A blue glowing device the size of a peppercorn can activate neurons of the brain, spinal cord or limbs in mice and is powered wirelessly using the mouse’s own body to transfer energy. Developed by a Stanford Bio-X team, the device is the first to deliver optogenetic nerve stimulation in a fully impl… http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/august/wireless-optogenetic-mouse-081715.html

▲TOP▲ Guests of HonorIn SpokaneRegisterEventsOther… Last night, this year’s Hugos were awarded. Cixin Liu’s_Three Body Problem_ translated by Ken Liu won for best novel!

The conservative backlash isn’t entirely about attempts to diversify science fiction; it’s also motivated by a nostalgia for an imaginary past. p.s. you will see a bunch of “No awards.” As you might recall, the conservative coalition called the “Sad Puppies” torpedoed the nomination ballot… http://www.newrepublic.com/…/2015-hugo-awards-and-history-s…. Here’s another piece on the Sad Puppies: http://www.npr.org/…/everyones-likely-to-be-sad-at-this-yea… And a great one by George R. R. Martin: http://www.theguardian.com/…/george-rr-martin-right-wing-br…

This near-future trilogy is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple-award-winning phenomenon from Cixin Liu, China’s most beloved science fiction author. In Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion-in just four centuries’ time…. Sequel to, and arguably even more incredible than, “The Three Body Problem.” Hard SF at its best.

How do you simultaneously control a thousand robots in a swarm? The question may seem like science fiction, but it’s one that has challenged real robotics engineers for decades. http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/07/21/can-a-thousand-tiny-swarming-robots-outsmart-nature/

In the future, not everyone will want to be a super-intelligent cyborg. Some might prefer the simple existence of a goat. Is tech for “de-evolution” a likely future?

A Perth man is growing an ear on his arm in the name of art, so people around the world can hear what he hears. Audiopunk?

Everything you know may just be part of a Matrix-style simulation, according to physicists who claim that we could all be part of a giant GAME. A new theory has suggested that our entire lives and memories may not be real, instead being part of a computer programme played by advanced robots. In the… http://news.yahoo.com/are-humans-really-part-of-a-game-for-advanced-115946597.html

For all the recent momentum in the search for life elsewhere, there’s a school of thought that the suns may be setting.

UNLESS YOU’VE been hiding under a rock, you know that saying things about rocks is now something humanists are allowing themselves… Not SF, as such, but very useful for thinking about how to talk about non-human entities. “speculative realism” and “object-oriented ontology” are the key concepts here.