A little off-topic, but necessary...

So, this post is for English 3327, Speculative Fiction. Typically, I wouldn't post stuff for that class here, but it's the handiest way to give out all these links. The news stories linked here are merely a small handful of examples of science that we thought, perhaps, couldn't happen, or that we never knew existed. Yet, there the science is. Imagine what fiction writers thought 50 years ago. 100 years ago. Imagine what we'll accept as commonplace 50 years from now. Food for thought...

• Can you patent the building blocks of life?
• The Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2010
• This Is the Future of the Fight Against Cancer
• Degradable Nanoparticles Bludgeon Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
• Professor Breeds Bomb-Detecting Plants
• New Nanosensor Sniffs Bombs, One Molecule at a Time
• Designer Life Forms, Coming Soon Whether You Like It Or Not

UPDATE:
Oh, man. I had to add this story just because - I  mean - flying unmanned drones! REALLY?!

• Swarms of Drones Will Kill Us All! (One Day)