| Panel: India must secure elephant reserves By NIRMALA GEORGE 2010-09-01T01:22:33ZNEW DELHI (AP) -- India should protect its elephant population by securing its wildlife reserves, curbing poaching and restricting development in the corridors they use to travel between forested areas, a panel recommended.... hosted.ap.org |
Cannibal star gobbles neighbour Nasa's Chandra X-ray observatory discovers a star that may have gobbled up its neighbour - a star or a giant planet. bbc.co.uk |
Networked world Can you treat the web as an object of scientific study? bbc.co.uk |
The Gizmo Games | Radio review There was a good tale to tell in The Gizmo Games, even if Chris Ledgard did sometimes get carried awayIn The Gizmo Games (Radio 4), Chris Ledgard explored how science and technology is improving British chances in sport at the highest competitive levels. Its tone was very much what you'd expect from that alliterative title: busy, excitable, enthralled with gadgets. But there was a good tale to tell, even if sometimes Ledgard did get carried away with his comparisons. "We're now in the sporting equivalent of an arms race," he suggested.It was interesting to hear about the work that now lies behind each entry to an Olympic event. Amy Williams's gold medal-winning run in the bob skeleton may have taken less than a minute, said Ledgard, "but behind it lay four years of research and design". Equipment, which until recently was standard issue, is now bespoke for each athlete. Athletes test their kit in wind tunnels, and scientists look for patterns that the applied paint makes aerodynamically to see how the elements can be best battled. "It's just water or, in a cyclist's case, air coming towards you," we heard.Between the impressive science bits, I enjoyed the less hi-tech details. Williams trains at Bath University and it's a world away from an Olympic setting. "You've got bushes and weeds and a few toadstools," said Ledgard, surveying her area, "and just behind us a cats and dogs home."Elisabeth MahoneyRadioOlympics & the mediaAmy WilliamsElisabeth Mahoneyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Austrian with high-tech robot arm dies after crash By VERONIKA OLEKSYN 2010-10-22T21:02:13ZVIENNA (AP) -- In the five years since losing both arms in an accident, Christian Kandlbauer had regained much of his cherished independence thanks to a high-tech, mind-controlled robotic limb. He even got a driver's license.... hosted.ap.org |