February 2024

Views of of the Simoniteuthis michaelyi's fossil

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An article published in the “Swiss Journal of Palaeontology” reports the identification of a new species of so-called vampire squid that lived about 183 million years ago, in the Lower Jurassic period, and was named Simoniteuthis michaelyi. Robert Weis, Ben Thuy, and Dirk Fuchs examined a fossil attributed to the order of the vampyromorphs (Vampyromorpha or Vampyromorphida) found at an excavation site in Bascharage, Luxembourg, in 2022. This is a single specimen that died while it was feeding on two small fish and is very well preserved, to the point that even the soft tissues fossilized.

The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard

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The novel “The Red Scholar’s Wake” by Aliette de Bodard was published for the first time in 2022. It’s part of the series set in the Xuya universe.

When Xích Si is captured by the Red Banner Pirates, she expects to be killed, probably not quickly. Instead, Rice Fish, the sentient ship that leads the pirates, proposes a marriage of interest between them.

Rice Fish lost her wife, who was the Red Scholar, the leader of the Red Banner, in circumstances she finds suspicious and believes there’s a mole in her fleet passing information to their rivals. Xích Si is very skilled at scavenging robot parts to reassemble and program, so her technical skills could be the key to shedding light on the situation.

Snowglobe 7 by Mike Tucker

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The novel “Snowglobe 7” by Mike Tucker was published for the first time in 2008.

The Tenth Doctor takes Martha Jones to what is supposed to be a beach but the freezing wind that hits the travelers as they exit the Tardis indicates that the place isn’t what they were hoping for. This is Snowglobe 7, one of the domes built to maintain the remains of the polar ice caps, which don’t exist anymore in 2099.

The situation in Snowglobe 7 turns out immediately difficult because an unknown disease is spreading among the staff and there seems to be something very strange in the ice. Martha Jones tries to find some answers by examining the sick people while the Doctor tries to recover the memories of a damaged robot.

The Solar War by A.G. Riddle

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The novel “The Solar War” by A.G. Riddle was published for the first time in 2019. It’s the second book in The Long Winter trilogy and follows “Winter World”.

The Long Winter seems to slowly come to an end and the survivors start thinking about repopulating the world. James Sinclair and Emma Matthews have a daughter and for a few years, the situation seems to be improving. Everything changes when asteroids are spotted heading towards Earth.

A fleet of drones is set up with atomic warheads to be launched towards the asteroids, which are intercepted. James is concerned that this might be the obvious threat which distracts attention from other more hidden ones, and his fears are soon confirmed.

Proxima Dying by Brandon Q. Morris

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The novel “Proxima Dying” by Brandon Q. Morris was published for the first time in 2021. It’s the second book in the Proxima Trilogy and follows “Proxima Rising”. The English translation is by Frank Dietz.

Marchenko is using a robotic body to host him to be able to accompany Adam and Eve in their exploration of the planet Proxima b in search of the natives who sent a signal into space. It’s certainly not an easy mission, especially after what they discovered.

On the planet’s day side, the one always illuminated by its star, there seems to be no trace of sentient inhabitants. The travelers decide to move the search to the night side with the difficulties that this brings, starting with the perpetual darkness and the ice that covers that hemisphere.