@Jonathan Stainton: That's a pretty good idea. Maybe the beacon or signal the Nostromo was sent to investigate in the original Alien film was from the humans that encountered the Spackejocky(s) & Aliens? I always thought it weird that a Spacejocky beacon or signal would have been detected by and reacted to by…

@ceptri: No, you seem to have a very valid point. That's been a subject of discussion ever since the prequels were announced. My guess is they feel that there have to be humans in order to give the audience characters to relate with, like in the first Alien vs Predator film. I'd have to guess that these humans…

@peon47: It may yet be explained on Dr. Who. Maybe this is just their way of getting the fans used to the idea before they bring it out with more information as to why there was a limit and why now there isn't?

@Bootknife-Jackson: I think it's on the alien ship, which was buried beneath the ice. If I remember, that's where the Norwegians found the Thing originally. Interesting question though, was this ship constructed & operated by the Thing's species? Or alternately, is it a case like the Aliens/Space Jockeys where the…

@OgilvyTheAstronomer: No problem! I believe you are absolutely right. A space elevator would be a totally game-changing technology, and would make getting humans to orbit cheap and safer, and also would allow cargo to be lifted at low-cost.

Ironically, just the other day io9 had an article discussing the "failed" Soviet lunar program:

For people interested in the Russian Space Program or the previous Soviet Program, there is an excellent and detailed resource called the Russian Space Web:

@maciver: Good points indeed. Whith a few exceptions like carpenter bees being used to pollinate some trees, and bumble bees being used to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes, honeybees are our only viable pollenator for flowering crops.

@The Squid: I'd point out the honey bees in North America are no more natural than cattle. Both are domesticated species brought from other continents for agricultural purposes. We are not meddling with nature when we try to protect bees from these infections anymore than when we medicate cattle to prevent a disease.…

@MoldyGrapes: If you can't pay for books, your public library is definitely the place to go. Mine has e-book and audio-book download options.

@spidersthrash: You can also listen to Peter Watt's "The Things" read by Kate Baker. Clarksworld issued it in podcast form in January of this year. It's a very good story told from the alien's point of view:

My initial thought is: EX-CELL-ENT!!!

@blakek: I'm with you, it's hard to coexist with alien life that wants to eat you for dinner, or use you as a host for its larvae, etc.

@corpore-metal: I agree with that point as well. We're going to have to understand and respect the ecology of the only world we know that has a biosphere, before we go and try to create one elsewhere.

@blakek: You might have something there. If a planet has no ecosystem of it's own, terraforming it is ethically unambiguous. However, if it does harbor significant amounts of native life, terraforming it would not only be far more difficult and unpredictable, it would be morally questionable.

@elreyloco: I really liked "Fevre Dream" as well. It seems to have been under appreciated, but I thought it was a very interesting twist on the vampire story.

@leftatmars: That's what I've read about what it would be like if a tidally locked planet had an atmosphere. A constant severe storm belt at the day/night terminator. From the article posted on io9 earlier, this world would also have over 1.5 times Earth's gravity.

Wouldn't be surprised if SyFy did make this into one of thier original movies. I mean they already did "Dinoshark" then they followed it up with "Dinocroc." They are now filming "Swamp Shark" in Louisiana.

I consider my self a big fan of Caprica. I think it's one of the best things SyFy has done in recent years.

@Famout: Good point!