Geekend Update: Synthetic Tissue, PhoneSat, and Mars One

[Ashley Esqueda]

Synthetic Tissue, PhoneSat, and Mars One

Your weekly look at the most interesting science stories in the ever-expanding universe.

For more on the stories this week, you can read about Mars One [http://www.quantumday.com/2013/04/creating-synthetic-living-tissues.html].

To submit your favorite science stories or intro suggestions, send us an email here: GeekendUpdate@escapistmag.com

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[Scars Unseen]

With silent lips, "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
So I can stuff them in a rocket's door
Leaving more room and resources for me."

 

[Chaos999]

Interesting show. But who would want to live on Mars. There is no internet there

 

[Torus2112]

Tissue bodies vs. robot bodies will be the next Mac vs. PC.

 

[Madman Muntz]

Well the Kardashians already sound like some evil race out of Star Trek, so I say why not.

 

[Product Placement]

As much as I approve of the idea of the Kardashians being launched off this planet, I wouldn't want them as humanities first off-world representatives. Can't we donate them to an experiment, to see if humans can live on the surface off the sun, instead?

 

[romxxii]

I want her Android Cthulhu shirt.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I think you like robots a little too much.

 

[Nurb]

The corporatization of space travel happening too soon will only end up being a bad thing, and the "funded by reality shows" route is proof!

And yea, they're going to want people in their mid-late 20's and it's a one way trip? You'd go crazy spending 40 years up there with deadly radiation and maintainence to worry about.

CAP: It's over

 

[kailus13]

Could the synthetic skin be used for skin grafts or is it not that good? And if PhoneSats are so cheap, why are they only sending one up?

 

[Endocrom]

Forgive me, I could not stop staring at Android Zoidberg. So cute.

 

[Basement Cat]

Mars One: We already know how this ends, grok?[footnote]See Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.[/footnote]

 

[Triaed]

On the PhoneSat piece, it was nice to list the features the Nexus phones have, but these are also found in any other smartphone. I think you missed to mention that Android is an Open Source operating system, as opposed to the thightly closed iOS from Crapple.

I want a Dr. Androidberg shirt, too!

 

[ellers07]

So... what happens if the reality show gets cancelled? I mean if that is where the funding is coming from, this sounds like a really bad deal.

 

[Ashley Esqueda]

So... what happens if the reality show gets cancelled? I mean if that is where the funding is coming from, this sounds like a really bad deal.

That's my big question. As crazy as it sounds, I'm sure it would be a terrible cycle:

- Ads/viewership goes down
- Show announces they can't afford to send food
- Morbidly curious people tune in to watch live feed of starving expats
- Ad revenues go up
- Food sent at last possible moment
- Rinse, repeat

I agree it sounds like a completely insane, bizarre way to fund a trip~

 

[Ashley Esqueda]

I think you like robots a little too much.

The secret is that I actually *am* a robot.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I think you like robots a little too much.

The secret is that I actually *am* a robot.

You will never take this planet from us cats! We've had it for millennia, even if you can bend into humans you won't win!

 

[Vie]

Actually that can be organized... It will be the laggiest internet a man has ever used with latency going into minutes on a bad day but it would be some form of it

16 minutes on a good day - assuming Earth and Mars are in alignment - thanks to the speed of light.

And any time, like right now, that Mars is the other side of the sun we won't have any coms with it at all without a bunch of relay sats.

 

[Formica Archonis]

- Ads/viewership goes down
- Show announces they can't afford to send food
- Morbidly curious people tune in to watch live feed of starving expats
- Ad revenues go up
- Food sent at last possible moment
- Rinse, repeat

Wow. Even though I figured it was a bad idea, that specific scenario didn't come to mind. All the death potential but none of the gore of bloodsport in the Colosseum, like a more "civilized" form of watching condemned prisoners get mauled to death....

... I'm ... I'm gonna go lie down and think about fairies with cotton-candy hair for a bit.