g STARS - One of the pleasures of perusing ancient maps is locating regions so poorly explored that mapmakers warned of dragons and sea monsters. Now, astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope find themselves in the same situation as cartographers of old. A new study of the ever-present fog of gamma rays from sources outside our galaxy shows that less than a third of the emission arises from what astronomers once considered the most likely suspects - black-hole-powered jets from active galaxies. See article.
g ABODES - The protective magnetic field shrouding the early Earth was likely only half as strong as it is today, a new study suggests. See article.
g LIFE - In a significant leap forward in the understanding of how specific types of tissue are determined to develop in mammals, an international team of scientists has succeeded in mapping the entire network of DNA-binding transcription factors and their interactions. This global network indicates which factors can combine to determine cell fate. See article.
g INTELLIGENCE - A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what people in northern climates need to get through the long winter, according to researchers. See article.
g MESSAGE - Here's a classic I stumbled across online: Carl Sagan's 1978 article "The Quest for Extraterrestrial Intelligence." Few other pieces so eloquently capture the essential, human purpose behind astrobiology and SETI. See article.
g COSMICUS - Captain Kirk might want to avoid taking the starship Enterprise to warp speed, unless he's ready to shrug off interstellar hydrogen atoms that would deliver a lethal radiation blast to both ship and crew. See article.
g AFTERMATH - Could humanity ever relate to an alien species? Consider the questioning context of these online speculations about why "Star Trek is human centered?" The latter is an interesting question, possibly creating a situation dealing with a prejudice on the behalf of the writers and producers. However, would a series completely dedicated to another species, such as the Romulans, be successful in a television market? Is it possible that the reasons it wouldn't be might indicate humanity may care little about an alien species other than as a potential threat? See article.
