Living at a Time of Post Natural Ecologies

by | Jan 3, 2014 | | 17 Comments

When technologies converge from rapidly fermenting disciplines like biology, information science and nanotech, the results become hard to predict. Singularities can emerge that create outcomes we cannot always anticipate. Rachel Armstrong explores this phenomenon in today's essay, a look at emerging meta-technologies that are themselves life-like in their workings. The prospects for new forms of design in our living spaces, including future spacecraft environments, are profound, as ongoing work in various venues shows. Dr. Armstrong, a regular Centauri Dreams contributor, explores these issues through her work at AVATAR (Advanced Virtual and Technological Architectural Research) at the University of Greenwich, London. by Rachel Armstrong Three lumps of muck hit the breathing membrane. A scattering of fragments blew back at the boys as they shattered like crumbs. 'You're right! They disappeared!' crowed the smallest of the trio. 'That building literally - ate dirt!' Despite its lumpy...

read more

Ceres, Pluto: Looking Toward the Next New Year

by | Jan 2, 2014 | | 12 Comments

Over the New Year transition I saw a number of tweets to the effect that as of January 1, the first flyby of Pluto was going to occur next year, a notable thought when I ponder how fast this long journey has seemed to move. Was it really way back in 2006 that New Horizons launched? We can only wonder what surprises the Pluto/Charon system has in store for us in 2015. The same can be said for Ceres, a body which, as of December 27, is now closer to the Dawn spacecraft than Vesta, the asteroid around which it orbited so many interesting times. Christopher Russell (UCLA) is Dawn's principal investigator, a man whose thoughts on the mission naturally carry weight: "This transition makes us eager to see what secrets Ceres will reveal to us when we get up close to this ancient, giant, icy body. While Ceres is a lot bigger than the candidate asteroids that NASA is working on sending humans to, many of these smaller bodies are produced by collisions with larger asteroids such as Ceres and...

read more

Charter

In Centauri Dreams, Paul Gilster looks at peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration, with an eye toward interstellar possibilities. For many years this site coordinated its efforts with the Tau Zero Foundation. It now serves as an independent forum for deep space news and ideas. In the logo above, the leftmost star is Alpha Centauri, a triple system closer than any other star, and a primary target for early interstellar probes. To its right is Beta Centauri (not a part of the Alpha Centauri system), with Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis, stars in the Southern Cross, visible at the far right (image courtesy of Marco Lorenzi).

Now Reading

Recent Posts

On Comments

If you'd like to submit a comment for possible publication on Centauri Dreams, I will be glad to consider it. The primary criterion is that comments contribute meaningfully to the debate. Among other criteria for selection: Comments must be on topic, directly related to the post in question, must use appropriate language, and must not be abusive to others. Civility counts. In addition, a valid email address is required for a comment to be considered. Centauri Dreams is emphatically not a soapbox for political or religious views submitted by individuals or organizations. A long form of the policy can be viewed on the Administrative page. The short form is this: If your comment is not on topic and respectful to others, I'm probably not going to run it.

Follow with RSS or E-Mail

RSS
Follow by Email


Follow by E-Mail

		

			
Get new posts by email:

			

				
				
			

			

				
			

		

	


Advanced Propulsion Research




Beginning and End







Archives