Dr. Smith warned against getting ahead of the day’s announcement and envisioning the disappearing Romulan warbirds of “Star Trek” on the horizon.

“It could easily take years to figure out what the stuff is really good for from a practical, pragmatic standpoint. But, boy, it sure is really cool from a short-term standpoint.”

I should have posted this next to the editorial on space policy, as Trekkies may recall The Treaty of Algeron:

The treaty stated that the Federation would refrain from researching or implementing cloaking technology. However, an amendment added later allowed the Federation to install a Romulan cloaking device on one ship, the Defiant, for use only in the Gamma Quadrant and under the supervision of a Romulan officer, and under the condition that the Federation would share its intelligence on the Dominion.

See also the articles, [2] at Memory Alpha. (In reviewing these links, I am reminded of the incredible geekiness (and perhaps wonkiness) of Star Trek.)

Scientists Take Step Toward Invisibility

Lately, string theory has come in for considerable criticism. And so, this is an auspicious moment to reflect on the state of the art.

Brian Greene defends string theory against its detractors.

The Universe on a String

After having been neglected for most of the twentieth century, the subject of consciousness has become fashionable. Amazon lists 3,865 books under "consciousness," a number of them new releases of the last year or two. What exactly is the problem of consciousness, and why exactly is it so difficult, if not impossible, for us to agree on a solution to it?

...

There are lots of explanations in science and philosophy that are not in the form of equations. In fact, equations are rather rare in biology. Think of the germ theory of disease or the theory of evolution. What we are interested in, in these cases, are causal mechanisms, not equations. What causes disease symptoms? What is the causal account of the evolution of human and animal species from simpler forms of life? And now, what causes consciousness?

Minding the Brain, by John Searle

Starred Review, From Publishers Weekly:

With his usual eloquence, patience and humor, Wilson, our modern-day Thoreau, adds his thoughts to the ongoing conversation between science and religion. Couched in the form of letters to a Southern Baptist pastor, the Pulitzer Prize–winning entomologist pleads for the salvation of biodiversity, arguing that both secular humanists like himself and believers in God acknowledge the glory of nature and can work together to save it. The "depth and complexity of living Nature still exceeds human imagination," he asserts (somewhere between 1.5 million and 1.8 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms have been discovered to date), and most of the world around us remains unknowable, as does God. Each species functions as a self-contained universe with its own evolutionary history, its own genetic structure and its own ecological role. Human life is tangled inextricably in this intricate and fragile web. Understanding these small universes, Wilson says, can foster human life.

Wilson convincingly demonstrates that such rich diversity offers a compelling moral argument from biology for preserving the "Creation." Wilson passionately leads us by the hand into an amazing and abundantly diverse natural order, singing its wonders and its beauty and captivating our hearts and imaginations with nature's mysterious ways.

From Booklist:

Famed entomologist, humanist thinker, and cogent writer Wilson issues a forthright call for unity between religion and science in order to save the "creation," or living nature, which is in "deep trouble." Addressing his commonsensical yet ardent discourse to "Dear Pastor," he asks why religious leaders haven't made protecting the creation part of their mission.

Forget about life's origins, Wilson suggests, and focus on the fact that while nature achieves "sustainability through complexity," human activities are driving myriad species into extinction, thus depleting the biosphere and jeopardizing civilization. Wilson celebrates individual species, each a "masterpiece of biology," and acutely analyzes the nexus between nature and the human psyche.

In the book's frankest passages, he neatly refutes fantasies about humanity's ability to re-create nature's intricate web, and deplores the use of religious belief (God will take care of it) as an impediment to conservation. Wilson's eloquent defense of nature, insights into our resistance to environmental preservation, and praise of scientific inquiry coalesce in a blueprint for a renaissance in biology reminiscent of the technological advances engendered by the space race.

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, by Edward O. Wilson

If evolution involves a competition for survival, then how can we explain altruism?

Biologist Dugatkin splendidly narrates a fast-paced tale of scientific breakthrough, genius and intellectual history as he examines the lives of seven scientists -- from T.H. Huxley through Richard Dawkins and E.O. Wilson -- whose groundbreaking work attempts to answer this question.

Darwin's "bulldog," T.H. Huxley, believed altruism was rare, and that blood kinship provided the key to an evolutionary understanding of altruism. The Russian anarchist Prince Pyotr Kropotkin, on the other hand, believed altruism was widespread and unrelated to kinship. But the idea of the kinship link won out, and in the 1960s, William Hamilton developed a cost-benefit analysis to explain the genetic basis of altruism:

"If a gene for altruism is to evolve, then the cost of altruism must somehow be balanced by compensating benefits to the altruist."

This superb tale of scientific discovery is required reading for everyone interested in the nature of human morality.

The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness

My interest in assisted reproduction is more than academic. In December 2005 I flew to Chicago, underwent general anesthesia, endured a minor medical procedure, and sold 12 ova to a pair of strangers for $10,000. Like thousands of other women that year, I joined in an assembly-line production of a human embryo.

The "breeders" envisioned 20 years ago are now college students selling their genetic material and low-income women renting out their wombs. There is considerable debate about whether they should be allowed to trade reproductive capacity for cash, how they should be compensated, and how far is too far. But the more interesting questions are not regulatory.

... the linguistic equivalent of a doily ...

Ova for Sale: The art of the deal in the gray market for human eggs

Travel during the Thanksgiving holiday may be the central event in determining the rapidity of transmission. This effect was particularly pronounced after the Sept. 11 attacks, when a temporary flight ban was instituted in the United States and airline travel volume was lower than in any other season from 1996 to 2005.

Who would have thought?

Thanks
Thanks a lot
...

Speed of the Spread of Flu Is Linked to Airline Travel

Last summer, scientists figured out how cats long ago in the course of evolution lost the ability to detect sweetness. Dogs can taste sweet things, as can many other mammals, like rodents. But neither alley cats nor lions have a sweet tooth.

Dogs May Laugh, but Only Cats Get the Joke

As evidence mounts that we're somehow hard-wired to be musical, some thinkers are turning their attention to the next logical question: How did that come to be? And as the McGill University neuroscientist Daniel Levitin writes in his just-published book, "This is Your Brain on Music," "To ask a question about a basic, omnipresent human ability is to implicitly ask questions about evolution."

I almost bought this book two weeks ago. I still may. It definitely seemed worth the read; it's a question of time.

Survival of the harmonious

Tufte has a new book. I browsed it over the weekend. It is beautiful, as usual.

Edward Tufte has been described by The New York Times as "The Leonardo da Vinci of Data." Since 1993, thousands have attended his day-long seminars on Information Design. That might sound like a dry subject, but with Tufte, information becomes art.

Tufte's most recent book, Beautiful Evidence, is filled with hundreds of illustrations from the worlds of art and science. It contains historical maps and diagrams as well as contemporary charts and graphs. In one chapter alone, there's an 18th-century depiction of how to do a cross-section drawing of how a bird's wing works, and photos from a 1940s instruction book for skiing.

They all demonstrate one concept: Good design is timeless, while bad design can be a matter of life and death.

"If you look after truth and goodness, beauty looks after herself."

NPR : Edward Tufte, Offering 'Beautiful Evidence'