Interesting Stuff: Early December 2009

This collection of interesting stuff is short, in part because I’ve been devoting more time to gathering information for the quiz that I’m compiling on the history of science within my father’s lifetime.

Here are some links to useful timelines I found: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. (These sometimes contradict each other, but of course, when assembling a trivia quiz it’s vital to seek independent verification.) And now, the rest of my links for this installment.

Astronomy:

• A study of rocks that Jupiter protects us from and what rocks it only makes more dangerous.
• Evidence that quasars can help stars to form.
• Explaining the asymmetry of lakes on Titan.
• Speculation that super earths might be more suitable for life than Earth.

Biology:

• In Australia we’re used to the idea of foreign species invading us, but not to the idea that our species might do the invading. Redback spiders in Japan are an exception.
• Humans inadvertently split one species of bird into two groups.
• Confirmation that proteins traverse DNA helically.
• Amputee controls robotic hand as his own.

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