2023

Downtime - Child of the New World by Andy Frankham-Allen

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The novel “Downtime – Child of the New World” by Andy Frankham-Allen was published for the first time in 2020.

Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart managed to build a relationship with his daughter Kate and see his grandson Gordon regularly. The fact that Gordon also built a relationship with his cousin Conall is another great achievement. However, this slowly built harmony suffers a terrible blow when the two cousins get kidnapped.

The old world of Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart seems to suck him back, also because the Great Intelligence seems once again involved in the problems that struck his daughter Kate and his grandson Gordon. To save his grandchildren, Lethbridge-Stewart enlists the help of old friends and colleagues in a mission unlike any other in which his family’s role is crucial.

Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear

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The novel “Foundation and Chaos” by Greg Bear was published for the first time in 1998. It’s the second book of the so-called second Foundation trilogy and follows “Foundation’s Fear”.

Hari Seldon devoted his life to psychohistory but he has made many enemies and predicting the end of the Galactic Empire doesn’t help his reputation. For this reason, he must defend himself against a charge of high treason and be judged by Linge Chen, who holds the real power.

R. Daneel Olivaw is working with a group of robots to guide humanity through the transition period that will begin after the inevitable end of the Galactic Empire. During a trip to space, the robot that uses the human identity of Lodovic Trema undergoes a change that leads him to reevaluate all of his work.

Klia is a girl with remarkable psychic powers who finds herself in a complicated situation which seems to worsen day by day as she seems to become the object of interest of dangerous people. Forced to accept help from a mysterious group, she ends up involved in a power struggle she doesn’t understand.

The structure of the various groups of archaea resulting from this study with eukaryotes as part of this taxonomic domain

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An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the results of a genetic study on the archaea Asgard that expands the genetic diversity of this group of microorganisms and concludes that the taxonomic order Hodarchaeales is the one most closely related to eukaryotes, the organisms that make up all forms of multicellular life on Earth. A team of researchers conducted a genetic analysis of Asgard archaea from samples collected at 11 locations around the world in a genomic research using state-of-the-art analysis techniques. The conclusion is that eukaryotes constitute a group within the Asgard archaea, from which they may have directly evolved.

The Company of Glory by Edgar Pangborn

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The novel “The Company of Glory” by Edgar Pangborn was published for the first time in 1974 serialized in the magazine “Galaxy” and in 1975 as a book.

Demetrios still remembers what the world was like before the Twenty Minute War war devastated it. In the post-apocalyptic world born from the ashes of that war, he’s appreciated for his tales of the wonders of the past that are lost. For some, he’s appreciated too much.

The survivors of the apocalypse formed new communities but atomic weapons were only a tool and the negative sides of humanity also survived. New struggles for power happen to take control of the cities and people like Demetrios become a trouble because of the truths they tell. Demetrios and a small group of freedom-loving people have to flee.

The KNM-ER 741 tibia with the cuts in the magnified area (Photo courtesy Jennifer Clark)

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An article published in the journal “Scientific Reports” offers evidence that hominins who lived at least 1.45 million years ago killed each other and possibly practiced cannibalism. Paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner of the National Museum of Natural History led the study of the markings found on a fossil tibia discovered in northern Kenya. The examination of 3D models of the surface of this tibia indicates that 11 of those marks were left by stone tools and that their characteristics likely indicate butcher work much like that seen on fossil animal bones slaughtered by hominins for consumption.