The mathematical model for a zombie attack.

Convincing, although unsurprising, results from guys who know how to model infectious disease.

Marginal Revolution: Mathematics of a Zombie Attack

Zombies are a popular figure in pop culture/entertainment and they are usually portrayed as being brought about through an outbreak or epidemic. Consequently, we model a zombie attack, using biological assumptions based on popular zombie movies. We introduce a basic model for zombie infection, determine equilibria and their stability, and illustrate the outcome with numerical solutions. We then refine the model to introduce a latent period of zombification, whereby humans are infected, but not infectious, before becoming undead.

Hacking Life

Here you go.

 J. Craig Venter, genetic entrepreneur extraordinaire, points out that the efficiency of sequencing genomes has recently outstripped Moore's law for computers by about an order of magnitude for the last four years.  Given that pace... do you think that natural or artificial intelligence will be getting the next big upgrade? 

Synthetic Life - TierneyLab Blog - NYTimes.com

The rate at which this technology is now improving puts silicon to shame. Dr. Church noted that between 1970 and 2005 gene sequencing had taken place on a Moore’s Law pace, improving at about 1.5 times per year. Since then it has improved at the rate of an order of magnitude, or ten times annually.

Transplant advances

Just phenomenal progress.


BBC NEWS | Americas | First US face transplant revealed

Surgeons at a clinic in a Cleveland, Ohio, replaced 80% of Ms Culp's face with that of a dead female donor.

"I guess I'm the one you came to see today, " she told reporters but added that "I think it's more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person's face."

The transplant is only the fourth to be carried out. Two operations have been conducted in France and one in China.

Man gets first double hand transplant in U.S. : Scientific American Blog

Kepner, who lost both hands and feet to a bacterial infection a decade ago, will need intense physical therapy before he is able to use his hands effectively, according to Rose.

Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett to receive space funeral.

This would be more touching and less creepy, if it had not been for that original series episode called "I, Mudd".  Hear Harry Mudd describe it himself.


The Associated Press: Gene Roddenberry, wife to spend eternity in space

The creator of "Star Trek" and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in "memorial spaceflights," said Monday

Was that a Diplodocus in Star Wars?

Here's a pretty detailed discussion of the anatomy of the Krayt dragon.   Even more interesting is the link in the article to another paleontologist that tracked it down and re-discovered it.

The sauropods of Star Wars « Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week

The first (and best) sauropod of Star Wars will be no surprise to anyone with reasonably sharp eyes and rudimentary knowledge of sauropod osteology: the Krayt dragon skeleton that C-3PO walks past on Tatooine is composed mainly of cast sauropod vertebrae.

Y'ule Tide Carols

So I'm not sure what to say about this CD of carols composed and performed by folks who, in a fit of genius,  have connected a couple of ideas that may have been better left separate.

Someone went and put together a little music video tribute (also a genius).  If you haven't read the right books, this will seem very odd indeed.   If you have read them, don't miss this other carol.

via: Pharyngula: Squidmas carols!

Teddies in Space

This will make a great screen background.



Out of this world: British teddy bears strapped to helium weather balloon reach the edge of space | Mail Online

t's not often that Britain can claim a win in the space race. But these teddy bears drifting nearly 20 miles above Earth have become the first soft toys to take part in extra-vehicular activity (to use correct NASA jargon) at such an altitude.

Ridley Scott to adapt Haldeman's Forever War

Will it stack up to Bladerunner and Alien?  Could be a classic in the making.

Ridley Scott to adapt Haldeman's Forever War - Boing Boing

Ridley Scott has acquired the film-rights to Joe Haldeman's magnificent, Hugo-award-winning classic science fiction novel, The Forever War. This is one of the great anti-war novels of all time