March 2010 Archives

A songbird has had its genetic code mapped for the first time, revealing surprising discoveries which could help uncommunicative humans.

The zebra finch is only the second bird to have its DNA blueprint, or genome, unscrambled after the chicken.

Results from the international research project, which included contributions from seven British groups, shed new light on the complex brain circuitry behind language.

As well as increasing understanding of the evolution and mechanics of bird song, they could help resolve human disorders.

As our regular reader might know, we at Weird Science Towers have had an irrational fear of robots ever since seeing Short Circuit as a kid.

That cute face masked a machine that could slice your head off. Ahem, anyway, the ever-excellent Big Picture has trained its lens once again on metal men.

Above is a robotic hand which has been designed to aid army bomb disposal personnel.

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrates two decades taking spectacular snaps from orbit on April 24.

Discovery Magazine is showcasing some of the more over-looked images like the one above of the Carina Nebula.

Jack Schmitt throws his geology hammer in the 1/6 lunar gravity before they get back inside the lunar lander.

Don't know how far he threw it, but Jack probably owns the world record.

Elephants have legs that work like the wheels of a Land Rover, scientists have found. The "four-leg-drive" system means power is applied independently to each limb.

All other four-footed animals are thought to be designed with "rear-leg-drive". They tend to accelerate with the hind limbs while using their forelegs more for braking.

World-renowned physicist Freeman Dyson's son, George, tells the story of Project Orion, a nuclear-powered spacecraft the size of the Empire State building fueled by atomic bombs with the power to destroy half of planet Earth.

The mission was to take us to Saturn in five years. With an insider's perspective, Dyson brings this dusty Atomic Age dream of the early 1960s to life.

Ahh, the days of madcap plans. My father was a geologist with the US Army back in the 50s and was once tasked into studying whether it was worth blowing up vast chunks of Alaska with nukes to get to the precious, precious oil underneath.

Luckily for all concerned, the plans weren't deemed cost-effective!

The white coats did it. They flicked the switch to create the most powerful particle collisions ever moulded by man only this afternoon.

And, at least as I'm writing this, the world hasn't been sucked into a black hole. Phew!

One of the biggest clues that there's a whisper of a chance life could yet be found on Mars is the detection of methane in its atmosphere.

Here, a NASA scientist explains the importance of finding the gas.

Weird Science Hero Richard Feynman back in 1981 telling us how great it is simply to figure something out.

Now one of the reasons I decided to study astrophysics at university was the thought of hanging around Hawaii with my feet up, drinking cocktails and waiting for the results to come in while being showered with attention from bikini-clad women.

To be honest, it was the only reason! Alas, like so many things in life, reality was much different. It only takes a couple of nights freezing on top of a hill above the M1 motorway while trying to get your telescope to work to dampen your spirits.

A hot cup of coca was the best I could manage. And there was no women within a 30-mile radius of us.

And any hopes of making a scientific discovery were dashed as the lights from the traffic below blocked out 90 per cent of the sky anyway!

My apologies, I'm just jealous you see...