M.J. Rose

Advanced propulsion and real warp drives — Star Trek tech becomes reality?

Faster Than the Speed of Light?

(Michael Stravato for The New York Times) Harold G. White, a NASA physicist, is working on the concept of warp drive, like on “Star Trek.” Some of the original series’ ideas fit into the new warp field theories, like the round shape of the engines in the rendering.

By DANNY HAKIM

HOUSTON — Beyond the security gate at the Johnson Space Center’s 1960s-era campus here, inside a two-story glass and concrete building with winding corridors, there is a floating laboratory.

“Harold G. White, a physicist and advanced propulsion engineer at NASA, beckoned toward a table full of equipment there on a recent afternoon: a laser, a camera, some small mirrors, a ring made of ceramic capacitors and a few other objects…”

For the complete article click here to go to the NY Times.

We love the Voynich manuscript mystery so much that we cannot resist posting about it again this month!

This is a very detailed and well done documentary from National Geo about the mysterious Voynich manuscript – a beautiful handmade book that continues to befuddle all experts who attempt to understand it. What IS known is that the manuscript is not a forgery — it is very old. It was also created using the very best parchment and paints possible at the time.

Someone was highly motivated to create this book. But why?

 The Book That Can’t Be Read

Here is a recent tidbit on the emerging field of species resurrection— an article about the remarkably preserved baby mammoth (from Atlas Obscura):

THE BEST-PRESERVED WOOLLY MAMMOTH GOES ON DISPLAY IN JAPAN, BUT SHOULD WE RESURRECT IT?

BY ALLISON MEIER

Woolly mammoth on display (photograph by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP, via hungeree)

“A prehistoric woolly mammoth that was long encased in the New Siberian Islands has gone on display in Yokohama, Japan, so visitors can see for themselves what is considered the best-preserved mammoth ever discovered.

Honestly, she’s a bit grotesque looking, all grey stretched out skin and mottled hair that seems like the barest husk of life. Some of her flesh is even shredded by long-dead predators. But considering she’s 39,000 years old, she doesn’t look too bad. The fact that there’s the orangish fur at all is remarkable, as well as the preserved trunk and broad feet. Most importantly, however, is that for the first time with a mammoth, scientists have found blood in the veins, which raises this quesion: could we resurrect the woolly mammoth?…”

For the complete piece click here.

More more on species resurrection see the Revive & Restore project. They are presenting working on bringing back extinct species. They’ve already starting with the passenger pigeon.