October 2021

Neuromancer by William Gibson

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The novel “Neuromancer” by William Gibson was published for the first time in 1984. It won the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick awards as the best novel of the year.

Case was a so-called console cowboy until he tried to steal from his employer. Discovered, the punishment he suffered was worse than death because his nervous system was damaged in a way that prevented him from connecting to the Matrix. Since that day, he has been looking for a cure that will allow him to return to cyberspace.

After a series of disappointments, Case is contacted by Armitage, a mysterious man who offers him a cure in exchange for helping him on a complex mission. Together with Molly, a woman with special physical enhancements, he must go to the Sprawl and steal a ROM that contains the personality record of a hacker who died a while ago. That’s only the first phase of a mission full of difficulties and surprises.

Fossils of African mammals

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An article published in the journal “Communications Biology” reports a study on a hitherto unknown mass extinction of mammals that occurred in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula between the end of the Eocene period and the beginning of the Oligocene period. A team of researchers led by Dorien de Vries of the University of Salford mainly used the Duke University fossil collection to establish that an extinction affecting Europe and Asia after climate change that led to significant cooling had also affected warmer areas. Some important geological events contributed to the decline of mammals in those areas.

Trilobite of the order Phacopida (Photo courtesy Brigitte Schoenemann)

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An article published in the journal “Scientific Reports” reports a study on the eyes of the trilobites of the Geesops schlotheimi species, which lived about 390 million years ago. A team of researchers led by zoologist Brigitte Schoenemann examined fossils of this trilobite and old X-ray images of fossils to study its eyes. The structure of those eyes is peculiar even among trilobites and exists only in the order Phacopida: it features a small number of relatively large, well-separated, lenses, each covered by its own cornea. It’s a sophisticated structure that perhaps was useful for seeing in low light.

Elysium Fire by Alastair Reynolds

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The novel “Elysium Fire” by Alastair Reynolds was published for the first time in 2018. It’s part of the Revelation Space series and is the sequel to “The Prefect”.

When Prefect Thalia Ng is urgently sent to assist a dying citizen following a completely out-of-the-ordinary collapse, she quickly realizes that something strange is happening. When she brings back the deceased’s head for in-depth examination, she initially receives no explanations about the case but ultimately Supreme Prefect Jane Aumonier reveals that various citizens died due to their neural implants overheating to the point of destroying their brains.

The trust in Panoply, the prefects’ agency, has waned in recent years and demagogues like Devon Garlin are taking advantage of the discontent. The Glitter Band formed by the ten thousand habitats that orbit the planet Yellowstone risks losing unity after some habitats opted for secession. Garlin appears to have access to very confidential information and Prefect Dreyfus thinks he’s hiding something.