August 2016

Chanur's Venture by C.J. Cherryh (Italian edition)

1

The novel “Chanur’s Venture” by C.J. Cherryh was published for the first time in 1984. It’s the second novel of the Chanur series and follows “The Pride of Chanur”.

Worries for Pyanfar Chanur come especially from her husband Khym after he started traveling on the merchant ship “The Pride of Chanur”. No hani male had ever traveled in space together with females and for Khym anything new could be a possible cause of emotional instability.

When Pyanfar Chanur goes back to Meetpoint station for what looks like a normal commercial tour, everything changes when he meets the human Tully again while he’s on a secret mission to start trade relations with other species of the Compact. It’s a huge opportunity for all hani but the kif are still there and there’s a internal power struggle between two hakkikt that makes the situation even more complex and above all dangerous.

Greenland shark (Photo NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program)

0

An article published in the journal “Science” describes a research on the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). An international team of marine biologists led by Julius Nielsen of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Biology studied these sharks in collaboration with other agencies concluding that the oldest specimen studied has an estimated age of 392 years.

0

An article published in the journal “Metabolic Engineering” describes a research that aims to improve the production of certain biofuels using bacteria of the species Escherichia coli (or E. coli). A team from the Washington University in St. Louis led by Fuzhong Zhang found a way to modify E. Coli to solve a production problem with a result that can be useful for other purposes as well.

Reconstruction of Echovenator sandersi and its inner ear (Image courtesy A. Gennari 2016. All rights reserved)

0

An article published in the journal “Current Biology” describes a research on an ancient cetacean called Echovenator sandersi that shows how these marine mammals’ ultrasonic hearing is very ancient. A team of scientists led by Morgan Churchill of New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York, used modern scanning techniques to analyze the very well preserved ear of a fossil dating from the Oligocene period.

Starship: Flagship by Mike Resnick (Italian edition)

0

The novel “Starship: Flagship” by Mike Resnick was published for the first time in 2009. It’s the fifth novel in the “Starship” series and follows “Starship: Rebel”.

The clash between the Republic and the rebels who work with other people not exactly spotless at the frontier commanded by Captain Wilson Cole, a former officer of the Republic has become inevitable. An entire fleet was sent to get rid of Cole and his accomplices so a battle is only a matter of time.

Wilson Cole can no longer hide and can only try to think yet another smart strategy to face an enemy that has more than three million warships. To defeat a much more powerful opponent, Cole is forced to try a very risky move that’s unexpected for the Republic.