Link dump 2009.06.18

From the four corners of the web:

• Rare Earth Hypothesis FAIL: Life may have emerged in the Universe as much as 12 billion years ago [Space] HT: Velcro City Tourist Board; my take on this topic here and here.
• Obama plans to replace Bush’s Bioethics Panel: The council was disbanded because it was designed by the Bush administration to be “a philosophically leaning advisory group” that favored discussion over developing a shared consensus [NYT]
• Empire State will pay for human eggs for research use [Women's Bioethics Blog]
  
• Lung-on-a-chip could replace countless lab rats: Artificially grown microlungs to improve pulmonary therapy development [New Scientist]
• Device stimulates paralyzed hands, arms to move again [CBC]
• Heroic 9/11 search and rescue dog cloned [WCBSTV]
  
• Is Buddhism masochistic? [The Buddhist Blog]
• Why motivation doesn't really matter [Zen Habits]