As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

scott

SPACE: Blobs Around Small Stars Might Be Bad News for Alien Life

by
star blobs - live science

The sort of small, young, active stars that have become most exciting to astronomers looking for exoplanets may actually push away precisely what could be necessary to carry water to those planets — leaving them too dry to support life. That’s the suggestion of one recent study of just such a star, in the class astronomers call M dwarfs. The lead researcher presented an update about the project at a conference, where she stressed that the research was ongoing — but that it posed intriguing challenges to astronomers’ ideas about where to look for life. “The show’s going to be … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: Renewed Faith, by Michael Mandrake

by
Renewed Faith

QSFer Michael Mandrake has a new MM paranormal book out: Renewed Faith. While Mateo quarrels with his inner demons, Lance battles his conscience. Mateo’s has found his fated mate and to make their family complete, he longs for a baby. Despite the bliss, dark memories have come back to haunt him. These horrific reminders could hamper their attempt at creating a new life.  After taking a needed leave of absence to care of his omega, Father Lance worries that he won’t be able to continue his work at Holy Father and be the alpha Mateo needs.  Will Mateo overcome his … Read more

SPACE: ESA Plans New Rover to Search Mars for Life

by
Rosalind the Rover

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced today (Feb. 7) that its next Mars rover will be named for Rosalind Franklin, the late British scientist, who was behind the discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure. ESA’s ExoMars rover, “Rosalind the rover,” is scheduled to launch to the Red Planet in 2020 and then land in 2021 on a mission to look for signs of life, or extinct life. Chosen from 36,000 suggestions, the name was revealed at the Airbus facility in Stevenage, in the United Kingdom, where the rover is being assembled. Full Story: Megan Gannon, Live Science

ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Navarro Suarez, By Lolly Walter

by

QSFer Lolly Walter has a new MM sci fi book out: Navarro Suarez. And there’s a giveaway! Family first. In a bleak future destroyed by climate change, family is all that matters to Navarro. He’ll do anything to protect those closest to him, including violate his own moral code. Then one bloody day, he finds himself the caregiver of a fragile boy who threatens everything Navarro holds dear. He knows what he has to do. The only question is, can he do it? ***This work is a short story and can be read as a standalone.*** Get It At Amazon … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Elves in the Tropics

by
elves in the jungle - deposit photos

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth: Have you ever written present day fantasy that’s unusual in some way? Tell us about it! Writers: This is a writer chat – you are welcome to share your own book/link, as long as it fits the chat, but please do so as part of a discussion about the topic. Join the chat

Matt Bomer to Play Gay Superhero in “Doom Patrol” Series

by

Matt Bomer is one of the traumatized misfit superheroes who ban together on DC Universe’s “Doom Patrol.” “Doom Patrol” is a spin-off from “Titans,” set soon after the events of that web series. Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Negative Man (Matt Bomer), Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) and Cyborg (Joivan Wade) all received their powers through a tramautic event. The Chief (Timothy Dalton) is a doctor who joins them together as the Doom Patrol to fight Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk), a living shadow whose power is to suck the sanity out of people.  Bomer plays Negative Man whose past life was as Larry … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Apple Boy, by Isobel Starling

by

QSFer Isobel Starling has a new MM fantasy book out: The Apple Boy. A lost lordling, a farm boy, and a tale of mystery, magic, and murder! After a traumatic event, Winter Aeling finds himself destitute and penniless in the backwater town of Mallowick.  He needs to travel to the city of Serein and impart grave news that will bring war to the Empire, but without a horse, money, and with not a soul willing to help him, he has no choice but to line up with the common folk seeking paid work on the harvest.  As wagons roll into the market square … Read more

SCIENCE: AI Sucks at Making Adorable Cat Photos

by

Artificial intelligence (AI) recently tried to generate cat photos from scratch, and the results were cat-astrophic. This particular neural network (a type of AI modeled after the workings of the human brain) can produce astonishingly realistic original photos of human faces. In fact, the images of these made-up people were nearly impossible for human viewers to distinguish from photos of real people, programmers of the AI reported in a study that was posted December 2018 to the preprint journal arXiv. Felines, however, proved to be another story. The same algorithm that generated flawless human faces created cats with misshapen heads; … Read more