It’s no secret that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is investing heavily in genetic engineering and synthetic biology. Whether that excites or terrifies you depends on how you feel about the military engineering totally new life forms. If you’re in the excitement camp, however, here’s a nugget for you: DARPA believes that it's on the way to creating organisms capable of terraforming Mars into a planet that looks more like Earth. ... Читать дальше »

Just because it’s all in your head, doesn’t mean it’s not real. "Reality” is often defined by differentiating the physical state of things (as they "actually exist”) from the concept of those things (as they exist in our minds). Consciousness is thus viewed with mistrust in judging reality. But can reality be judged without consciousness? ... Читать дальше »