Alien: The Easter Edition

The crew of the USS Chocstromo discovers a suspicious (and delicious) giant egg. If you've seen Ridley Scott's 1979 classic Alien, you have an idea of how it all turns out. The movie features John Seaward (of the Inbetweeners). Also be sure to check out filmmaker Will Tribble's blog for a look at how the sets and various alien incarnations were created.

How far was that?

Science comedian Brian Malow at 2010 WonderFest riffing on bad science in Star Wars the movie and Star Wars the novel.

Yes, it's an easy target. No, it has nothing to do with biology. But hey, it's Friday night!

See the full-size video at ForaTV

Just in time for Ray Bradbury's 90th Birthday!

Too bad the lyrics are NSFW, because this song by Rachel Bloom is really catchy:

It gives a whole new meaning to "I'd rather stay home and read".

(You can legally download the song here)

If that's not your cup of tea, be sure to check out the Ray Bradbury tribute site presented by UCLA: First Spark: Ray Bradbury Turns 90; the Universe and UCLA Celebrate. From the press release:

Fans can leave a virtual birthday greeting for Ray, watch the exclusive Ray Bradbury birthday message to his fans/advice for living to be 90, view examples of Bradburyana held in UCLA's Library's special collections, and check out other information about Ray and his connections to UCLA... the biggest one being that he typed Fahrenheit 451 in the basement of Powell Library.

Here's Bradbury on how to live to be 90 - he has "been in love with life every single day".


Bradbury celebrates his 90th birthday on August 22nd.

You can read an illustrated version of Bradbury's 1952 short story "A Sound of Thunder" at Scary for Kids.

You can read the 2009 graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451 at Tor.com

("F--- Me Ray Bradbury" via all over the SF blogosphere today)

What Science is Really Like

XKCD gets it pretty much right - although the "actual science" montage should have a few more "whirrrr" panels. (Click for larger image)

Who knew cats had a high midi-chlorian count?

Back to regular posting!

Image from Animals with Lightsabers (click for large version).

Nerd-in-Chief Grilled on SF

John Hodgman grills President Obama, the apparent nerd-in-chief, about his SF knowledge at the Radio & Television Correspondents Dinner.






If you can't see the embedded video, click the link for Part 1 and Part 2.

(I thought the Dune questions were easy, but about Conan I know nothing)

Tags:science fiction, Barak Obama, John+Hodgman

Dickens, Disease and Bio-Christmas Carol

Imagine Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol in an alternate universe, where Scrooge is a PI and Bob Cratchett is his graduate student, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future are a developmental biologist, biochemist and evolutionary biology, respectively. You would probably get something very much like Vince LiCata's "A Bio-Christmas Carol". It made me smile.

Of course if you prefer a more serious discussion, you might be interested in the medical analysis of Scrooge by Lisa Sanders, M.D. She has diagnosed him with Lewy body disease.

Or you could simply read the original Dickens classic.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Tags:A Christmas Carol, biology

Close Encounters with John Hodgman

In this entertaining TED talk, John Hodgman talks about the Fermi Paradox, alien close encounters, Dune, and love.


If you are having trouble with the embedded video or would like the MP3 version, go to the original TED Talk page.


(via David Ng)

Tags:science fiction, John Hodgman

Disney's Genetic Imagineers Reveal their Latest Line of Child Stars

Did you ever wonder how all those adorable teens on the Disney channel perfected their pouts? The truth is been revealed in this visit to the Disney Genetic Imagineering labs:

Disney Lab Unveils Its Latest Line Of Genetically Engineered Child Stars

Tags:genetic engineering, Disney

Squidpunk

The 1980s brought us cyberpunk, which featured computer hackers and crackers, self-aware artificial intelligences and man-machine interfaces. That was followed by biopunk, with its biotech hackers, extreme genetic engineering, and human cloning. So what's the next trend? Squidpunk!

Fiction that unlike New Weird, Steampunk, or Slipstream, is at its core not only about squid, but about the symbolism of squid as color-changing, highly-mobile, alien-looking, intelligent ocean-goers. As a powerful ecosystem indicator, the squid is a potent symbol for environmental rejuvenation. Squidpunk is almost exclusively set at sea and must contain some reference to either cephalopods or to anything that thematically relates to squid, in terms of world iconography and tropes. Squidpunk is never escapist or whimsical. It is always serious and edgy. This combination of a hard punk aesthetic with the fluid propulsion system common to the squid has produced a unique literary hybrid beloved by Mundanes and Surrealists alike.

As this promo video for Ann & Jeff Vandermeer's new anthology demonstrates, squidpunk is ready to conquer the SciFi world!


Wicked awesome!

(Yes, it's taken me more than a week to catch up with my blog reading.)

Tags:squidpunk

I want to be a Virgle pioneer!

Google's latest collaboration has a science fiction lover squarely in mind. They've teamed up with Virgin to establish a pioneer settlement on a terraformed Mars. The so-called Virgle project has a 100 Year Plan, and has clearly planed for every eventuality, including the possibility of finding Martian life.

Do you think you'll find life there?

Maybe. We know that in the past, the surface of Mars was covered with water, had a thicker atmosphere and volcanic activity, and was much warmer than it is today -- all conditions in which life could have developed. Scientists have also observed, on one Martian meteorite collected in the Antarctic, strange features that might, or might not, be organic in origin.

If life does exist on Mars today, it's almost certain to be primitive, i.e. bacterial, and it's almost certain not to exist on the planet surface, which is currently baked in UV radiation. However, since ice and perhaps water could exist a few meters below the surface, it's possible that life exists there today in these spots. Also, new data suggest the presence of methane in the Martian atmosphere. Since atmospheric methane is destroyed by solar radiation, it isn't clear where all this new methane would be coming from.

Project Virgle's primary concern, though, is not the search for life on Mars, but the creation of a self-sufficient human colony there. Our outpost, however, will naturally be a great place for geologists and egzobiologists to study the question.

Even if life is discovered, how do we know it's not from Earth?

Good question. Life on Mars could indeed be from Earth. "Planetary transfer" theory suggests that early in both planets' histories, material from the frequent meteorite strikes could have been ejected from Earth and sent towards Mars. So yes, Earth could have theoretically seeded life on Mars (or vice versa; we could all be "Martians" in that sense).

What is of greater concern to the Virgle team is to develop the Mars settlement observing the so-called PP (planetary protection) protocols, which call for special attention to, and protection of, areas of Mars where life is most likely to exist today, or have existed in the past. We take this responsibility seriously and will consistently act so as to protect any possible sites and to research them as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

You can apply online today to be a Virgle pioneer. Maybe I'll see you on the way to Mars!

Tags:April Fool, Mars

Total Recall or Little Shop of Horrors in Intro Bio?

The Onion reports on a biology teacher with a dilemma:

Science Teacher Struggles To Justify Showing Total Recall

SOUTH BELOIT, IL—South Beloit High School biology teacher Nathan Merchant struggled Tuesday to provide a satisfactory educational reason for...

Reading the article, it sounds pretty justified to me!

Tags:science fiction, biology, education, humor

Happy Sesquicentennial!

Wired Magazine has found an illustration of what granddad's 150th birthday will look like, some time in the future . . .

Tags: longevity, humor

Incompatibility

The latest xkcd comic demonstrates why some relationships were simply never meant to be.


Tags:science fiction, humor, Orson Scott Card

Genetic Engineering Mumbo Jumbo

In the Futurama episode "Mechanical House" Fry shares his dorm room at Mars University with a talking monkey named Guenther, the result of one of the Professor's experiments. Fry is curious how Guenther can talk.

Fry: "Is he genetically engineered?"

Professor: "Oh please, that's preposterous science fiction mumbo jumbo. Guenther's intelligence actually lies in his electronium hat, which harnesses the power of sunspots to produce cognitive radiation."

All disguised as an adorable miniature bowler. Now that's hard science fiction!

Tags:science fiction, genetic engineering, Futurama

Made in EUReKA

If you've ever wanted nanobot-based shampoo or a contact lens video camera, check out the Made in Eureka web site. They've even got infomercials just like you see on late night TV, with the oohing and ahing audience and perky hosts. My favorite is the CryoKennel (only three easy payments of $49.99!) which freezes your dog for easy transport too and from home. Easy!

If you haven't guessed already, this is a promotional site for the SciFi series EUReKA, which has it's second season premier on July 10.

The Gray Lady Knows the Future?

Patrick Nielsen Hayden spotted a seemingly science fictional story on genetic engineering in the New York Times.

Tags: genetic engineering