Nature’s Superb Many Worlds Retro Cartoon Cover, quantum physics and SF

The current issue of Nature looks like something especially targeted for geeks with a high end content. Consider again the role of comics in science popularization. Is this Nature, not Wired?
From the Editor’s Summary: “Yes, this is Nature. The cover art, by David Parkins, salutes a big year for quantum physics: 50 years ago, Hugh Everett III proposed what came to be known as the ‘many worlds’ hypothesis. He took quantum physics at face value, and imagined what it really meant. He aimed to resolve the paradoxes of quantum theory by allowing every possible outcome to every event to exist in its own world. In a News Feature, Mark Buchanan reports on modern reactions to the ‘many worlds’ idea…. Life sciences also have their place in this fiction-inspired issue and the whole is brought together in an Editorial.”

I first heard about the Many-World interpretation of quantum mechanics (proposed by Hugh Everett III) as a philosophy undergrad writing a bigger essay on the modal realism of my favourite analytic philosopher David Lewis. This philosophical-logical theory argues that possible worlds are as real and irreducible as the actual world.

Cell’s Superhero Cover: the role of comics in science popularization

I’ve just realized how cool is Cell magazine May 4 issue’s cover (the one with the Scientist Enter the Blogosphere report by Laura Bonetta) with the S-nitrosothiol superhero T-shirt. This substance may have some therapeutic utility in diseases such as heart failure and asthma.

Illustration: Cell and me this morning.

Cartoons are terrific education tools, let’s consider howtoons for instance. Howtoons are cartoons showing kids of all ages “How To” build things. What about cartoons for scientists?

Sand Hill Road Venture Capitalist about life extension as business

There was a very interesting comment dialog last week apropos of Aubrey de Grey’s TED talk, and the host was Baris Karadokan’s blog called From Istanbul to Sand Hill Road subtitled High-tech, venture capital, creativity and innovation. Here are some details. Link

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