Category Archives: Terraforming Mars

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In my book, these decisions are made by a nation-state that has suffered an enormous climate disaster. The state wants the temperatures cooler instantly, no matter the side effects, and no matter what the rest of the world thinks.

I can imagine that happening obviously, I did imagine it but I think that could happen in the real world, because we are closing in on temperatures that will cook people who arent protected by electricity. And that will be a game changer in the nation-states where it happens.

The word geoengineering is too broad, and the knee-jerk reaction on the Left is disturbing to me because its too simplistic; it wants heroes and villains. Its a very 1995-style response. Now that were verging on unlivable temperatures and a mass extinction event in an all-hands-on-deck situation, we might want to cool the planet for five years or so by throwing dust up into the atmosphere, which is solar radiation management.

There are obvious problems with that, but its no longer a get-out-of-jail-free card for capitalism going on the way it is. Nobody who has proposed it is discussing it that way. And if you think of them as snidely twirling their mustaches, the corporations might say that this will allow them to burn all the rest of our fossil carbon. No, it wont. First of all, its a very minor gesture in the earth system to imitate a Pinatubo minor enough that we could actually do it as human beings, which shows how small it is.

The engineering in geoengineering implies that we know enough to do it, which is hubristic and wrong. Some people are calling it climate restoration, to try to get to the ends rather than the means involved. Others think that name is a bit of a lie, because were never going to be able to restore the climate that existed in 1800. Im not so sure about that. I offer climate restoration as a way to rethink this issue.

But the issue is too big for geoengineering to deliberately interfere in the earth system in order to try to mitigate climate change. Is that what it means? Maybe climate change will come down if you pour a whole bunch of iron filings into the ocean; then it has a plankton bloom. Then the plankton die and go to the bottom, so that the carbon is on the bottom of the ocean. Nobody likes that plan because the ocean is already stressed out. And who knows what might really happen in terms of knock-on effects?

We dont know what the secondary effects would be, and they could be worse than the cure, which is true enough to give one pause. But solar radiation management has come to peoples attention because it actually could be done. It should probably be limestone dust, like calcium carbonate, rather than sulfur dioxide, which is what volcanoes put up in the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide eats away at the ozone layer, but limestone dust is inert, and its there in the atmosphere anyway.

If you put up more, it falls to the ground; its problematic if it falls and melts more ice in the Arctic. But in any case, it falls to the ground. Five years later, youre back to square one. You dont have to do it permanently forever in order to keep the temperature from increasing. In fact, you would plan to do it just once in a hundred years, to avoid getting caught in that trap, and see what the effects are over five years.

Its not by any means the most dangerous thing that were contemplating. And its probably not as dangerous as the generation of nuclear power plants that we built. Nuclear power is another horrific no-go zone for the American left, a capitalist power danger for the future, et cetera. But what if the nuclear power is being generated by thorium rather than uranium, and the by-products are less dangerous for future generations?

In other words, everything has to be on the table. There is no leftist truism that I trust, except that justice and sustainability are the overriding considerations of civilization, and ought to be our lodestone, our guiding star, for everything that we consider. Were in a mass extinction event thats just beginning, and we have to dodge it. Everything else needs to be considered, not ruled out.

The resistance to the idea of geoengineering shows the category error of confusing science and capitalism. Its the assumption that this process would only be done by capitalists trying to retain their power, but what if it were being done by scientists to keep millions of people from dying in the tropics? Then it becomes an argument about means over ends. And weve already pumped more than a hundred parts per million of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Every corner of the planet has been geoengineered, accidentally and stupidly as a by-product, or ignorantly. We didnt know that these side effects were going to happen, and then when we knew, we either changed, or we didnt. Thats when you become innocent or a criminal.

Im comforted to see a paper in Nature that describes pumping water out from underneath the glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland to slow the melting process. Thats geoengineering. What could you complain about there? Nothing, because that water pump from the bottom of the glaciers is a trivial amount of water, and then it just freezes on the top. There are no bad side effects that can be predicted with solar radiation management.

It is said that there might be effects on the monsoon in South Asia; if true, that would be bad. The monsoon is variable, but its very important. The glaciers are also important; they come out of the Himalayas and provide a water supply to South Asia, and the glaciers are going fast. A climate modeling exercise that postulates damage to the monsoon is maybe not as powerful in an argument as the actual melting of the glaciers that form the water supply for a billion people.

Everything has to be put back on the table the arguments from 95 about moral hazard and capitalist power need to be set aside for the current moment of desperate emergency.

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Kim Stanley Robinson on Science Fiction and Reclaiming Science for the Left - Jacobin magazine

In James S.A. Coreys nine-volume space opera The Expanse, humanity has expanded outward into the solar system, but political tensions between the needs of Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt are coming to a head. The series launched in 2011 with Leviathan Wakes, an ambitious but gripping novel that introduces a sprawling group of characters with widely varying goals and intentions. The books have been adapted into a memorable, engaging TV series, which ran for three seasons on Syfy, then was picked up by Amazon Studios for an additional three-season run.

Authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, who publish under the James S.A. Corey pen name, say season 6 of The Expanse isnt the end of the show, but it may be the end for its Amazon run. Season 6 launches on Amazon Prime on Dec. 10. But Franck and Abrahams Leviathan Falls is intended as the finale for the book series. Its out Nov. 30 from Orbit books. Heres an advance look at a chapter from Leviathan Falls, finding the crew of the Rocinante on an infiltration mission:

It pinged us, Alex said. His voice was a light almost singsong that meant he thought they were screwed.

Jim, sitting on the ops deck with a tactical map of Kronos system on the screen and his heart going double time, tried to disagree. Just because hes knocking doesnt mean he knows whos home. Lets keep acting like what were acting like.

The Rocinante was acting like a small-haul freighter, a class of ship thick on the ground in Kronos system. Naomi had tuned the Epstein to run just dirty enough to change their drive signature without generating too much extra waste heat. A set of extra plating welded to their hull at an underground shipyard in Harris system had altered their silhouette. A slow dribble of liquid hydrogen was pumping out across the top of the ship and changing their thermal profile. When Naomi had gone over the plan to layer on camouflage, it had seemed comprehensive. It was only the threat of violence that made Jim feel exposed.

The enemy frigate was called the Black Kite. Smaller than the Storm-class destroyers, it was still well armed and had the self-healing outer hull that made Laconian ships hard to kill. It was part of a hunting group scouring all the inhabited systems for Teresa Duarte, runaway daughter of High Consul Winston Duarte, heir apparent to his empire, and, for the time being, apprentice mechanic on the Rocinante.

This wasnt the first time theyd seen it. Any follow-up? Jim asked.

Just the ladar ping, Alex said. Think I should warm up the peashooter, just in case?

Yeah, lets do that was on the edge of Jims mind when Naomis voice answered instead. No. Theres some evidence that their next-generation sensor arrays can recognize rail-gun capacitors. That feels unfair, Jim said. What a crew does with its railgun capacitor in the privacy of its own ship shouldnt be anyone elses business.

He could hear the smile in Naomis voice. While I agree in principle, lets keep the guns offline until we need them.

Copy that, Alex said.

Still no follow-up? Jim asked, even though he had access to all the same logs Alex did. Alex checked anyway.

Comms are dark.

Kronos wasnt quite a dead system, but it was close. The star there was large and fast-burning. There had been a habitable planet in the goldilocks zone there at one pointat least enough that the protomolecule had been able to hijack the biomass needed to build a ring gate. But in the strange eons since the gates formation and humanitys stumbling into the alien ruins, the goldilocks zone had moved. The original life-bearing planet hadnt quite been engulfed by the star yet, but its oceans had been boiled to nothing and its atmosphere stripped away. The only native life in Kronos was on the wet moon of an outlying gas giant, and that wasnt much more than viciously competing continent-sized sheets of slime mold.

The human inhabitants of Kronos were around ten thousand miners on seven hundred thirty-two active sites. Corporations, government-sponsored interest groups, independent rock hoppers, and unholy legal hybrids of all three were stripping palladium out of a nicely rich scattering of asteroids and sending it out to anyone still building air recyclers or working on adjustment-terraforming projects.

Which was everyone.

Kronos had been the edge of the Transport Unions reach back in the day, then the ass end of the Laconian Empire, and now no one really knew what it was. There were hundreds of systems like it, all through the gate network: places that either werent self-sufficient yet or didnt plan to be, more focused on digging out their own little economic niche than any broader coalition. The kinds of places where the underground could usually hide and repair their ships and plan for what came next. On the tactical map, asteroids marked by orbit, survey status, composition, and legal ownership swirled around the angry star as thick as pollen in springtime. The ships were clumped around the excavation and survey sites by the dozen, and as many more were on lonely transits from one little outpost to another or on errands to gather water for reaction mass and radiation shielding.

The Black Kite had come through the ring gate three days before, torpedoed the undergrounds radio repeater at the surface of the gate, and then burned gently to remain in place like a bouncer at a pretentious nightclub. The ring gates didnt orbit the stars so much as remain in fixed position as though theyd been hung on hooks in the vacuum. It wasnt the strangest thing about them. Jim had let himself hope that blowing up the undergrounds pirate transmitter would be all the Kite did. That the enemy would finish its little vandalism and fuck off to cut the metaphorical telegraph wires on some other system.

It had stayed, scanning the system. Looking for them. For Teresa. For Naomi, functional leader of the underground. And for him.

The comm display lit up the green of an incoming transmission, and Jims gut knotted. At their present range, the battle wouldnt come for hours, but the rush of adrenaline was like someone had fired a gun. The fear was so present and overwhelming that he didnt notice anything odd.

Broadcast, Alex said over the ship comms and from the deck above Jim. Weird its not a tightbeam I dont think hes talking to us.

Jim opened the channel.

The womans voice had a clipped, emotionless formality that was like the accent of the Laconian military. as offensive action and treated as such. Message repeats. This is the Black Kite to registered freighter Perishable Harvest. By order of Laconian security forces, you will cut your drive and prepare for boarding and inspection. Refusal to comply will be viewed as an offensive action and treated as such. Message repeats

Jim filtered the tactical map. The Perishable Harvest was about thirty degrees spinward of the Roci, and burning toward the wide, angry sun. If theyd gotten the message, they hadnt complied with it yet.

Is that one of ours? Jim asked.

Nope, Naomi said. Its listed as property of a David Calrassi out of Bara Gaon. I dont know anything about it.

With light delay, they should have received the Black Kites command ten minutes before the Rocinante did. Jim imagined some other crew in a panic because theyd received the message hed been dreading. Whatever happened next, the Rocinante was out of the crosshairs for the moment at least. He wished he could feel the relief a little more deeply.

Jim unstrapped from the crash couch and swung around. The bearings hissed as it shifted under his weight.

Im heading down to the galley for a minute, he said. Grab a coffee for me too, Alex said.

Oh no. Not coffee. Im maybe up to some chamomile or warm milk. Something soothing and unaggressive.

Sounds good, Alex said. When you change your mind and get some coffee, grab one for me too.

On the lift, Jim leaned against the wall and waited for his heart to stop racing. This was how heart attacks came, wasnt it? A pulse that started fast and then never slowed until something critical popped. That was probably wrong, but it felt that way. He felt that way all the time.

It was getting better. Easier. The autodoc had been able to supervise the regrowth of his missing teeth. Apart from the indignity of needing to numb his gums like a toddler, that had gone well enough. The nightmares were old acquaintances by now. Hed started having them on Laconia while still a prisoner of High Consul Duarte. Hed expected them to fade once he was free, but they were getting worse. Being buried alive was the most recent version. More often it was someone he loved being murdered in the next room and not being able to key in the lock code fast enough to save them. Or having a parasite living under his skin and trying to find a way to cut it out. Or the guards on Laconia coming to beat him until his teeth broke again. The way that they had.

On the upside, the old dreams about forgetting to put on his clothes or not studying for a test seemed to be off the rotation. His weirdly vindictive dream life wasnt all bad.

There were still days when he couldnt shake the sense of threat. Sometimes a part of his mind would get trapped in the unfounded and irrational certainty that his Laconian torture team was about to find him again. Others, it was the less irrational dread of the things beyond the gates. The apocalypse that had destroyed the protomolecules makers and was on the path to destroying humanity.

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The biggest science fiction series of the decade comes to an incredible conclusion in the ninth and final novel in James S.A. Coreys Hugo-award winning space opera that inspired the TV series, now from Amazon Studios.

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Leviathan Falls: Read an excerpt of the final book of The Expanse before release - Polygon

Terraforming Mars is one of the great dreams of humanity. Mars has a lot going for it. Its day is about the same length as Earths, it has plenty of frozen water just under its surface, and it likely could be given a reasonably breathable atmosphere in time. But one of the things it lacks is a strong magnetic field. So if we want to make Mars a second Earth, well have to give it an artificial one.

The reason magnetic fields are so important is that they can shield a planet from solar wind and ionizing particles. Earths magnetic field prevents most high-energy charged particles from reaching the surface. Instead, they are deflected from Earth, keeping us safe. The magnetic field also helps prevent solar winds from stripping Earths atmosphere over time. Early Mars had a thick, water-rich atmosphere, but it was gradually depleted without the protection of a strong magnetic field.

Unfortunately, we cant just recreate Earths magnetic field on Mars. Our field is generated by a dynamo effect in Earths core, where the convection of iron alloys generates Earths geomagnetic field. The interior of Mars is smaller and cooler, and we cant simply start it up to create a magnetic dynamo. But there are a few ways we can create an artificial magnetic field, as a recent study shows.

Ideas for generating a Martian magnetic field have been proposed before, and usually involve either ground-based or orbital solenoids that create some basic level of magnetic protection. In the TV series *The Expanse*, you can see a couple of scenes where you catch a glimpse of them. While this latest study acknowledges that might work, it proposes an even better solution.

As the study points out, if you want a good planetary magnetic field, what you really need is a strong flow of charged particles, either within the planet or around the planet. Since the former isnt a great option for Mars, the team looks at the latter. It turns out you can create a ring of charged particles around Mars, thanks to its moon Phobos.

Phobos is the larger of the two Martian moons, and it orbits the planet quite closely. So closely that it makes a trip around Mars every 8 hours. So the team proposes using Phobos by ionizing particles from its surface, then accelerating them so they create a plasma torus along the orbit of Phobos. This would create a magnetic field strong enough to protect a terraformed Mars.

Its a bold plan, and while it seems achievable the engineering hurdles would be significant. But as the authors point out, this is the time for ideas. Start thinking about the problems we need to solve, and how we can solve them, so when humanity does reach Mars, we will be ready to put the best ideas to the test.

Reference: Bamford, R. A., et al. How to create an artificial magnetosphere for Mars. Acta Astronautica 190 (2022): 323-333.

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An Absolutely Bonkers Plan to Give Mars an Artificial Magnetosphere - Universe Today

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES LABRIE BY KELLEY SIMMSPHOTOGRAPHS BY RAYON RICHARDS

After 35-plus years, New York progressive metal titans Dream Theater usually doesnt disappoint its fans with each album released. The bands breakthrough moment happened with its 1992 release, Images and Words, featuring the game changing hit track Pull Me Under.

However, on its 2016 bombastic conceptual album, The Astonishing, the bands fan base was divided by its drawn out compositions and exhaustive storyline. On its 15th full-length optimistically titled album, A View from the Top of the World (released on October 22, 2021 via InsideOut Music), the talented quintet is sure to win back those fans that dismissed The Astonishing. Expanding on the sound Dream Theater helped create, the band also retained its roots of the elements that have garnered them worldwide devoted fans.

A View from the Top of the World contains the familiar Dream Theater formula that the band has been known for since its 1985 inception. Vocalist James LaBrie, guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, keyboardist Jordan Rudess, and drummer Mike Mangini create proggy soundscapes on the albums seven expansive tracks, including the epic 20-plus minute closer and title track.

A View from the Top of the World begins with the explosive opener and first single, The Alien, possessing a cosmic sci-fi vibe with lyrics about interstellar travel and extraterrestrial exploration. With a dazzling display of musicianship, the lyrics are easily relatable and should resonate with longtime Dream Theater listeners.

My son, Chance, told me to listen to this Joe Rogan podcast, and he had on the show Elon Musk, LaBrie explained the inspiration for the subject matter during a recent Zoom chat. The whole podcast was about interplanetary travel, because thats what Elon Musk is aboutterraforming Mars and eventually going out beyond Mars and terraforming planets that will sustain humanity. The only way that we are going to survive as a species is that if we can somehow inhabit other planets and make them something that will support life as we know it.

After his initial inspiration, LaBrie jotted down some key points from the podcast episode that he felt would set him up in writing a cool sci-fi song with poignant lyrics.

I wanted it to be able to resonate with everyone, everybody being able to relate to it, LaBrie confessed. Especially nowadays where we see the planet becoming extremely overpopulated to a certain degree and the environment is paying the ultimate price because of it. When you hear somebody talking about that, maybe we should start looking beyond this planet. Because at some point, it wont be able to support who and what we are, which is one of the lines in that lyric, too. We need to expand our sense of reality, our sense of purpose, and our sense of being.

The accompanying video for the track is also an epic visual experience. Created and directed by digital artist Wayne Joyner, the footage perfectly ties the music together with the storyline and the lyrics.

Wayne Joiner does a lot of our animated footage. Hes done the stock footage and the virtual footage that weve used in our last tours, LaBrie said. A lot of the direction for that video was coming from him and John Petrucci talking. Wayne hit me up, James, can you give me a literal interpretation of what you were talking about for this song? So, I threw a big Word doc at him on where Im coming from and what Id like him to touch upon in the video. From there the dialogue continued between him and John Petrucci. Wayne is so incredibly talented and he gets things right away. His work is brilliant. Its extremely identifiable.

The album sounds like 100 percent Dream Theater. However, every new Dream Theater album brings heavy scrutiny amongst its fans and music critics. Was it a conscious effort from the band to steer away from past formulas and tread onto a different path?

The formula doesnt change for us, LaBrie admitted. We started discussing what we wanted to do, or where we thought we should go with this album. And what really sets the motion and what was the catalyst is knowing that we wanted to create an epic track with no time constraints. With this one, it was 20 minutes-plus. When you know that youre going to write a song of that nature, it sets up the rest of the album. We also knew that with the rest of the album, we didnt want to put time constraints on any of those songs. Once we get into a room, theres so many ideas and theres that conversation of where we want to go.

After the initial conversations from the band on the direction of the album, piecing together the musical compositions came next.

Once the instruments are picked up, John Petrucci and Jordan are throwing ideas back and forth at warp speed, LaBrie said. Then Mike Mangini is fully involved, and he has been for the last two albums as far as the compositions. John Myung is there like he always has been, and then Im there throwing my stuff in and out. So, it happens for a reason. With this album, we knew we wanted to get back to the roots. Lets get back to the moments in our past that really enamored our fans, whether it be some of the moments from Awake [1994], Scenes from a Memory [1999], or Six Degrees [2002]. That doesnt become the literal interpretation for the new music, but that becomes somewhat of a subconscious inspiration. You take in those moments and you make it sound cohesive and seamless to maintain the identity, but make it sound like its fresh, new, and contemporary, without copycatting.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic that plagued most of 2020/21, the writing and recording process for A View from the Top of the World proved to be a different experience compared to previous albums. With LaBrie quarantined and forced to stay in Canada while the rest of the band were in New York at their new state of the art recording studioDream Theater Headquarters (DTHQ)LaBrie was interacting through Zoom via studio monitors.

I was pumped into the Dream Theater studio via a big monitor and coming through their headphones and vice versa, he said. They were pumped into my headphones at the studio here at my house, on the big monitor screen I have here, and then my studio speakers. To a certain degree, it put me in a more advantageous position. Because anytime I had an idea, or those guys were working out sections, I could mute them, and then sing into my mic what I was feeling, whether it be a melody, a riff, or anything like that I could sing down. There were certain advantages to me being in my own studio and being able to control the environment completely. Its funny how things took on a different face, but it had its advantages for sure.

At DTHQ where A View from the Top of the World was recordedalso where Petrucci recorded his latest solo album Terminal Velocitythe facility includes the recording studio, control room, engineer room, and a huge warehouse where all of their equipment and stage gear is stored. It also contains a conference room, a living room, TV room, a kitchen, and a maintenance room to fix the equipment. As LaBrie puts it, Its our own little world, our little microcosm.

Thank God that we did have something like that, because during the pandemic it would just be the band in there and nobody else, he said. We used it to do all the rehearsals before we went out on Distance Over Time [2019]. We can also use it for getting ready for any rehearsals or tours that might be coming up. It really provides everything that a band like us needs. Any band would love to have this. It would be extremely productive for any band to have this kind of a setup so that its at your beck and call anytime you want it. Its an amazing situation for us.

A View from the Top of the World was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James Jimmy T Meslin and mixed and mastered by famed producer and current Judas Priest guitarist Andy Sneap.

Andy had mixed Johns last solo album, so John mentioned to the rest of us that he had this guy, Andy Sneap, and he was thinking that this is our guy to mix our next album. So, we sat down and listened to his solo album and sure enough, the production and the sonic value of it speaks for itself. We were all in agreement. Not only that, Andy Sneap is an amazing musician as well. He has the ears, he understands a band like us, and being in Judas Priest, he would know that as a musician what to listen for. John Petrucci produced it. He has been producing several of our albums. And he has a clear picture of where he wants it to come from and where he wants it to ultimately end up sounding sonically. I think it sounds brilliant. Each instrument is heard for what its worth. Theres a great balance on there, everything is being heard, and theres nothing being obstructed. Theres nothing being buried or lost in the mix. And I think, especially on the last two albums with Ben Gross and Andy Sneap, these albums are defined to a certain degree from the sonic value. Just the whole production is amazing.

Since Dream Theaters Distance Over Time tour was cut short in 2020 because of Covid-19, the band is itching to get back on the road and play these new songs to a live audience.

The plan is, were gonna kick off the world tour at the beginning of February 2022, LaBrie said. Were going to start at the beginning of February. Were going to start throughout North America, and then obviously were going to bang over into Europe. I believe, April, were supposed to start there. Theres talk that were going to Japan sometime in March. You can pretty much take it from the beginning of February and probably for the next year and a half thereafter, well be out touring around the world.

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DREAM THEATER: Expanding Reality - OUTBURN ONLINE - Outburn

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In Jeff Bezos' vision of the future, people will be born in space colonies and visit Earth on vacation.

Bezos discussed space, Blue Origin's plans, and the relationship between space exploration and saving Earth during a conversation Wednesday at the 2021 Ignatius Forum in Washington, DC.

During the interview, the Amazon and Blue Origin founder expanded on his idea for space colonies: floating habitats that mimic Earth's weather and gravitational pull. The floating, spinning cylinders would be able to hold as many as 1 million people and have "rivers and forests and wildlife," he said.

"Over centuries, many people will be born in space. It will be their first home," Bezos said. "They will be born on these colonies, live on these colonies. Then, they'll visit Earth the way you would visit, you know, Yellowstone National Park."

Bezos first mentioned the idea of building space colonies as far back as his valedictorian speech at his high-school graduation, and he said Wednesday that he believed space colonies were a better option than trying to restart life on another planet.

"Even if you were to terraform Mars or do something very dramatic like that which could be very, very challenging, by the way even if you were to do that, that is, at most, a doubling of Earth," Bezos said. "Then you're going from 10 billion people to 20 billion people."

How to establish life outside Earth is a major point of contention between Bezos and Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Musk has said the main goal of his rocket company is to "colonize Mars," and Bezos' reference to terraforming appears to be an indirect jab at him. Musk has endorsed the straight-from-science-fiction idea, in which the planet would need to be transformed using nuclear weapons to make it habitable for humans (NASA has since said this wouldn't work).

For his part, Musk tweeted in 2019 that Bezos' plan wouldn't work, either, because you'd need to "transport vast amounts of mass from planets/moons/asteroids."

"Would be like trying to build the USA in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," he said.

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Jeff Bezos predicts humans will be born in space on floating colonies - Business Insider

According to the global statistical report of 2019, the board games market size was estimated to be around 13-billion USD. The board game market is likely to touch a CAGR of 9% per year for the period 20192025. According to statistics, the board game market is likely to gross over $8.5-billion by this year's end. Board games are for everyone, irrespective of their age, gender or proficiency level.

In the context of India, board games have always been a part of our rich heritage and glorious history. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for board games has surged like never before.

Ludo, one of the most popular board games, was introduced to the British in the 1950s. Earlier, this game was known as Pachisi game, and has its origin since the time of Mahabharata era. Some of the latest historical evidence also pointed out how board games like Ludo, Chess and Carrom have been part of India even during the Indus Valley Civilization.

Traditional board games like Ludo, Snakes & Ladders, and Chess are still in much demand these days. Ludo was also recently in news for a brand new film with the same title released on NETFLIX OTT. The entire plot of the story was based on this game.

The COVID-19-induced lockdown forced people to stay at home. Board games have emerged as the best alternative for people to enjoy the game with their near and dear ones while staying away from unwanted stress and tensions.

Some scientific reports also connect the possible link between mental health wellness and board games. If you play board games well, they are likely to keep your mental health in balance while keeping you calm and relaxed.

In the current era of PUBG and other online video games, the keyword board game has been searched by users across the globe multiple times since COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Every day, the term board game records thousands of entries on Google and Bing, which indicates how people are shifting their focus back to playing board games on online platforms and other apps.

Tabletop board games are still relevant today. Apart from offering excellent opportunities for the players to spend quality time with their loved ones, these games also teach moral values to kids. Board games are also effective in the cognitive development of kids and children especially when they are transitioning from teens to adolescence.

Some of the modern board games that are well known across the world include games such as Terraforming Mars, Sythe, Wingspan, etc. The games have had board gamers hooked for hours.

The Goa-based Kheo Games team is launching their own board game based on tourism in Goa. This is a unique take on board games and will be available soon. The game, Go Goa, has already made noise in the international board game community, having won multiple awards and honourable mentions in contests. What makes the Go Goa extra special is that the designers and the artist all hail from the tiny Indian state of Goa.

The team is committed to offering gamers the best board games all the time while keeping in mind the latest trends and developments in the board game segment.

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The Rise of Board Games in India - Deccan Herald

Dune is the informal name for the planet Arrakis, a rugged desert world located in the star system Canopus and where much of the story unfolds. Its two main inhabitants are a tough group of people called the Fremen, and the native Shai-Hulud a species of giant sandworm that lives for thousands of years and can grow to more than two kilometres in length.

The major diet of the Shai-Hulud is sand, supplemented with tiny organisms known as sand plankton. As they digest this rather bland fare, their metabolism releases oxygen which perhaps isnt so far-fetched given that sand is just silicon dioxide (an atom of silicon bonded to two atoms of oxygen). And this gives Arrakis an atmosphere thats breathable to humans.

On Earth, we owe our breathable atmosphere to photosynthesis by plants and bacteria. These take in carbon dioxide and water, combine them with sunlight to create food for themselves in the form of sugars, and give out oxygen along the way.

Humans and animal life in general could not have evolved on Earth had it not been for the Great Oxygenation Event between 2 and 2.4 billion years ago, when photosynthesising cyanobacteria living in the planets early oceans spewed oxygen into the atmosphere.

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This culminated in an atmosphere that could support metazoans [multicellular organisms] around 540 million years ago and then us somewhat later, says Prof Gary King, of Louisiana State University.

King is researching the possibility of using photosynthesising bacteria also known as phototrophs to introduce oxygen into the atmosphere of Mars. This process of engineering an alien world to make it more like our own, and potentially habitable by humans, is sometimes known as terraforming.

In 2012, NASAs Curiosity rover found direct evidence for the presence of water on Mars a key ingredient for photosynthesis. Most of the water is frozen solid, however. One way Kings terraforming plan could work is by building automated factories on Mars that generate greenhouse gases to warm the planet and melt the ice into a usable liquid form.

Conceivably, Marss temperature could be raised enough to support phototrophs. But that still leaves challenges, says King.

Korolev crater is an especially well-preserved example of a Martian crater. Korolev is filled with ice all year round ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

One potential issue is the stream of high energy radiation pouring from the Sun. On Earth, we have a magnetic field to bat away these particles. But Mars has no such protection, and this is thought to be how the planets original atmosphere got blasted away a process called spallation some 3.5 billion years ago.

How do you stop the same thing happening again?

King believes that once microbes have established an active biosphere on Mars, then oxygen production may be able to keep pace with the spallation losses in much the same way that plants on Earth keep pace with the consumption of oxygen by animals and other aerobic life.

Deserts arent the most hospitable locations, but Dunes Arrakis is especially harsh. Rain never falls on this desolate planet, and its human population, the Fremen, must resort to some resourceful tactics to survive.

One of their innovations is the stillsuit, a full body suit thats designed to recycle all moisture excreted by a human. Perspiration passes through the porous inner layers of the suit, to be filtered and collected in pockets from where it can be drunk through a tube. Urine and faeces go to the thigh pads, from where water is similarly reclaimed. The suit is powered by the walking action of the wearer. As the Fremen leader Liet Kynes puts it, With a Fremen suit in good working order, you wont lose more than a thimbleful of moisture a day

Nothing quite like a stillsuit exists in the world today, because theres not a great need for it. In space, however, the storys quite different.

In Dune, humans wear stillsuits that filter and purify water produced by the body so that it can be drunk Warner Brothers

On the International Space Station (ISS) there is no natural source of water. Any new water brought to the station has to be launched on a rocket from Earth, at a cost of several thousand dollars per litre. And for that reason, the station employs a closed-loop water purification system, similar to the Fremen stillsuits, albeit on a slightly less personal scale.

The ISS system is able to recycle up to 93 per cent of the water used by the astronauts on board. That includes moisture from the air, secreted by sweating and breathing, as well as waste washing water and urine which is purified by distillation then centrifuged to eliminate further impurities. All waste water is passed through further treatment and filtration processes to eliminate toxins and microorganisms. The purity is then tested electrically, and any water not making the grade gets processed again.

Read more about life in space:

It may come with the yuck-factor, but the drinking water on the ISS is purer than what comes out of most domestic taps.

Similar water-preservation measures are likely to be employed on Mars, where usable liquid water will be scarce. Other measures on the Red Planet could include water harvesting from the atmosphere, or using condensers to turn vapour in the atmosphere into liquid water suitable for drinking.

A research paper published in 2018, in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, detailed a trial of such a system in Saudi Arabia. It used 35 grams of a moisture-absorbing gel to extract 37 grams of water overnight at a humidity of 60 per cent.

This technology provides a promising solution for clean water production in arid and land-locked remote regions, the authors of the study reported.

View original post here:

The science of Dune: Could we terraform Mars? - BBC Science Focus Magazine

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 8:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Pasadena Farmers Market at Victory Parkclick for more information

As a Certified Farmers Market, Pasadena Farmers Market provide visitors with fresh, nutritious, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. They are proud and active members of the California Federation of Certified Farmers Markets. Everyone will love the experience of buying directly from the farmer

Event Location: Victory Park

Cost:Varies

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 8:00 a.m.

SoCal Out of the Darkness Walk Resource Fairclick for more information

Great news! American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will be in-person this year! For those of you who are not comfortable with joining in-person, AFSP will have a virtual opening ceremony at 8:00am on this page. Check-in for the in-person component will be at 9am, and event will start at 1

Event Location: Central Park or Online

Cost:Free to register

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 9:30 a.m. 10:15 a.m.

Puppy Playschoolclick for more information

Puppy guardians! Looking for a safe and fun venue to socialize your new best friend? Join the behavior team and other new puppy parents at Pasadena Humanes Puppy Playschool. This ongoing workshop welcomes vaccinated puppies who are at least 9 weeks old or under 19 weeks of age. PH playgroups are

Event Location: Pasadena Humane

Cost:$20.00/Session

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

AbilityFirst Stroll & Roll 2021 Registration is Now OPEN!click for more information

The AbilityFirst Stroll & Roll is a yearly fundraiser involving nearly 2,000 participants and their families, dozens of corporate sponsors and teams, and community supporters who come together to walk or stroll & roll through various locations throughout Southern California. The 2021 Stroll & Rol

Event Location: Los Angeles State Historic Park

Cost:$35.00/Registration fee

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

La Canada Farmers Marketclick for more information

La Canada Farmers Market, setup weekly on Saturdays with love, rain or shine! Choose from a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, to meats and cheeses, breads, jams, pickles, a profusion of leafy vegetables and fruits juices and much more. For more information and updates visit http://www.rawins

Event Location: 1346 Foothill Blvd.

Cost:Varies

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Brick Fest Liveclick for more information

LEGO lovers rejoice! Brick Fest Live is filled with hands-on attractions and activities engineered to inspire, educate, and entertain. View incredible LEGO sculptures, shop exclusive merch, and find inspiration around every corner. For more information, visit https://www.brickfestlive.com/2021-2022

Event Location: Pasadena Convention Center

Cost:$24.99 $44.99

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m.

Preservation Pasadena: Irving Gill, the Greatest Architect Youve Never Heard Of Presentationclick for more information

Irving John Gill was born outside Syracuse in 1870 and after a brief apprenticeship he moved to Chicago, first working with Joseph Sillsbee then with the seminal architectural firm of Adler and Sullivan where he worked as a draftsman under a young Frank Lloyd Wright. He next moved to San Diego in 18

Event Location: Online (Virtual)

Cost:$15.00 $180.00

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.

Seed Library: Garden and Seed Saving Round Tableclick for more information

Bring your questions to a special roundtable with Yvonne Savio and other LA County Master Gardeners. This panel of experts will answer your questions about soil, gardening, seed saving and more. About the presenter: Yvonne Savio started the UCCE Master Gardener program and has personally trained ove

Event Location: Online (Virtual)

Cost:Free

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

Heritage Housing Partners Presents A Path to Affordable Homeownershipclick for more information

Join Heritage Housing Partners (HHP) Virtually to learn about Affordable Homeownership Opportunities! Achieve Your Homeownership Goals Through Preparation Learn About the Affordable Homeownership Program Understand Why Your Credit Score is Important Take the Action Needed to be Consi

Event Location: Online (Virtual)

Cost:Free

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Electrify Your Lawn No Gas South Pasclick for more information

The City of South Pasadena has banned gas powered leaf blowers. Come watch an Electric Lawn Equipment demonstration and learn how to transition to all electric at Electrify Your Lawn! Featuring Food, Giveaways, Music and More. Free Raffle! Rain or Shine! Click here to view flyer.

Event Location: Garfield Park

Cost:Free

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Community Bike Ride No Gas South Pasclick for more information

Join the City of South Pasadena for a Community Bike Ride with Senator Anthony Portantino and Mayor Pro Tem Michael Cacciotti at Garfield Park. Riders will meet at Stratford Avenue and Grevelia Street. Note: Helmets are required. We highly encourage other bicycle safety gear. Click here to view

Event Location: Garfield Park

Cost:Free

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Food and Culture of the Ohloneclick for more information

Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, co-founders of and chefs at the world-renowned Cafe Ohlone, will talk about Ohlone culture and the role food plays in it. Presented in Zoom Sign up here; please provide an email address where login instructions will be sent to you.

Event Location: Online (Virtual)

Cost:Free

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m.

Saturday Storytimeclick for more information

Join the library virtually on Instagram Live (@pasadenalibrary) for storytime in the garden. Nov. 6th will highlight National Native American Heritage Month with some special books and songs. Preschool (3-5 years of age).

Event Location: Hill Avenue Branch

Cost:Free

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.

Flower Arranging: American Autumn Still Lifeclick for more information

Bring the American painting collection of The Huntington to life through this hands-on flower arranging class with Flower Duet. Students will learn a floral design technique inspired by the museums still-life paintings, incorporating fall roses, flowers, pods, grasses, vegetables, and fruit. For q

Event Location: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Cost:$80.00 $95.00

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Read the original here:

The Best Things to Do in Pasadena This Weekend - Pasadena Now

Surviving Mars recently received the Below & Beyond: Content Update 1. The developers reworked cave-ins, and they no longer require specific technology to be cleared. They also removed blocked tunnels that needed landscaping tools. These changes now make exploration easier. However, players do need specific tools for collapsed tunnels.

Additionally, the developers improved the loading time of the game when players switch between maps. After the map switches once, the following switches will fade instead to speed up the loading screen.

Gameplay Improvements

Added clear warnings to the lander rocket for why it cannot depart yet, so you can take action.

Disabled the visit asteroid button, if there is no Asteroid to go to.

Removed the Micro-G Vehicles tech, RC Vehicles can now always be brought to Asteroids.

Elevators can now recharge drones, just like drone hubs.

Improve requested payload feedback on the elevator.

Added 1 drone to terraforming initiative default loadout to fill out the cargo space.

Bug Fixes

Asteroid Lander now gives correct feedback when requiring maintenance.

Fixed the lander info panel showing an incorrect status when there aren't enough prefabs.

Fixed the lander showing an incorrect status after canceling the trip.

Fixed the First Rainfall milestone not being achieved after reaching all requirements

Fixed disasters running back to back.

Fixed an issue with suffocating colonists continuing to suffocate when they get out of the Elevator.

Fixed an issue with colonists suffocating while trying to reach micro-g habitat.

Fixed an issue with drones needing several takes on a single cave-in to clear it.

Fixed an issue with vehicle navigation when collapsed tunnels are cleared.

Fixed Electrolyzer continuing to consume water when turned off.

Fixed Drone Hub Extenders not receiving the extra range of 15 hexes.

Fixed Drone Hub Extender active range not being redrawn immediately after researching the Signal Boosters.

Fixed an issue with the Unknown status of drones and rovers while using the Elevator.

Fixed empty tooltip and building panel of the Forestation plant when the language is set to Turkish.

Fixed drones facing the wrong side while gathering Metals or Exotic Minerals.

Fixed an issue with the lander rockets color being different before and after construction for some sponsors.

Fixed an issue with colonists not occupying the last (14th) slot of the Micro-G Habitat.

Fixed tooltip for the Micro-G Habitat colonist filter referring to a dome instead of habitat.

Fixed the Jumbo Cave experiment pop-ups showing incorrect cost cuts.

Fixed Cave-ins and Collapsed Tunnels not having a texture in the quick bar.

You can read more about the update here.

Original post:

Surviving Mars Below & Beyond Content Update 1: Bug Fixes and Game Improvements - Player.One

Marvel's Inferno #2 (on sale October 27) significantly escalated the split between the secret co-conspirator trio of Professor Xavier, Magneto, and Moira X (AKA Moira MacTaggert) and the members of the Quiet Council who support Mystique and the newly resurrected Destiny.

Written by Jonathan Hickman with art from Stefano Caselli and David Curiel, the issue revealed the circumstances behind Destiny's mysterious resurrection in Inferno #1, and added even more complications to fulfillment of Xavier, Magneto, and Moira X's hidden agenda - perhaps even setting up the additional factions that will find themselves at odds by the time Inferno reaches its coclusion.

Inferno #2 opened with the secret explanation behind the surprise resurrection of Mystique's deceased wife Destiny, the precognitive mutant whose resurrection has been shadowbanned by Xavier, Magneto, and Moira.

Kicking off with a flashback to the scenes of Inferno #1 that seemed to show Xavier and Magneto collecting and destroying the means to resurrect Destiny, it's revealed that those scenes actually depicted Mystique using her shapeshifting powers to steal Destiny's psychic records and DNA, and to trick the Five into resurrecting her by posing as Xavier.

Resurrected as a younger woman, closer in age to the time she initially met Mystique, Destiny initially struggles to adjust to her resurrection. But it's revealed that she's been alive for over a month prior to her surprise arrival in the Quiet Council chamber, during which time she and Mystique reconnected as romantic partners and as co-conspirators to overthrow Magneto and Xavier.

This also means that Xavier and Magneto never had a chance to eliminate her from their resurrection database even after being asked to by Moira.

This brings Inferno #2 up to speed with the ending of #1, with the Quiet Council about to vote on whether to admit Destiny or not. Xavier vows to call an immediate vote to remove Destiny and Mystique following the vote on Destiny's membership, but the mutant precog wryly warns Xavier that events won't follow to his liking.

Destiny is elected to the Quiet Council in a vote of six to four in favor, with Exodus, Sebastian Shaw, Mister Sinister, and Emma Frost shown to have been convinced to vote 'yes' by Mystique prior to the meeting - with Mystique bribing Emma Frost with a mysterious object she seems to covet enough to potentially turn on her allies. Nightcrawler also votes to instate Destiny on the Quiet Council, but only out of a desire to please his mother Mystique.

With Destiny now on the council, and apparently surrounded by allies, Xavier abandons his plan to call for a new vote, instead regrouping with Magneto and Moira to discuss their next move. Moira initially insists that Magneto and Xavier murder Destiny and prevent her figuring out their plans, but they refuse, stating that such a thing would be beyond even their twisted principles now that she's on the Quiet Council.

Instead, they decide to bring Emma Frost into their conspiracy, introducing her to Moira, whose presence on Krakoa has remained totally secret, and explaining Moira's mutant powers and their implications. Unfortunately, their plan to include Emma seems to backfire, with the White Queen stating that as a "true mutant" and member of the Quiet Council, she will give the matter of dealing with Destiny's precognitive abilities "proper consideration" - but also states that Magneto and Xavier have "lost her loyalty forever."

At the same time Xavier, Magneto, and Moira are meeting, Mystique uses her shapeshifting abilities to infiltrate Sage's security system, uncovering the location of an Orchis facility that's been attempting to breach Krakoa.

Using a Krakoa gate, Mystique travels to the Orchis facility, infiltrating it in the form of one of the organization's scientists and discovering they have plans to harness the full power of the sun itself for some action that will dwarf the achievement of mutants terraforming Mars into Planet Arakko, at least according to the Orchis scientists.

Back on Krakoa, Xavier assembles the Quiet Council to call for another vote - not to remove Mystique and Destiny as he previously vowed, but to fill the final empty seat on the Council with someone who Moira tells Xavier and Magneto that they "know they can trust."

Elected in a vote of seven to four, with Mister Sinister, Mystique, Destiny, and Sebastian Shaw voting "no," and Xavier, Magneto, Storm, Kate Pryde, Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, and Exodus all voting "yes", Colossus enters the chamber to fill the final seat of the Quiet Council - presumably with full knowledge of Magneto, Xavier, and Moira's conspiracy, and a willingness to do whatever must be done to ensure the sanctity of their vision of Krakoa.

Interestingly, many of the allegiances being cultivated by Mystique and Destiny are drawn on the same lines that traditionally separate the X-Men and their enemies. Though Nightcrawler did vote to add Destiny to the Council, he's the only one who wasn't secretly swayed by Mystique - and the only one who isn't traditionally part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants or Hellfire Club (Magneto notwithstanding, given his own involvement in the conspiracy with Xavier and Moira).

Will the split in Krakoan society come down along lines so simple as the X-Men going up against their traditional enemies? Or will the apparent sides being formed become more complex as more Krakoans potentially learn the truth about Moira X and her role in Krakoa?

And furthermore, what's Mystique's actual side plan with Orchis, that requires her to apparently sneak around behind Xavier and Magneto's backs even more?

Perhaps these questions will be answered when Nimrod attacks Krakoa as teased in the solicitations and cover for November 24's Inferno #3.

You don't have to be a precog to know what's coming for Marvel's mutants - you just need our listing of all the new X-Men comics planned for release in 2021 and beyond.

More here:

X-Men Inferno #2 turns the Quiet Council against Magneto and Xavier - Gamesradar