Monthly Archives: October 2004

In what could be one of the most astounding discoveries ever regarding human evolutionary history, anthropologists have discovered the remains of a hominin they have named Homo floresiensis that apparently lived up to about 13,000 years ago. H. floresiensis lived … Continue reading →

Scientists admitted this morning that they are stumped by the best-ever images of the Saturnian moon Titan. At a 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time press conference this morning, team members of the Cassini/Huygens mission tried their best to avoid speculating about … Continue reading →

The best ever images of Titan are being beamed to Earth by the Cassini spacecraft through early this morning. Most of the pictures released by NASA so far have not been cleaned up, but reveal distinct divisions between dark and … Continue reading →

According to Frontier Channel’s “Future Wants” column in August 2004, the future “truly successful eBook reader” will include: a color display; the ability to view images and perhaps video; the ability to play music and read at the same time; … Continue reading →

Today is the big day. The Cassini spacecraft is heading toward a close flyby of Titan, with the likely result the best pictures ever taken of the shrouded Saturnian moon. On Sunday, Cassini snapped a clear image of the moon … Continue reading →

For the first time in a long time, the increase in desktop CPU speeds appears to be flat. Is this the beginning of the end for Moore’s Law? Does this put to rest the theory of a technological singularity? Gordon … Continue reading →

In the mid-1990s, scientists succeeded in merging brain neurons with a microchip to allow communication between the two. Since then, scientists have improved the technology. Early in 2004 they succeeded in cultivating snail neurons on a microchip. At the University … Continue reading →

The merging of biology with technology frightens many people. Our fiction is full of horrors like killer cyborgs, conscious AI, and robots that rise to destroy humanity. People have taken comfort in the “fact” that biology and machine technology are … Continue reading →

The Cassini spacecraft at Saturn will flyby Titan again on October 26, 2004. It will be much closer this time. Scientists are hoping for clearer images of the moon’s surface and clouds. Cassini’s orbit around Saturn has shrunk considerably and … Continue reading →

Dr. Laurence Soderblom from the U.S. Geological Survey provided yesterday an update on the Mars Exploration Rovers to faculty and students at the University of Arizona. Both rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are working well and could survive for another Martian … Continue reading →