The shiny black hardcover jacket winked in the sun, mysterious as a unit of dark matter. I lifted the book from the sale table outside Borders Books & Music and flipped its pages. Elementary particles...wormholes...the uncertainty principle...reading this before I head off to college will make me sound smarter when I get there, right? And … Continue reading A Brief History of How Stephen Hawking Inspired My Sci-Fi
I owe the discovery to The Radium Girls to book blogger Sarah at The Critiquing Chemist (if you haven't had the pleasure of her pithy literary analysis, I recommend visiting her site). She reviewed the book back in August and its subject--like most unusual historical episodes--immediately piqued my interest. A providential Amazon sale had the title … Continue reading Recent Reads: “The Radium Girls” by Kate Moore
“Just take a bite.” She appraised him suspiciously, then dropped her jaw like a snake and bit into the pitaya’s flesh. “What is this?” she mumbled around ravenous bites. “It’s called a pitaya. Tons of vitamin C and calcium. Our scientists blended in genes from a legume to—.” A wet mouthful of pulp flew across … Continue reading The Science of “Syzygy”: Genetic Engineering
The fourth volume in my Syzygy hexalogy, Escape Velocity, arrives for Kindle today! (Nook version coming soon--I've encountered some hurdles in setting up that platform, but B&N fans shouldn't have to wait long). What happens in this episode? After surviving disaster and betrayal on Earth, Ash and Skye return to Luna with news they hope … Continue reading Publication Announcement: “Escape Velocity” Now Available!
“How can you terraform long-distance?” “Robots and microbe bombs.” A gleam of enthusiasm lit Ash’s face. “It’s really cool. Our scientists engineer microorganisms that can build up the atmosphere and fix nitrogen in the soil—.” “More gene hacking.” Skye sniffed. “Didn’t you learn anything from Spores?” “Yes. That organisms can thrive even in harsh environments … Continue reading The Science of “Syzygy”: Terraforming
