Rat Neurons In A Dish Now Playing Flight Simulator
In his 1999 sf novel, Peter Watts wrote about cultured neurons that could fly planes. Now, a University of Florida researcher makes it a reality. Almost. (re: Peter Watts)

Hey Epsilons! Brave New World Getting Closer
Researchers have found they can make monkeys work their hardest and fastest all the time by manipulating a specific gene so they forgot about rewards. No complaints or slacking off. You have that gene, too. (re: Aldous Huxley)

Nap-Cap - How About A Hat-Tip For Larry Niven?
Maybe it just uses the name, but Heads Up(TM)'s Nap-Cap should at least mention Larry Niven, who thought of it. (re: Larry Niven)

Graphene - Nanofabric One Atom Thick
A nanofabric called graphene just one atom thick has been created at The University of Manchester. (re: Roger Zelazny)

Minority Report-Style 'Discovery Informatics' At Purdue University
Purdue University researchers are developing a Minority Report-style environment with high-performance computers and artificial intelligence software. The new 'data CAVE' takes a new approach to data-mining. (re: Stephen Spielberg)

Alter Ego Exhibit - Avatars Revealed
Earlier this month, an exhibition of avatars and their real-life counterparts opened in London. Is there a relationship between the visage of the avatar and the form of the real person? (re: Neal Stephenson)

RocketScore Tells You Your SAT Essay Score
You now have an online teacher and evaluator - RocketScore, the artificially intelligent grader that provides a prediction of the score your essay will get on the SAT. (re: James Blish)

Electronic Underwear Monitors Your Heart
Philips Research in Germany announced on Friday that they have developed underwear that monitors your heart. The underwear can also dial 911 for you. (re: Rudy Rucker)

VeriChip RFID Tag Patient Implant Badges Now FDA Approved
The Federal Drug Administration has approved a final review process to determine whether hospitals can use VeriChip RFID tags to identify patients. The estimated life of the tags is twenty years. (re: Alfred Bester)

MagBeam Propulsion - To Mars And Back In 90 Days
Magnetized-beam plasma propulsion, or magbeam propulsion, could cut the time required for long journeys around the solar system from years to weeks. (re: Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle)

Northwestern Researchers Can Remember It For You Wholesale
Researchers are working on making Rekal, Inc. a reality - false memory research is progressing. (re: Philip K. Dick)

BrainGate - Earth Scientists Begin To Crack Krell Secrets
BrainGate, a tiny sensor array implanted in the brain, has allowed a quadriplegic man to check e-mail and play computer games. (re: Irving Block)

NEEMO 7 - NASA Undersea Robotic Telemedicine Experiment
The Zeus robotic surgical system will be used in an unusual experiment to give NASA additional options. (re: Peter Watts)

HOAP-2 Robot Masters Sumo And Linux. RoboShiko!
This robot performs moves from the Chinese martial art taijiquan; it also does Sumo wrestling stances. All that and it's Linux-based! (re: Roger Zelazny)

SpaceShipOne - The First Strato-Yacht?
Is SpaceShipOne a modern incarnation of a Joy-boat Junior, from Methuselah's Children? (re: Robert Heinlein)

Boudreaux - Extra Vehicular Activity Robotic Assistant
It seems that mankind has always sought the companionship of a faithful canine, particularly when venturing into unexplored lands. (re: Isaac Asimov)