Did we literally come from comet dust?

The existence of life outside Earth appears much more likely following the discovery of key organic compounds on a comet studied by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The ESA's Rosetta spacecraft made several detections of the amino acid glycine, used by living organisms to make proteins, in the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet.

Extrapolating the find, the argument goes that these and necessary building blocks may have been instrumental in life forming on our planet if brought here by a similar comet. (Glycine was actually found on a comet in Utah in 2006, but there were questions about contamination of the samples.)

As other planets would also be peppered by these amino acids, including planets suitable for establishing life, then the possibility of life in other parts of the universe is seen as much more likely.

The picture shows the comet in question  (Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) taken from Rosetta spacecraft.

Read more about it here.

Sexy scifi coming to TV with adaptation of Stranger in a Strange Land

Following the news that Robert A Heinlein's Starship Troopers is going to be rebooted, comes the news that his most famous book, Stranger in a Strange Land, will be made into a series for cable channel Syfy.

While Starship Troopers dealt with issues of military defence and citizenship, Stranger in a Strange Land looks at religion, free love and empathy. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians.

In 2012, the US Library of Congress named it one of 88 Books that Shaped America.

Elon Musk's 4400 satellites could provide worldwide wifi

An immense network of satellites capable of providing global wireless internet access is the latest plan of Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The Washington Post reports that an application was filed with the US Federal Communications Commission, proposing a fleet of what will eventually include more than 4400 satellites, covering the entire globe. SpaceX needs regulatory approval from the FCC to use the wireless airwaves that would power the network.

Orbiting more than 1100 km in the exosphere, the satellites could provide speeds as fast as 1 gigabit per second per user according to a technical attachment to the filing. SpaceX plans to start by launching 800 satellites.

Clever Cleverman writer picks up $10k John Hinde Science Fiction Award

Cleverman co-writer Michael Miller has won the Australian Writers Guild (AWG) 2016 John Hinde Award for Science Fiction.

The awards, funded by a bequest from the late Australian film critic John Hinde, offers $10,000 for the best produced script and professional support for the best unproduced script submitted each year.

The award was established to encourage, reward and foster creativity in the development and showcasing of science fiction writing for feature film, short film, television, radio and interactive media. It also provides an avenue for unproduced works to enter.

Miller won for the one for his produced script, while Graeme Burfoot for his unproduced screenplay, Red to Blue.

The AWG judges said Cleverman won the award for its intelligent and meticulous worldbuilding, fearless foregrounding of science-fictional elements and its creative exploration of current social issues.

Miller, who won for episode five of the Cleverman’s first season A Man of Vision, told IF magazine he believes sci-fi is a form that allows a writer to convey things not always so easily said in traditional formats.

“That was definitely part of the logic behind setting Cleverman in the future. It's exciting to think that Cleverman is one of several sci-fi-inspired shows on television at present,” he said.

“Science-fiction is clearly alive and well at the moment and awards like this help to keep the  dream alive. So again thanks to John Hinde for his vision in supporting and celebrating sci-fi in this country.”

Vote for your favourite scifi book of 2016

You still have a short time to vote for your favourite science fiction book of 2016 at Goodreads. The finalists are:

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 
“Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by...

Morning Star (Red Rising, #3) by Pierce Brown 
Golden Son changed the game and took the story of Darrow to the next level...

A Murder in Time (Kendra Donovan, #1) by Julie McElwain
Beautiful and brilliant, Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI. Yet her path to professional success hits a speed bump during a disastrous raid where half her team is murdered...

The Long Cosmos (The Long Earth, #5) by Terry Pratchett
Nearly six decades after Step Day and in the Long Earth, the new Next post-human society continues to evolve. For Joshua Valienté, now in his late sixties, it is time to take one last solo

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1) by Sylvain Neuvel 
A page-turning debut in the tradition of Michael Crichton, World War Z, and The Martian, Sleeping Giants is a thriller fueled by an earthshaking mystery—and a fight to control a gargantuan power...

Crosstalk by Connie Willis
Science fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk a genre-bending novel that pushes social media...

Underground Airlines 
It is the present-day, and the world is as we know it: smartphones, social networking and Happy Meals. Save for one thing: the Civil War never occurred...

Bloodline by Claudia Gray
Witness the birth of the Resistance. When the Rebellion defeated the Empire in the skies above Endor, Leia Organa believed it was the beginning to a lasting peace. But after decades of vicious...

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
Survival is the name of the game as the line blurs between reality TV and reality itself in Alexandra Oliva’s fast-paced novel of suspense. She wanted an adventure. She never imagined...

Lies, Damned Lies, and History (The Chronicles of St Mary's, #7) by Jodi Taylor
'I've done some stupid things in my time. I've been reckless. I've broken a few rules. But never before have I ruined so many lives or left such a trail of destruction behind me.' As Max would be the...

Final Round Voting Nov 15 - 27

Scarlett Johansson leads latest version of manga cyberpunk Ghost in the Shell

Paramount Pictures launched the trailer for Ghost in the Shell in Tokyo, a new take on the manga classic featuring Scarlett Johansson as lethal cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi.

Comparisons have been made with Matrix, due to the uncanny ability of Major to move as though everyone else stands still while sorting out her various adversaries. However, her more serious enemies don't attack with force, but attempt to hack into her system to reach her hybrid brain.

There have been several versions made previously, most recently the 2015 anime Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie.

Chic scifi director Luc Besson takes on French cult comic Valérian and Laureline

Luc Besson digs into his auteur quiver and pulls out the superstyle moves in this take on 60s French comic series, Valérian and Laureline. Cool music, freaky aliens, not so subtle sexual undertones and even - a' la Fifth Element - flying cars.

Besson has the skill to captivate the intellect, loins and fashion sense all the same time, and while he always includes some cerebral elements, he never forgets his job is to entertain.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets stars Dane DeHaan as Valérian and belle de jour Cara Delevingne as Laureline. The cast also features Rihanna, Ethan Hawke and John Goodman and even has a cameo from jazz legend Herbie Hancock.

It will be a long wait till its release in July 2017.