Comment Re:There would be no need... (Score 1) 337
And a spare lightbulb kit.
Craig Venter Wants To Rebuild Martian Life In Earth Lab 142
Hugh Pickens writes "Karen Kaplan reports in the LA Times that Craig Venter is making plans to send a DNA sequencer to Mars. Assuming there is DNA to be found on the Red Planet – a big assumption, to be sure – the sequencer will decode its DNA, beam it back to Earth, put those genetic instructions into a cell and then boot up a Martian life form in a biosecure lab. Venter's 'biological teleporter' (as he dubbed it) would dig under the surface for samples to sequence. If they find anything, 'it would take only 4.3 minutes to get the Martians back to Earth,' says Venter, founder of Celera Genomics and the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). 'Now we can rebuild the Martians in a P4 spacesuit lab.' It may sound far-fetched, but the notion of equipping a future Mars rover to sequence the DNA isn't so crazy, and Venter isn't the only one looking for Martian DNA. MIT research scientist Christopher Carr is part of a group that's 'building a a miniature RNA/DNA sequencer to search for life beyond Earth,' according to the MIT website 'The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes.' SETG will test the hypothesis that life on Mars, if it exists, shares a common ancestor with life on Earth. Carr told Tech Review that one of the biggest challenges is shrinking Ion Torrent's 30-kilogram machine down to a mere 3 kg – light enough to fit on a Mars rover."
Nathan Myhrvold, Do-Gooder 109
theodp writes "Perturbed by a GigaOm item which likened him to 'Darth Vader doing some charity work as he completes the Death Star,' Intellectual Ventures CEO Nathan Myhrvold talks about the goals of his 'Global Good' program and fires back at critics in an interview with GeekWire's Todd Bishop. The technology industry is a little too obsessed with 'sending little messages to each other and having fun on a social network' for Myhrvold, who hopes to tackle bigger problems like malaria, polio, and HIV with the help of funding from buddy Bill Gates. 'I don't mean to call Zynga out in a negative way,' says Myhrvold, 'but is Zynga doing God's work? Is Facebook doing God's work? Even setting aside what God's work means, I think it's pretty easy to say, those companies are doing wonderful things, but they are for-profit ventures. It's either tools or toys for the rich.' BTW, if you're ready to do God's work, IV's looking for a Vice President, Global Good."
Comment Re:Absorber refrigerator (Score 2) 152
In other words, "I'm doing SCIENCE!"
Comment Carrier (Score 1) 542
Since I lived in Baltimore for four years, I have to nominate Willis Carrier.
On a slightly more frivolous note, there's also Aldus Manutius, 15th-century inventor of the mail-order catalog.
Comment Cat got your tongue? (something important seems to (Score 1) 137
Pictures of the cat or it didn't happen.
Comment Re:CSIRO actually does RESEARCH (Score 1) 161
That is, indeed, the question. If we stipulate that the patent in question is 100% legitimate, then why was the lawsuit filed in East Texas when none of the defendants have any connection with that jurisdiction? I'd be much more sympathetic to CSIRO in this case if it had been filed in the Northern District of California.
Comment Re:sure it is (Score 1) 443
That would most likely be a diesel. If you're in the US, our government's protectionism is at work again, keeping vehicles you want to buy out of the market.
Comment O RLY? (Score 2) 443
Texas has nothing to worry about. Until we actually start building more nuclear plants, the energy for all those electric cars you want to see on the roads will come from coal and natural gas. The EPA just introduced some more rules to favor natural gas over coal, and guess which state produces the most natural gas. (HInt: Its capital is Austin.)
The Saudis don't have to worry that much, either. Only 60% of petroleum is used for transportation, and much of that is for aviation. They'd be more worried about their pets in DC failing to block the Keystone pipeline.
Video Edward Teller: Father of the Hydrogen Bomb 352
Comment Time for USAF to enter the picture (Score 1) 204
With Directed Energy Sea Mammals —even if thef Orbiting Pelican Relay Mirror (OPRM) is no longer needed to whack Osama.
Comment Re:Alcoholic puddings? (Score 1) 215
Tom Lehrer, you have a phone call on line three.
Comment Re:Not just the pay...it's the location. (Score 2) 235
If your customers want a City address and an 020 phone number, a virtual office is £LOTS cheaper.
Comment Article is almost old enough to drink (Score 1) 1
This article is so old that its subject has been the ODNI CIO for almost a year now.
Comment Dave Langford wrote about this, kinda (Score 2) 312
The Leaky Establishment, where the large engineering firm is the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the item to be smuggled back in is a physics package.
