Another frustration of science news-following – the contradictory stories. According to the BBC, a conference in Vienna saw the launch of “the world’s first computer network protected by unbreakable quantum encryption“. [Hat tip to Darren ‘Orbit’ Turpin]
Meanwhile, at Trondheim in Norway, another researcher has discovered that quantum cryptography can be hijacked by shining a bright light into the equipment. Someone sort these people out with an RSS reader!
The longer you follow science and tech news, the more you start noticing the stories that resurface time and time again in slightly different forms. Point in case: OMG new material works on same principle as gecko feet but is ten times stickier!!1
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not refuting the science. I’m just frustrated by the perpetual teasing… I don’t want to hear about it until I can schlepp on out to my nearest shoe-shop and buy trainers that’ll let me walk up and down the sides of buildings, OK? [original LOL-free image by Mataparda]
Scientists has discovered a new bacterial organism called desulforudis audaxviator that is an entirely self-sufficient ecosystem in and of itself, 2.8 km below the Earth’s surface the desulforudis audaxviator’s genome contains:
…everything needed for the organism to sustain an independent existence and reproduce, including the ability to incorporate the elements necessary for life from inorganic sources, move freely, and protect itself from viruses, harsh conditions, and nutrient-poor periods by becoming a spore.
This is a beautiful discovery, and a testament to the diversity and splendour of Life. Also, it suggests there is no theoretical reason why life cannot survive in similar conditions on other planets:
“One question that has arisen when considering the capacity of other planets to support life is whether organisms can exist independently, without access even to the sun,” says Chivian. “The answer is yes, and here’s the proof. It’s sort of philosophically exciting to know that everything necessary for life can be packed into a single genome.”
Hey, remember me mentioning a kind of Mundane SF/futurist social media roleplaying game back in July? Well, The Superstruct Game finally kicked off this week, and you can get involved on a number of levels – hundreds of participants (including a number of Futurismic staffers) are already helping to invent the future, so hop in and join them.
What are the requirements? That you can imagine what the world might be like in 2019… so ideal for science fiction fans, I’d have thought. Get involved!
Have the comforts and supports of modern life ended the process of natural selection in humans? Steve Jones, genetics supremo at University College London believes so:
Before modernity, life was so tough that most children died before they reached adolescence. It was a race for survival and only the strongest made it, making out a case for natural selection. This means babies with genetic mutations that made them more resilient had better chances of survival as well as passing on their genes to their offspring.
Jones’ argument is that in a modern world of central heating and plenty of food, the same mutation is far less likely to give a child any advantage. A baby born today can expect to live a long and healthy life, which in turn works against the evolutionary tool of natural selection.
George Dvorsky opines that the theory that human beings have “stopped evolving” is incorrect because it discounts things like genetic drift, sexual selection, and of course, the self-guided evolution of transhumanists.