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Perhaps we need to pay Sci-Fi novels more heed-but which ones?

Nearly 150 years ago, Jules Verne penned a book with remarkably accurate predictions about the world of today. That book, however, was rejected and not brought to light until 1994.

Paris In The 20th Century is a posthumous work by Jules Verne, the legendary writer and traveler. Many consider him the “Father of Science-Fiction” via books such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Journey To The Centre of the Earth and From The Earth To The Moon. Back To The Future fans will no doubt remember Doc Brown’s passion for the author’s prolific output.

A major appeal of Jules Verne was his ability to make predictions about the future. Paris In The 20th Century, submitted to publisher and mentor Pierre-Jules Hetzel in 1863, was no different. In 2014, The Architectural Review covered the novel, whose predictions included “gas-fueled vehicles that travel on asphalt roads, electric streetlights and, more ominously, indeed chillingly, the electric chair.”

Continue reading “Lost Jules Verne Novel Made Startlingly Accurate Predictions of our Modern World” | >

The era of oil is coming to an end…at last.

Here I look at the evidence to support such a claim and what may be the results 🙂

In the end of oil age I will examine a bit of the history of oil to lay some groundwork and then look at how 2020 has really added the final nails to the coffin that was already closing shut very fast.

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Honorable Mentions

One more scientific brilliance this year is the use of light in neuroscience and tissue engineering. One study, for example, used lasers to directly print a human ear-like structure under the skin of mice, without a single surgical cut. Another used light to incept smell in mice, artificially programming an entirely new, never-seen-in-nature perception of a scent directly into their brains. Yet another study combined lasers with virtual reality to dissect how our brains process space and navigation, “mentally transporting” a mouse to a virtual location linked to a reward. To cap it off, scientists found a new way to use light to control the brain through the skull without surgery—though as of now, you’ll still need gene therapy. Given the implications of unauthorized “mind control,” that’s probably less of a bug and more of a feature.

We’re nearing the frustratingly slow, but sure, dying gasp of Covid-19. The pandemic defined 2020, but science kept hustling along. I can’t wait to share what might come in the next year with you—may it be revolutionary, potentially terrifying, utterly bizarre or oddly heart-warming.

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Summary: Gene expression patterns in four regions of the prefrontal cortex are distinctly different in those who have been diagnosed with PTSD compared to those who have not. Major differences were seen in interneurons, which inhibit the immune system and microglia in the central nervous system. Findings shed light on why women are more likely to experience PTSD and compound a link between post-traumatic stress and a dampening of the immune system.

Source: Yale.

A post-mortem analysis of brain tissue from people who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may help explain enduring mysteries about the disorder, such as why women are more susceptible to it and whether a dampened immune system response plays a role in dealing with stress, a team headed by Yale University researchers has found.

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Its happening again, it seems.

Just a Drip

Losing air on a space station sounds perilous, but Roscosmos maintains that the crewmembers are safe and that the situation is under control. The leak is very small, it says, and backup systems are in place if needed.

“We have had this leak for quite some time, the rate is very small, nothing has happened,” Roscosmos Program Director Sergei Krikalev told the Russian news agency Interfax. “One of the leaks was found and reduced, but it still remains.”

Continue reading “New Leak May Force Russia to Ship Oxygen to Space Station” | >