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Seawater desalination will quench the thirst of a parched planet
Humanity has sought to make the Earth's oceans potable for thousands of years. The Norse tale of Utgarda-Loki tells of Thor being tricked into drinking from a horn connected to the sea, while Exodus 15:22–26 of the Bible likely describes Moses desalinating the water of Marah:
Teaching kids reality with virtual worlds
There seems to be an increased awareness of educational gaming lately, and the positive effect virtual worlds can have on children. For example, we've heard about how gaming can actually improve a child's "mental performance for both verbal and scientific tasks." This is certainly an about-face from what most of us were taught as youngsters playing our Nintendos and Segas.In the latest issue of Science magazine, educators suggest something that we gamers have known for a while: using virtual worlds to stimulate real-world situations in the classroom will actually help students develop useful skills that may aid them later in life or even a future technology-based career. This issue cites many education-based virtual worlds created solely to aid students, such as River City, Alien Contact!, Food Force, Whyville and more. If you have a school-aged child and would like to get them into one of these educational programs, check out this article at Scientific American, or the latest issue of Science magazine for more info.
Finding the Science! in World of Warcraft
In amongst articles about explaining chrondrule formation, intracellular signaling, and discussions of hatchling crocodile habits, Science Magazine online is hosting a writeup about a very unique event. The latest "Gonzo Scientist" column is all about the first scientific conference held in the World of Warcraft. Scientists from around the globe descended on Blizzard's gameworld of Azeroth to discuss topics of real scientific import, kill a few hyenas, and even participate in a pirates vs. ninjas dance-off.The article is as insightful as it is amusing, with author John Bohannon offering real hope for meaningful discource via virtual worlds. From the sounds of things some real work was accomplished via this virtual meeting, with a number of interesting topics discussed. Even the logistics behind setting up the conference (locations in-world, communication methods, etc) make for interesting reading. Check it out, and be especially sure to see the accompanying machinima presentation. It's clear that with respect for not only academic pursuits and scientific education but gameworlds and online cultures, real progress is being made to bridge the gap between utility offline and online.[Via WoW Insider]
