Stories about science can be a tough sell to friends and family, particularly if they lack the human-centred narratives of a political scandal or court case. Luckily that isn鈥檛 so in a documentary that had its UK launch recently. Hunt for the Oldest DNA is a tight, well-produced work that focuses on a competitive, adventurous, rule-breaker called Eske Willerslev (pictured above), who bet his career on finding prehistoric DNA in Arctic permafrost. There are some flaws 鈥� the harm Willerslev鈥檚 ambition causes to others deserved more attention 鈥� but the overall result is a thought-provoking character study.
Anyone who has run into me lately will also have had their ears talked off about Vernor Vinge鈥檚 sci-fi novel . I may be 30 years late to the party, but it remains an excellent space opera with a unique solution for keeping humans relevant in the universe after the AI singularity. Besides, who wouldn鈥檛 want a best friend in the shape of a pack of alien puppies?
