August 2020

A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias

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The novel “A Darkling Sea” by James L. Cambias was published for the first time in 2014.

Ilmatar is a moon of a gas giant planet with an ocean of liquid water beneath the thick, frozen surface crust. That ocean is home to complex ecosystems that include a sentient species. A human expedition is on site to study the natives in a collaboration with another alien species, the Sholen, also based on the observation of the natives without getting noticed.

During what’s supposed to be normal scientific activity, Henri Kerlerec, one of the members of the human team, commits an imprudence and loses his life. This starts generating tensions between humans and Sholen with ramifications determined by the presence in both species of factions with different ideas about the policy towards the other species.

Elon Musk and Neuralink's robot surgeon (Image courtesy Neuralink)

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In a presentation given yesterday, Elon Musk updated the public on Neuralink’s work on creating an interface between the human brain and computer. In July 2019, the entrepreneur showed a prototype announcing that the company was about to begin testing on humans. Actually, the neural implant was redesigned and tested on pigs, included in the demonstration. Neuralink is working to begin human testing of this new version.

Nuclear Time by Oli Smith

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The novel “Nuclear Time” by Oli Smith was published for the first time in 2010.

The Tardis materializes on the outskirts of what appears to be a very normal small town. The Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory go to visit it, and quickly realize that the inhabitants are robots except Albert, their creator. The robots use lethal force when discovered, and the travelers must try to hide while Albert gets killed.

A plane approaches the town and the Doctor realizes that it’s about to drop an atomic bomb on the town to destroy the robots. He tries to escape with his companions but loses sight of them. On the other hand, he’s faced with himself and the suggestion of a strategy to prevent everyone from being killed, but the result is a time alteration.

The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter

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The novel “The Massacre of Mankind” by Stephen Baxter was published for the first time in 2017. It’s the sequel to “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells.

Julie Elphinstone is a journalist who is in New York for her work when she talks to Walter Jenkins, the brother of her ex-husband and the author of the Narrative that told the Martian invasion. Walter is still dealing with the serious physical and mental consequences of that time and tells Julie that he has grave news.

Together with other people, Julie takes the journey to England, where she finds a difficult situation. The British have sided with Germany in the war raging in Europe, but soon the problems could get worse. Walter Jenkins explains to Julia that sigils have been sighted on Mars and Venus and that the Martians have fired at Earth again, this time with more cannons. The Jovians also manifested, displaying their sigil on the giant planet.

Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)

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An article published in the journal “Science Advances” reports a study on Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) that offers new information on the evolution of fish fins into tetrapod limbs. A team of researchers led by Dr. Joost Woltering of the German University of Konstanz studied, in particular, the anatomical and genetic characteristics of Neoceratodus forsteri’s embryos. The result was the confirmation of the importance of some genes with new information on the genes involved and the discovery of a primitive hand in this fish’s fins, suggesting an evolution of fingered limbs through embryonic changes.