News Briefs 05-09-2008

“History will be kind to me… for I intend to write it.”

• It’s the end of the world as we show it…
• Oldest American skeleton may have been discovered -- underwater?
• New object discovered orbiting the Sun *backwards*. More here.
• The comet-chasing Rosetta Probe is ready for its close-up, Mr. DeMille.
• UK lab-coats lift fingerprints from bullets and shell-casings. Thought-crimes coming soon to a cyber-café near you.
• Riddle of gold's catalytic properties may have been solved - Sadly not by alchemists.
• If your computer is standoffish and has an unquenchable thirst for human brains, it may be a zombie…
• And whilst we speak of the walking dead, check out this inspired, animated re-telling of the Romero classic. They're coming to get you, Barbara...
• Overlooked, rampant Asian smog and soot could affect weather in the United States as well as increase global warning. When a butterfly flaps its wings, indeed.
• Could dark matter soon be transparent?
• And I quote: “Asian elephant cured of heroin addiction”…
• Getting by with a little help from my robot friends.
• Has the next chapter in gaming been… played? The makers of Spore certainly think so…
• Oceans will rise… just not the way Hollywood envisioned. A little more here from the BBC.

Quote of the Day:

“Today we may say aloud before an awestruck world: We are still masters of our fate. We are still captain of our souls…” W. Churchill