...allows its denizens to *even consider* that it might be a simulation? Isn't that what brought down The Matrix? On the other hand, this might be just the thing to allow atheists and theists to peacefully co-exist: the latter can advance the axiom that *everything* is God's will (since it's, presumably, His simulation) -- and the former can relax realizing that *nothing really matters* since it's all just an illusion anyway...

Gives a whole new meaning to COSplay....

High sulphur could in theory be a waste product of HS metabolism; microbes are known to utilize this.

' "New terrorists are emerging, new groups, actually, a new level of viciousness," Feinstein said.'

Ah, yes -- that small vicious group that call themselves "The Congress". Vile bastards, those... Claiming to 'represent the people', yet imposing insult after insult upon the very people they claim to represent.

For the dull and weird in all of us....

Sign the anti-censorship petition at change.org. Currently it is accumulating signatures at the rate of 1 signature every four seconds. Today, Fifty Shades of Grey (virgin enslaved by a billionaire); tomorrow, Ender's Game (children enslaved by the military).

You are incorrect. That particular smutpocolypse already happened in 2010. What they are going after now is things which are perfectly legal which seem "bad" -- and it's all being driven by some right-wing rag in Great Britain (you know, land of the page 3 girls...). If you are getting your news from the BBC, you are already a little late to the story.

'This organism has had to figure out everything on its own,' says Amend, 'it splits water into hydrogen and oxygen for metabolism.'

It's hard to believe that geochemist Dr. Amend said that about Desulforudis Audaxviator, since D. Audaxviator is completely intolerant of oxygen, and its sulfate reduction mechanism is right there in its name!

If anyone had bothered to follow the links in that discovery.com article, they would have found this useful article that quotes the original discoverers of Desulforudis Audaxviator: "Tullis Onstott classified the microbe under the genus Desulforudis for its ability to get energy from sulfate and its rod shape... Living deep underground for such a long time has also stripped D. audaxviator of the ability to use oxygen as an electron acceptor in its metabolic pathways, thus making it a strict anaerobe. Instead of oxygen, sulfate is used as an electron acceptor...These [2157] genes allow the microbe to live in almost all conditions except in the presence of oxygen." (my emphasis)

Here is my second comment entitled "Life IN Mars"; my original comment on this was so long ago that it has vanished. Let me merely add that eventually we will find life inside almost every extra-terrestrial planet-sized-or-larger object (assuming we get there), with the probable exemption of solar objects.

So again, scientists know this is a problem. They just don't know how to stop it.

Hey, I have this really cool idea. I call it Hubs and Authorities ; the idea is that there is peer review and the best-reviewed journals are considered the best journals to send your paper to! Whaddya think?

'"It's Big Brother, sort of, but with a good intent,"

...it's called grading the students on what they have learned. And I can't believe such an inane comment came from a dean. Of course, it is Texas, land of the dumbed-down and incorrect textbooks, so maybe we shouldn't be that surprised....

An automated system, however, could maintain a continuous flow of samples based on driving behavior and thus issue tickets accordingly.

An unanticipated consequence of an "always-on" mass surveillance system. "Big Brother is always watching."

Yep. Think even deeper -- see my .sig.