← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Conservative
Thread ID: 8534 | Posts: 1 | Started: 2003-07-28
2003-07-28 20:30 | User Profile
BETTERHUMANS [url=http://www.betterhumans.com]http://www.betterhumans.com[/url]
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Monday, July 28, 2003
Life extension - Nanotechnology - Cloning - Genetic engineering
DEBATING THE FUTURE SOMERVILLE vs HUGHES
Toronto, Aug. 29 | Buy tickets now and save! [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Events/Debating_the_Future/]http://www.betterhumans.com/Events/Debatin...ing_the_Future/[/url]
COLUMNS [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/[/url]
CHANGE SURFING | James Hughes
Beyond Gay Marriage [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Change_Surfing/column.aspx?articleID=2003-07-28-3]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Colum...ID=2003-07-28-3[/url] We must overcome the tyranny of the natural and build human institutions that serve human needs
NONFICTION REVIEWS [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Reviews/Book_Reviews/Nonfiction_Reviews/]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Revie...iction_Reviews/[/url]
Our Final Hour: A Scientist's Warning, by Martin Rees (2003) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Reviews/Book_Reviews/Nonfiction_Reviews/review.aspx?articleID=2003-07-28-2]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Revie...ID=2003-07-28-2[/url] A renowned scientist has created an accessible but problematic introduction to the technological dangers of the 21st century and the potential for either human extinction or posthuman greatness
FICTION REVIEWS [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Reviews/Book_Reviews/Fiction_Reviews/]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Revie...iction_Reviews/[/url]
Technogenesis [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Reviews/Book_Reviews/Fiction_Reviews/review.aspx?articleID=2003-07-28-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Revie...ID=2003-07-28-1[/url] Interesting concepts, but if the Internet truly achieved consciousness it would rewrite this book's bad dialogue
LATEST POLL [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Polls/]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Polls/[/url]
How would you like to see marriage changed? [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Polls/poll.aspx?pollID=2003-07-28-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Polls...ID=2003-07-28-1[/url]
THIS WEEK'S TOP NEWS [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/[/url]
Touch Transmitted through the Internet (677 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-21-7]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-21-7[/url]
Elephant Man's Genes Tested (547 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-24-3]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-24-3[/url]
Antioxidant Pill Claimed to Extend Life (525 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-23-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-23-1[/url]
Tiny Gripper Can Manipulate Molecules (446 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-22-3]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-22-3[/url]
Blue Genes Can Make You Depressed (320 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-21-5]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-21-5[/url]
Cancer Patient Gets a New Tongue (274 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-23-3]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-23-3[/url]
World's Smallest Motor Created (227 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-25-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-25-1[/url]
Test IDs Cystic Fibrosis Genes in 15 Seconds (222 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-23-2]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-23-2[/url]
Lunar Land Purchases to Support Private Moon Mission (212 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-22-2]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-22-2[/url]
Tiny Self-assembling Chips a Step Closer (193 hits) [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-07-24-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx...ID=2003-07-24-1[/url]
UPCOMING EVENTS [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/]http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/[/url]
The Future of Air and Space Travel [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-07-24-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Even...ID=2003-07-24-1[/url] Runs from Thursday, July 31, 2003 to Thursday, July 31, 2003 in Stanford, California, USA
Mortal Beings/Immortal Dreams [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-07-07-2]http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Even...ID=2003-07-07-2[/url] Runs from Saturday, August 02, 2003 to Thursday, August 07, 2003 in Hiram, Ohio, USA
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-06-10-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Even...ID=2003-06-10-1[/url] Runs from Thursday, August 07, 2003 to Sunday, August 10, 2003 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Visions of Humanity in Cyberculture, Cyberpunk and Science Fiction [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-03-17-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Even...ID=2003-03-17-1[/url] Runs from Monday, August 11, 2003 to Wednesday, August 13, 2003 in Prague, Czech Republic
2003 International Conference on Emerging Technologies [url=http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Events_Calendar/event.aspx?eventID=2003-03-04-1]http://www.betterhumans.com/Resources/Even...ID=2003-03-04-1[/url] Runs from Monday, August 25, 2003 to Tuesday, August 26, 2003 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Copyright 2002-2003 Betterhumans
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Nanotechnology: sink or swim? July 28, 2003
In a report published today, a team at the University of Sheffield investigates the scientific reality behind nanotechnology and the current controversy about its risks and rewards. Economic & Social Research Council press... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2240&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2240&m=9000[/url]
Electricity shapes nano plastic July 16/23, 2003
Researchers have found ways to use electricity to coax microscopic amounts of plastic to form patterns containing columns and tubes with features as small as 100 nanometers. The method could be used for plastic electronics, light-emitting diodes, solar energy devices, and optical filters,... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2239&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2239&m=9000[/url]
Statistics-based language translation replaces rules July 27, 2003
A language-translation system that uses statistical models has been developed by University of Southern California computer scientist Franz Josef Och. The system uses matchup patterns to find the most likely translation, instead of explicit grammatical rules and traditional dictionary lists.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2238&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2238&m=9000[/url]
Greenpeace Wades Into Nano Debate With Report That Calls For Caution July 24, 2003
Greenpeace has entered the debate over nanotech's impact on the environment and society with a study that calls for the industry to "demonstrate a commitment to (environmental concerns) by funding the relevant research on a far greater scale than currently witnessed." Greenpeace explores the... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2237&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2237&m=9000[/url]
Music instruction aids verbal memory July 27, 2003
Children with music training have significantly better verbal memory, according to a study published in the July issue of Neuropsychology. The authors, psychologists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, propose that music training during childhood is a kind of sensory stimulation that... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2236&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2236&m=9000[/url]
Panspermia: Spreading Life Through the Universe July 24, 2003
Researchers have found live cells in samples taken at 41 km above the Earth, suggesting a possible extraterrestrial... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2235&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2235&m=9000[/url]
Japan Project to Examine Mechanics of Life Jul y 24, 2003
Japan's Science Agency plans to request more than $84 million for a research project into human proteins that aims at unraveling the secrets of life. The goals: produce medicines that do not have side effects and better understand the mechanics of life, through studying the interactions of some... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2234&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2234&m=9000[/url]
New clues to identity of first genetic molecule July 27, 2003
TNA, possibly a precursor to RNA, can be assembled by natural enzymes, Jack Szostak, a molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, has shown. TNA is based on a sugar called threose instead of the deoxyribose found in DNA and the ribose in RNA. Szostak could explore the feasiblity of a... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2233&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2233&m=9000[/url]
Stellar Countdown Yields Skymap July 27, 2003
The SETI@home screensaver has produced a list of candidate radio sources that deserve a second look. After an equivalent to a million years of computation aided by more than 4 million computers worldwide, the researchers have created a skymap that highlights where to find some of the most promising... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2232&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2232&m=9000[/url]
China, AMD team on Opteron supercomputer July 25, 2003
China plans to create the world's third most powerful supercomputer, at 10 teraflops, scheduled for June 2004. It will be a cluster using the Opteron processor from AMD and running... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2231&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2231&m=9000[/url]
Chatting with Online Characters July 24, 2003
Oddcast, a company that makes conversational characters, and the ALICE AI Foundation have announced a partnership to create smarter online characters. One of the first applicationss is an online tutor for teaching English to Chinese people.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2230&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2230&m=9000[/url]
Space Elevators Maybe Closer To Reality Than Imagined July 22, 2003
The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) commissioned a study of the construction and operation of a space elevator and Phase I of the report was published in late 2002. The elevator would start as a 1-micron thick piece of tape made of carbon nanotubes 91,000km long, tapering from 5cm... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2229&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2229&m=9000[/url]
Computer, Heal Thyself July 24, 2003
Researchers from Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems have succeeded in building a computer that can repair itself in space. The scientists used a combination of smart software and field programmable gate arrays. In what Australian researchers believe to be a world... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2228&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2228&m=9000[/url]
Engineers discover in nature exotic structures envisioned by mathematicians July 24, 2003
Attempting to improve on the face-center cubic lattice structure of opals in order to make "photonic crystals," an engineering professor and his graduate students experimented with ways to pack a small number of tiny spheres. They discovered that the colloidal particle clusters they made have... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2227&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2227&m=9000[/url]
MIT R&D Conference planned July 24, 2003
Parachutes made of spider silk? Nanostructures that fold up like origami? Remote-controlled molecules equipped with tiny antennas? Industry professionals can catch up on what's new and notable at a single annual event: the MIT R&D Conference. On October 15-16, the MIT Industrial Liaison... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2226&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2226&m=9000[/url]
Brain machine 'improves musicianship' July 24, 2003
Scientists have created a technique using biofeedback that dramatically improves the performance of musicians. The "Neurofeedback" system monitors brain activity through sensors attached to the scalp which filter out the brainwaves. These filtered brainwaves are then fed back to the individual... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2225&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2225&m=9000[/url]
Super Soldiers July 28, 2003
New materials and technologies could boost the mobility and safety of U.S. troops. Scientists at DuPont are developing ways to manipulate light so soldiers could appear to disappear. EIC Laboratories is working on "electrochromic camouflage" -- a chameleon fabric that would change colors... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2224&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2224&m=9000[/url]
Chemical 'scissors' yield short carbon nanotubes July 23, 2003
Chemists at Rice University have identified a chemical process for cutting carbon nanotubes into short segments. It yields nanotubes that are suitable for a variety of applications, including biomedical sensors small enough to migrate through cells without triggering immune reactions. The... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2223&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2223&m=9000[/url]
Training molecules to draw chips July 23, 2003,
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have developed a way to organize molecules through lithography in "top-down meets bottom-up" system. The team managed to draw two different types of alternating 24 nanometers long lines into silicon wafers through extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography,... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2222&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2222&m=9000[/url]
Wheelchair moves at the speed of thought July 23, 2003
A system that lets severely disabled people steer a wheelchair using only their thoughts is under development. Using a skullcap with electrodes, it noninvasively monitors the electrical activity of the wearer's brain. A neural network can be trained to recognize different mental states,... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2221&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2221&m=9000[/url]
Poetry website goes from bad to verse July 23, 2003
David Rea of Greenwich, Connecticut, has written a genetic algorithm-based program that allows a poem to evolve, to see if people with diverse tastes in poetry can work together to create attractive verse.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2220&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2220&m=9000[/url]
World's smallest electric rotor made July 24, 2003
Scientists have built an electric rotor with a gold blade 300 nanometers long. This sits atop an axle made from a multiwalled carbon nanotube; gold electrodes at either end of the axle lash the device to a silicon chip. Applying a voltage between the nanotube and one of three more electrodes... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2219&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2219&m=9000[/url]
Your Permanent Record August 2003
By the decade's end, we'll have a fully realized digital memory management system, with the storage capacity approaching the largest paper-and-ink archive on earth, says Microsoft CTO David Vaskevitch. Every picture or video snippet that you shoot be embedded with date and GPS location... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2218&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2218&m=9000[/url]
Get Ready for New 'Nano' Products Jul. 23, 2003
Boosters claim that nanotech-derived products may some day cure disease, slow the aging process and eliminate pollution. But for now, the human race will have to settle for tennis balls that keep their bounce longer, flat-panel displays that shine brighter, and wrinkle-free khaki slacks that... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2217&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2217&m=9000[/url]
New Detector May Test Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle July 22, 2003
Scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara have devised an extremely precise detector able to detect a flexing of the beam of about one one-thousandth of a nanometer. Using such a device, the researchers hope to determine whether Heisenberg's uncertainty principle still holds... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2216&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2216&m=9000[/url]
Astronomers Report Evidence of 'Dark Energy' Splitting the Universe July 22, 2003
Astronomers say they have uncovered new evidence that some "dark energy" is wrenching the universe apart, also providing independent confirmation that expansion of the universe is speeding up. astro-ph/0307371: SDSS J0903+5028: A New Gravitational Lens [note correction to URL listed by New York... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2215&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2215&m=9000[/url]
'Ape diet' lowers bad cholesterol levels July 22, 2003
A vegetarian "ape-diet" is as effective in lowering cholesterol as an established cholesterol-lowering drug. The diet includes plant sterols (found in plant oils and enriched margarines), viscous fiber (found in oats, barley and aubergine), and soy protein and nuts. David Jenkins, a vascular... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2214&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2214&m=9000[/url]
Hard-disk drive industry braces for technology changes July 18, 2003
Hard-disk drive manufacturers are planning to replace longitudinal recording technology (along the surface) with perpendicular recording processes that stand the bits on end, enabling more data storage per square inch. Perpendicular recording will be required at the point when products reach... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2213&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2213&m=9000[/url]
Backup Data on the Moon? July 22, 2003
TransOrbital plans to send servers to the moon for data backup by 2004, linked to the Earth by broadband laser communications. The plan addresses the threat of a natural disaster, such as a small asteroid hitting the planet. Digital cameras would also provide a view from outer... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2212&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2212&m=9000[/url]
Star survey reaches 70 sextillion July 23, 2003
The total number of stars in the known universe visible with modern telescopes is 7 x 10^22, according to a study by Australian astronomers. The actual number of stars could be infinite, said Dr. Simon Driver, speaking at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union meeting in... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2211&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2211&m=9000[/url]
Turing Test Dead End July 21, 2003
"The failure of computers, with all their power, to do much more than ELIZA [a simulated psychologist] is pathetic," says curmudgeon PC Mag. columnist John Dvorak. "With computer programs such as Deep Blue able to analyze millions of chess moves in order to make informed decisions, you'd think... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2210&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2210&m=9000[/url]
GM food risk to humans 'very low' July 21, 2003
The independent review of over 600 scientific papers concludes that existing genetically modified crops and foods pose a "very low" risk to human health.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2208&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2208&m=9000[/url]
Sensors guard privacy July 16/23, 2003
Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have addressed the privacy problem with a way to set up networks of tiny sensors that allows users to gain useful traffic statistics but preserves privacy by cloaking location information for any given individual.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2207&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2207&m=9000[/url]
On the Edge: Hidden in Plain Sight July 1, 2003
The 2001 movie "Along Came A Spider" probably marks the debut of steganography in mainstream culture. Steganography usually involves image files such as JPEGs, and unlike the better-known process of encryption, where a message is garbled but remains in plain view, steganography hides it altogether.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2204&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2204&m=9000[/url]
Switch on for Powered Data Networks July 9, 2003
Instead of needing adapters, computer networks could soon be supplying the devices they interconnect with both data and power. The basic plugs for computer networks are the same all over the world, raising the possibility that powered data cables could become a universal back-up power supply.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2203&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2203&m=9000[/url]
Living to 120 With Ease July 3, 2003
A new pill developed by CereMedix that promotes the production of natural anti-oxidants could restore the body's natural defenses so drastically that people might routinely live to be a healthy 120 years old, researchers say.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2202&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2202&m=9000[/url]
Taking a Quick Swipe at Cancer July 5, 2003
A new handheld scanner will allow the doctor to simply swipe a 30-centimeter baton over the patient's body. Information on irregular tissues will be displayed on a computer screen and in five minutes the exam will be over. The new device, TRIMprob (Tissue Resonance InterferoMeter Probe), consists... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2201&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2201&m=9000[/url]
Scientists Discover a New Way to Slow Speed of Light July 11, 2003
Researchers say they have slowed light in specially treated crystals of alexandrite and at room temperature. This could lead to a new generation of components to build optical and quantum computers and more-efficient optical communications systems.... [url=http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=2200&m=9000]http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedire...sID=2200&m=9000[/url]
From the mailing list of Transhuman Institute [url=http://www.TranshumanInstitute.com]http://www.TranshumanInstitute.com[/url]
NEWS AND VIEWS
Chatting with Online Characters (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,,1202241,00.asp)
Two prominent partners have launched a new effort to find useful e-learning and customer service applications for virtual people. Oddcast, a company that makes conversational characters, and the ALICE AI Foundation, a nonprofit research organization focused on advancing AIML (Artificial Intelligence Markup Language) have announced a partnership to create smarter intelligent online characters. The technology allows for personal interaction with online agents that can function as customer service agents, tutors, and the like.
Neat freak delighted by electric maid (http://www.adn.com/life/story/3520898p-3551917c.html)
This robotic vacuum cleaner works but has its limits.
New clues to identity of first genetic molecule (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993972)
You have heard of DNA and RNA, but what about TNA? It resembles its more famous cousins in almost every respect, except that it is based on a sugar called threose instead of the deoxyribose found in DNA and the ribose in RNA. Researchers have speculated that because threose is a simpler sugar than ribose, TNA could be a long-lost precursor to RNA.
As Clock Ticks for Hubble, Some Plead for a Reprieve (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nyt/20030726/ts_nyt/asclockt icksforhubblesomepleadforareprieve)
Since it was launched in 1989 with a flawed mirror and then repaired by spacewalking astronauts, the Hubble, floating above the murky atmosphere, has been a matchless time machine, providing astronomers with views of unprecedented clarity deep into space and time. But its days (and nights) have always been numbered. NASA has long planned to end Hubble's spectacular run and bring it down in 2010 to make way in the budget for the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to be launched in 2011.
Are You Ready for a 64-Bit PC? (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111508,00.asp)
New processors coming soon from Advanced Micro Devices and Apple suggest 64-bit computing will make its way to a desktop near you this year. But what does that really mean for you?
Next Windows Will be Different (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111757,00.asp)
Longhorn, the next version of Microsoft Windows, will be so different from its predecessors that users may not like it right away, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates says.
Nanotech: It's Not Easy Being Green (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa004&articleID=00077C33-511E-1F20- B8E780A84189EEDF)
Researchers and activists go to loggerheads over the science of small.
Euthanasia: A Better Way to Die? (http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,59763,00.html)
A good death, theoretically, is dignified, free of pain and occurs in the presence of friends and family. And, according to a new study, the chance of that happening is greater when death is planned.
EVENTS
TELEVISION: Mike Deering speaks about the Singularity on TechTV's 'Unscrewed' July 29, 2003 at 11 PM Eastern TechTV's 'Unscrewed'
Mike Deering of the Singularity Action Group (http://www.singularityactiongroup.com) will appear on TechTV's "Unscrewed' program to discuss the Singularity.
Immortality Institute Weekly Chat August 2, 2003 at 8 PM Eastern IRC channel #immortal on irc.lucifer.com:6667
The Immortality Institute will host a moderated chat to discuss ideas for future success. Bring suggestions and any technical problems experienced with site.