• I discussed the incredible overlap between memory and intelligence, and the controversy over whether intelligence can be trained.
• Scientists discovered the first “solar powered” vertebrate.
• A commercially scalable way of producing carbon nanotube fibers has been presented.
• At least one is six stars has a planet comparable in size to Earth.
• Mathematicians are planning to launch an open-access peer-reviewed journal that eliminates publishers from the science publishing process.
• The Mars rover Curiosity discovered compelling evidence that underground water was fairly common on our neighbor planet, increasing the number of places that life may have formed.
• Scientists are perfecting the process of reversing quantum error, a crucial step toward quantum computing.
• A three second interruption will double your error rate.
• A 4 billion light-year structure is so big it threatens fundamental cosmological assumptions.
• Fermented plants produce gasoline at low enough costs that the process may soon be commercialized, dramatically cutting down on global warming emissions.

This Week’s Featured Book:

Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World