At the beginning of the 21 century, most people are no longer surprised by technological revolutions. The twentieth century brought us information technology and biotechnology: key technologies for pioneering innovations such as the computer, the Internet and genetically modified plants. In the transition to the twenty-first century, two other important developments: nanotechnology (the researc...

The tropical robber crab of the Indian and Pacific Oceans represents a remarkable example of evolution. It has become the largest land-living arthropod weighing up to 4 kg and spanning half a metre in diameter. And after a marine larval stage it spends its time on land, and will drown if submerged under water. Sea to land transitions are demanding of many aspects of life, and in a new study rep...

The aim of this note is to show that the following difference equation xn+1 = α + xn−k ∑k−1 i=0 cixn−i , n = 0, 1, . . . , where k ∈ N, ci ≥ 0, i = 0, . . . , k− 1, ∑k−1 i=0 ci = 1, and α < −1, has solutions which monotonically converge to zero. This result shows the existence of such solutions which was not shown in the recently accepted paper: A. E. Hamza, On the recursive sequence xn+1 = α +...

Cognitive enhancement, the amplification or extension of core capacities of the mind, has become a major topic in bioethics. But cognitive enhancement is a prime example of a converging technology where individual disciplines merge and issues transcend particular local discourses. This article reviews currently available methods of cognitive enhancement and their likely near-term prospects for ...

Plate impact experiments are a powerful tool in equation of state (EOS) development, but are inherently limited by the range of impact velocities accessible to the gun. In an effort to dramatically increase the range of pressures which can be studied with available impact velocities, a new experimental technique is being developed. The possibility of using a confined converging target to focus ...