Nature Network - Recent topics from Science in science fiction

Futures in Nature and Nature Physics (5 replies)

Henry Gee — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:40:34 -0000

Public information or shameless self-promotion? You decide. But I thought I’d add as a topic the award-winning FUTURES SF column in Nature, which also runs (though with different content) in Nature Physics.

People often ask me for the guidelines to Futures, not being able to find it on Nature’s Guide-to-Authors site, so here it is.

A collection of 100 previously-published Futures stories is available as this handsome anthology, the perfect geek-chic accessory.

Cure for HIV? (0 replies)

Zarry Flarer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:59:22 -0000

I’ve read an article regarding HIV, and the results of it is that I found that there is a cure for it. Some scientists discovered a gene called TRIM22 that can block this virus from spreading and it cannot affect other cells.

'Babelfish' to translate alien tongues could be built (0 replies)

Graham Steel — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:28:30 -0000

If we ever make contact with intelligent aliens, we should be able to build a universal translator to communicate with them, according to a linguist and anthropologist in the US.

Such a “babelfish”, which gets its name from the translating fish in Douglas Adams’s book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, would require a much more advanced understanding of language than we currently have. But a first step would be recognising that all languages must have a universal structure, according to Terrence Deacon of the University of California, Berkeley, US.

More under the fold

New Scientist 18th April 08

NB, I checked out a phrase Pynaikpoldreequark Nawatrukulousflawfus from a 1950’s Sci-Fi B Movie and got Patrick Thistle Football Club. Mazing !!

Farewell Arthur C Clarke (0 replies)

Brian Derby — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:11:39 -0000

A loss to us all. One of the Fathers of “hard” SF. His childhood has ended.

He was a classic figure in traditional SF with heavy emphasis on technology and less on character development. Many believed he had a religious/mystical bent – based chiefly on 2001. However, in my opinion his impact on the genre was less than that of John Wyndham (lucas benyon parks etc.)

the human body as power source (9 replies)

Gavin Bell — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:29:48 -0000

Lots of science fiction stories contain embedded computers, which must draw power from the host body. I’m not refering to internal batteries though kinetic devices like the Seiko Kinetic watches, which generate power via body movement are interesting. I’m interested in devices that convert energy directly from resources inside the body.

Some examples I’ve found pacemakers seem mainly to use embedded batteries it seems. Though this paper on kinetics shows that they may work for a pacemaker. Lastly biothermal technology seems to be viable.

What else is out there ?