h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The missing links

No, really, a missing link:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040512/ap_on_sc/virus_discovery

Extra amino acid coding:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040512040149.htm

The library of Alexandria?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3707641.stm

Conpiracy sites I found while trying to find something else!
http://www.totse.com/en/conspiracy/mind_control/
http://members.austarmetro.com.au/~hubbca/conspiracy.htm

and the obligatory cute one:
http://www.rr-bb.com/images/avatars/baby.gif
NB The actual site is far less cute - more sickening, for the level of ignorance and delusion displayed.

You may already have seen this since it's on the BBC site - or if you get New Scientist:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3729487.stm

What you may not be aware is that about a decade ago already researchers in the US found indications of a new type of unusual and smaller bacteria which seemed to be causing disease. That same sort of thing partly popped up again the other year in a UK research group but so far I've seen nothing precisely analysing it - or even giving a picture. So I don't know how it compares.

There are already some incursions here by the American fundamentalist fringe:
http://www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk/

More early critters:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000C4E87-7070-10BF-B07083414B7F0000

.

Venus is a black speck about half way across a chord of the sun at the moment. NB I'm projecting the image not looking at it directly.

More stuff:
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040607/040607-6.html
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040607/040607-3.html
(worth a look round generally of course)

Hi SEF!

Thanks very much for all the links, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to view them all or reply sooner.

> http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040512/ap_on_sc/virus_discovery
This has "expired" now, so I didn't see it.

> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040512040149.htm
Very interesting! I hadn't heard of this at all before seeing this page.

> http://www.rr-bb.com/images/avatars/baby.gif
Excellent! I wonder when that smiley would ever be used.

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3729487.stm
This I did read about in New Scientist before seeing this page, but it's still fascinating!

> http://www.nature.com/nsu/040607/040607-3.html
This I hadn't heard of either before just now, but the technique sounds intriguing. I'll keep a look out for updates...

Cheers!
Rho

The image was an avatar rather than a smiley. So its use is as a personal identifier rather than related to post content. You might still wonder who on a message board would identify with it though!

I'm having trouble finding you an alternative for the expired link. Meanwhile I came across this:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818289.htm

Also:
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040503/040503-9.html

...

I think this was the missing one (though perhaps not as good a copy/version):
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040512_1193.html

> http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818289.htm

First, visible without an electron microscope. Next, giant viruses, about two meters in diameter as in a certain ST:Voy episode.


> http://www.nature.com/nsu/040503/040503-9.html

Now, this is fascinating! I'm going to keep an eye out for discussions about this finding...


> http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040512_1193.html

Ooh, I hadn't heard about this one...


Thanks again for the links! I appreciate you posting them to me.
Rho

I don't know if you do this sort of thing but...
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/justscience/petition.htm

Richard Dawkins was apparently promoting it recently in The Guardian (don't read it myself) and someone said it was probably because the Vardy bunch are trying to take over another school:
http://www.cadpag.co.uk/
(see also "Facts about Northcliffe" page)

Not long now:
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/june21faq.htm

Not exactly "new" news:
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=5450629&section=news

More background info from a researcher:
http://clade.acnatsci.org/dagit/

Up close and personal with a fan:
http://www.ratfish.com/
(see "why ratfish" section)

Other people call them ugly, which seems a little unfair. I'm not planning to become _that_ attached to them though.

= o°:
This version/link seems to have the hoopiest picture:
http://www.aip.org/png/2003/193.htm

http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2004/06/25/news/nation/nation08.txt

More bones:
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040703/fob7.asp

Another of those extreme smileys:
http://members.aol.com/browrob549/emo/violent014.gif

It makes me wonder whether that's what happens if someone doesn't give the green hitch-hiker (from the later book/game covers with which certain people seem obsessed) a ride though.

Not fun stuff but more about the danger of letting loonies run things (and mistaking the benefit of feeding in extra money and attention for some intrinsic benefit of the indoctrination supplied *with* the money):
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,1258506,00.html

I just realised I never forwarded this one to you. As well as being silly it shows the consequences of letting people take photographs in court and put them online where others can grab and reuse them. I'm fairly certain no-one would mistake this for a real account of events though:
http://bigmixup.com/rockpapersaddam/

• (NB spot the bizarre spelling mistake):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3897989.stm

Thanks for all the links!

Is this the typo you were referring to: "Hawking has defended a point of view *or* nearly 30 years" [emphasis added]?


Rho