What to read this weekend: Near-future dystopian fiction and a new approach to explaining life's origin

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. Hum by Helen Phillips Robots have become a regular fixture of the workforce, and humans are losing their jobs to AI. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the planet. It’s getting harder and harder for the average person to make ends meet. Facial recognition technology is being used for surveillance. Sound familiar? In her new novel, Hum, author Helen Phillips paints a picture of what our near-future could look like. Its main character, May, has lost her job after technology made her role obsolete, and, desperate for money to support her family, she agrees to participate in an experiment that alters her face to make her undetectable to facial recognition. With the extra cushion from the payment, she takes her husband and children on a short, technology-free vacation to the Botanical Garden — but things go dangerously awry. Hum is a captivating, unsettling work of dystopian fiction that makes it impossible not to draw parallels with our current reality. Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence by Sara Imari Walker There’s so much we don’t know about the origins of life on Earth, and how it could appear on other worlds. Arizona State University theoretical physicist and astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker tackles the enduring question, “What is life?” and so much more in her book, Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence. It explores assembly theory, which, as Walker... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-08-10 19:43:55 UTC ]

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NASA is creating a ChatGPT-like assistant for astronauts

Despite our intrinsic distrust of AI in space taught to us by movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey ("I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave"), it offers large advantages to both manned and unmanned missions. To that end, NASA is developing a system that will allow astronauts to perform maneuvers, conduct... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-26 08:19:03 UTC ]
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Get These SFF eBooks On Sale Today for Under $5!

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-06-19 13:54:50 UTC ]
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Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ first look confirms January 2024 premiere

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[ Engadget | 2023-06-17 21:39:27 UTC ]
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The Study of Reality: On Trauma, Quantum Mechanics, and Writing Science Fiction

Before I dedicated my life to taking pot-shots at the nature of the universe—I mean, before I became a science fiction writer—I was a frightened child. Death scared me, but living was the constant terror. My father told me I had chosen this. I had come to him in a dream before I was born […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-14 08:53:04 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s SFF Deals for June 12, 2023

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[ Book Riot | 2023-06-12 14:20:37 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s SFF Deals for June 5, 2023

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[ Book Riot | 2023-06-05 13:33:24 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Code Red’ and ‘Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories From BIPOC Authors’

Decades after “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” an anthology and a novel let readers see periods through the eyes of diverse protagonists. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-02 09:00:39 UTC ]
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The Morning After: What to expect from Apple’s WWDC 2023

Apple’s big developer conference kicks off June 5th, and all the signs point to the company’s mixed reality headset making its first appearance. The tech giant has been acquiring headset-friendly startups for years, and if the rumors are true, Apple’s stand-alone device (possibly called Reality... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-01 11:15:35 UTC ]
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‘Black Mirror’ drops a new trailer ahead of June 15th premiere

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[ Engadget | 2023-05-31 16:30:54 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Industry leaders say AI presents 'risk of extinction' on par with nuclear war

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[ Engadget | 2023-05-31 11:15:45 UTC ]
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World Literature Today Announces 2023 Student Translation Prize Winners

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[ World Literature Today | 2023-05-30 14:42:03 UTC ]
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9 Science Fiction Reads for Every Mood

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[ Book Riot | 2023-05-30 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Japan will try to beam solar power from space by 2025

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[ Engadget | 2023-05-28 21:43:38 UTC ]
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New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

New novels by Fonda Lee, Martha Wells, Nick Harkaway, Kelly Link and Emma Törzs. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-26 15:30:50 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: May 29, 2023

A new book skewers the publishing industry's race issues, the author of 'Eragon' returns to science fiction, and two new nonfiction titles take an alternate view of history on this week's bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s SFF Deals for May 22, 2023

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[ Book Riot | 2023-05-22 14:34:53 UTC ]
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Quantum physics could offer a new way to study biology—and the results could change our understanding of life itself

There’s a chance our understanding of biology is radically incomplete. Imagine using your cellphone to control the activity of your own cells to treat injuries and disease. It sounds like something from the imagination of an overly optimistic science fiction writer. But this may one day be a... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-05-18 01:04:00 UTC ]
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Here are the winners of the 2022 Nebula Awards.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-15 15:28:38 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s SFF Deals for May 15, 2023

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[ Book Riot | 2023-05-15 14:15:32 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s SFF Deals for May 8, 2023

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