No Chance To Try Again

Most science fiction and news stories describe Mars terraforming as a long term but simple process. You warm up the planet first, with greenhouse gases, giant mirrors, impacting comets or some such. You land humans on the surface right away and they introduce lifeforms designed to live on Mars. Over a period of a thousand … Continue reading Attempts To Terraform Mars Could Fail – With No Chance To Try Again →

BBC – Future – Technology – Artificial intelligence: The machines with alien minds

Why should our biological manner of thinking determine our approach to silicone-based circuits and electronic logic? Our machine creations are more profoundly divided from us than anything else in nature. They do not need to think like us to serve us, work with us, or even understand us – as our own relationships with nature … Continue reading BBC – Future – Technology – Artificial intelligence: The machines with alien minds →