evolution
The evolution of science, science fiction, and mankind throughout the years.
Who Will Survive the Next Biotic Crisis?
While the next biotic event is probably not in the near future, fossil records clearly testify that extinction is an unavoidable fate for all species. The real question remains: what is left in the wake of mankind? Our lineage is more likely to be altered through evolution than entirely snuffed out.
By Brian Switek8 years ago in Futurism
Octopus Facts
Researchers at the University of Chicago and a group at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan combined forces in the Octopus Genome Project. This huge undertaking maps out the entire DNA structure of this complex cephalopod. The Octopus facts, which were published in the science journal Nature, are simply incredible. Octopuses, not octopi, are so vastly different in their genetic makeup that they might as well be considered aliens from outer space. In uncovering the sequence, scientists found that octopuses have a significant expansion of a family of genes that play a role in neuronal development. A similar set of genes are found in humans, and until the Octopus facts were published, this gene expansion was believed to be a unique characteristic of vertebrates. Now, thanks to this research, we know that similar processes happened in octopuses.
By Stephanie Gladwell8 years ago in Futurism
Science of Identical Twins
“Double your pleasure, double your fun” couldn’t be more true when it comes to identical twins. Starting with the moment your obstetrician tells you, “There are two of them,” your life is never the same. Twins are double the fun and doubly amazing. Aside from the remarkable science behind them and the totally random happenstance of their creation, the very fact that two people can have identical faces and DNA is just miraculous. Here you have two babies who have spent nine months keeping each other company in the womb and then, upon being released into the world, continue to amaze all those around them. Parents of twins have reported identical sleeping positions, finding their twins sleeping in the same bed; As babies, when they would nap in the same crib, and even if they started out on opposites sides, they would always end up holding on to each other, most likely as they did in-utero.
By Stephanie Gladwell8 years ago in Futurism
History of Japanese Seppuku
Japanese culture is everywhere in today’s world. However, one particularly grisly aspect has affected our general consciousness—seppuku. You may not get the same sensation when reading it, but the evocative image of a samurai stabbing himself in the gut with a tanto is one you’re not likely to forget. But why did this form of honorable suicide take hold in Japan? What would cause someone to commit Japanese seppuku? Does it still exist today?
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
How to Find Fossils
The next time you find yourself nodding behind the wheel from the monotony of turnpike driving, pull off beside a road cut where highway engineers have blasted the rock outcrop. Your reward will not only be a well-earned rest, but also the possibility of finding some of those exquisite treasures in the dust that we call fossils. Learning how to find fossils is both and entertaining and educational skill.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Campfire Story
The following article was originally published on The Free Advice Man's website here. I am going to tell you a story. Come sit down here by my side, and enjoy the warmth of an imaginary Campfire. The flames light up the darkness around us. The warmth of the crackling embers of burning wood keep us cozy. It is a controlled fire, and one that we started. Unlike the fires that come from above!
By Jean-Pierre Fenyo8 years ago in Futurism
Genetically Engineering a Super Race
When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1932, he described a world state several centuries in the future where all human beings were reared from eggs in factories or incubators. Scientists could produce several classes of personality ranging from the highly intelligent, whose sole purpose was to enjoy life, to the feeble-minded who were suited only for manual labor. The novel was set in the distant future because the scientific knowledge needed to bring about this type of society was not available when Huxley wrote it.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Forecast 2085
Joanna checked the weather app on her watch. Tornadoes likely, flooding possible in the evening, and a chance of earthquakes at night. She grabbed a fluffy red scarf off the rungs in her closet and pulled the hat her dad bought her at the fair over her ears.
By Marlena Chertock8 years ago in Futurism
Will Artificial Intelligence be Nostalgic?
In 1996, I decided to teach myself to use my parents’ turntable. They weren’t home; I was sixteen years old. I really, really wanted to listen to The White Album on vinyl. I had a version of it on cassette, but I craved the authentic experience. At the time, I believed that I related more to The White Album than my parents did. I always loved The Beatles when I was young, maybe because digging something “vintage” is part of the same emotional gymnastics involved with reading and loving science fiction.
By Ryan Britt11 years ago in Futurism