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Bankrolling ITER, The Ass Family Tree, Daydreaming Again?, No Safe Prions, The Mind of God, TWIWRD, Snails For Your Head, TWITEOTW, Porcine Optimism, And Much More!
Fusion Financed, Finally
A deal has been reached for the timetable and financing of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor to be built in Southern France.
How to Make an Ancient Ass of Yourself
Scientists have traced the family tree of the domestic donkey and found that the critically endangered African wild ass is actually the living ancestor of the modern donkey.
Daydreaming to Forget
A study shows that people who daydream about things that are farther away or longer ago find it harder to recall what they were doing in the present.
No Prion is Safe
New research indicates that infectious prions can possibly arise spontaneously in healthy brain tissue.
The Mind of God
In Michaelangelo’s painting “Separation of Light from Darkness,” the depiction of God’s unusually lumpy neck has been an object of curiosity and controversy. Recently, it was noted by a neurosurgeon that the shape appears to be a spinal cord seen from the perspective of one performing an autopsy. Michaelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” also appears to have some neurological secrets. The God and angels surrounded by cloth in the painting form almost the exact shape of a human brain.
This Week in World Robot Domination
Pancake flipping robots are out there. Videos are available online.
Eat a Sea Snail, Cure your Headache
The toxin injected by marine cone snails into their prey is a potent painkiller… at least in rats.
This Week in the End of the World
– Phytoplankton have been dropping in their abundance for the last century; about a 40% drop in the last sixty years
– 2010 is on track to be the hottest year. Since the year 2000 it’s been the hottest decade EVER.
– We’ll potentially be smashed by an asteroid predicted to hit in 2082.
Optimistic Pigs
New study shows that pigs living in enriched environments are more optimistic about life whereas those in dull environments are more pessimistic.
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I'm the host of this little science show. 
Just been watching the pancake flipping robot. Hilarious ! It’s uncanny how you tend to ‘feel’ for the poor inapt robot getting it so wrong all the time, and the sense of accomplishment once it finally gets it right. Just goes to show that the more a robot does human-like tasks, the more it becomes a sort of person. Asimov’s stories come to mind…
Another thought: this pancake is stiff board, I wonder how well it would do with a floppy, sticky real pancake !