The Guild of Scientific Troubadours

New Scientist reveals the new design for Spaceport America, to be built in the New Mexico desert in 2008:

The designers of Spaceport America opted for a “low-lying, organic shape”

We’re too clean, reports Science Daily. We need to get dirty to stay healthy:

Families with three or more children – a more common family dynamic 20 or 30 years ago – tend to have fewer

By now, you’ve probably heard about the gaping hole in the middle of everything, as covered by Scientific American (from Reuters):

The team at the University of Minnesota said the

Or, well, something like Ice-9. At least, so says New Scientist:

Layers of ice of few nanometres thick can remain frozen at human body temperature when grown on top of diamond sheets with

Check out what Scientific American has to say about these gizmos called “ultracapacitors” that could soon fuel cars without gasoline… and without chemical batteries:… Read the rest “No more batteries.”

PhysOrg has a sweet little story about the jokey birth of what could be the earliest computer virus:

He developed what is now known as a “boot sector” virus. When it boots, or

Science Daily reports on some very strange behavior found in bacterial DNA – one parasite’s entire genome is replicated by the host’s body. And, the researchers believe,… Read the rest “Stowaway Genes”

Experts at Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington are refining an ultrasound device that seals punctured lungs without invasive surgery, reports Science Daily. … Read the rest “Star Trek medical scanner is GO!”

New Scientist confirms the fever-dreams of many a fanatic gardener with the discovery that mammals didn’t take over right after the death of the dinosaurs – orchids did:

Santiago

Wired‘s “Danger Room” reports on like, wow, man, that’s one *TRIPPY* gun:

Paintballs laced with mind-altering drugs and drug-spraying robots sound like something

New Scientist strikes fear into the hearts of time travelers everywhere with a report that T. rex could have caught humans. Easily.

Which is kind of a “No, duh,” observation,… Read the rest “T. rex could have caught us.”

Behold the science of engineering. LEGO engineering.

Forbidden Lego is a book by master builders Ulrik Pilegaard and Mike Dooley.

As a teaser, here’s a pdf of plans for building a … Read the rest “You’ll put an eye out.”