Good Science News

November 16th 2009 at 6:05 pm

I’m not really surprised so many people are skeptical about science.  After all, what do often hear?  Food A or Food B causes cancer.  The glaciers are melting faster than we thought possible.  Species (your favorite) is now endangered.  Drug A which was supposed to be good for you just caused organ B to fail.  So sorry.  Not that bad news should cause disbelief, but sometimes I understand why people would rather ignore it.

So this is a good week.  Why?

  • Well, there’s apparently enough water on the moon to let us base there more easily than we’d thought.  I’m a geek girl, and the idea of a moon base while I’m still young enough to appreciate it (if not to go) is a great thing.
  • We are finding extrasolar planets so fast my head is spinning.  As of this moment, we’re up to 403.  I just got my copy of National Geographic and there’s an article about that in there (I haven’t read it yet).

So, hey, let’s appreciate the small good things.  Or in the case of extrasolar planets, the big good things.

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2 Responses so far

  1. 1. Jean Schneider on Nov 17th, 2009 at 1:09 am

    For an up todate count of exoplanets
    look at http://exoplanet.eu

    JS

  2. 2. brenda on Nov 19th, 2009 at 9:41 pm

    Thanks for the additional link!

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Books

Wings of Creation by Brenda Cooper

Reading the Wind cover image

Available November 10th, 2009 from Tor Books.

Reading the Wind by Brenda Cooper

Reading the Wind cover image

Audio promo:

"Brenda Cooper's newest novel is a feast of character and concept. She depicts the devastation of war on microcosmic and macrocosmic levels, and even more so, the driving motives of young men and women caught in deadly conflict. Cooper is a master explorer of the interaction of society and individuals. She probes the psychology of her genetically enhanced characters with both rare depth and fidelity to scientific plausibility. Moral conundrums drive the plot in this unforgettable narrative. Don't miss this compelling work by a major new talent." - Mary A. Turzillo, An Old-Fashioned Martian Girl.

"Brenda Cooper tells a tale of a powerful brother and sister in a fight for their lives, offering insights along the way into the nature of courage and the hunger for community that burns in every human being. This is a lively book, full of colorful images and a memorable cast of human and animal characters, a worthy successor to The Silver Ship and the Sea." - Louise Marley

Available in July, 2008, from Tor Books.

The Silver Ship and the Sea by Brenda Cooper

Silver Ship and the Sea cover image

Audio promo:

"The first solo novel by Larry Niven's Building Harlequin's Moon (2005) coauthor portrays the thoroughly convincing human colonial society on Fremont, a dangerous planet rife with vicious predators, frequent earthquakes, and falling meteors....Distinctive characterizations, well-limned interrelationships, and the vividly realized Fremont contribute to an exciting coming-of-age story with a strong message about the evils of prejudice." - Sally Estes, Copyright American Library Association.

Mass Market Paperback, July 2008.
Included by Booklist as a "Best Adult Book for Young Adults."

Building Harlequin's Moon by Brenda Cooper and Larry Niven

Building Harlequin's Moon cover image

"Fans of both hard and softer, psychological SF will welcome veteran Niven and newcome Cooper's well-written tale of a 60,000 year layover in space, in which physical challenges of world building are matched by the social challenges of collaboration among disparate groups." - Publisher's Weekly

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