Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Coming Up in Scientific American, April 2012

I finished reading the newest issue of Scientific American early this morning. Here are a few stories that might be of particular interest to science fiction fans:

If you've read Flatland, you know 2-D space works differently from our everyday 3-D one. (Yes, I'm ignoring the dimension of time here.) Scientists are modeling how gravity works in 2-D space as a way to try to reconcile gravity with quantum mechanics.

Neuroscientists explain why stress can make your mind into mush (something I'm all too familiar with these days).

Private companies and college students are racing to build the next rover that will land on the moon. The winner could get $20 million.

Among other notes, biomarkers are helping neuroscientists fight Alzheimer's, gene therapy has been successfully used to treat a certain type of blindness, and science textbooks may soon become e-books.


As for me personally, I've been very busy with work, family, and writing. I'm close to finishing the first draft of Scattered Seasons, I'm figuring out how to revise Twinned Universes, and I'm preparing the paper version of Lyon's Legacy. At least I wasn't too busy to notice that the lilacs are starting to bloom. It's too soon for spring to spring upon us like this; all my favorite flowers will be gone before I have a chance to appreciate them.

If you're experiencing an early spring, are you enjoying it, or is it freaking you out a bit?

4 comments:

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I love spring. I noticed the tulips were up just this afternoon.

Reconciling Einstein's relativity with quantum mechanics...now that is interesting. I look forward to them dumbing it down so that I can understand it one day...you know...with a nice special narrated by Michio Kaku or someone like that.

I just don't have the I.Q. to understand that kind of stuff unless it is dumbed down by those that do.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Tulips are out here too, but for some reason, only a few the ones in our yard are blooming now.

They say that you don't really understand something unless you can explain it to someone else.

Rusty Carl said...

We've had a very early spring. I like warm weather so I've been loving it. I hope we don't have too many bugs this summer though.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Rusty, my son woke up this morning complaining about mosquito bites, so I have a feeling this could be a bad bug summer.

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