Thursday, August 17, 2006

Science Links

More science links for your reading pleasure.

First off, from Glen Haag, an amazing article about recovering a manuscript of Archimedes--by using a particle accelerator. It's a stunning use of technology, and you can read about it here.

There's an interesting story over at wired about a legal dispute over an automated parking garage. The software company claimed a copyright infringement, stopped supporting the program--and then people couldn't get their cars out. It's a darkly funny story--as long it wasn't your car--and you can read it here (thanks Sirius).

Scientists have been tracking the migratory flights of sooty shearwaters (I swear I'm not making this up) and have documented an annual migration path of over 40,000 miles. Here's an excerpt:
The birds, which can have a wingspan of 43 inches (1.1 meters), followed a figure-eight circuit over the Pacific Ocean. They ranged north to the Bering Sea, south to Antarctica, east to Chile, and west to Japan and New Zealand, covering more than 40,000 miles in 200 days, the researchers said.

The full article is here.

This isn't a science link, but it's pretty amazing reading. A newly-discovered period document reporting on Christopher Columbus. Here's an excerpt:
The evidence has been found in a previously lost report drawn up at the time for the Spanish monarchs as they became worried by growing rumours of Columbus' barbarity and avarice. The document was written by a member of an order of religious knights, the Order of Calatrava, who had been asked to investigate the allegations against Columbus by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, who ruled Spain together at the time.

The report, by Francisco de Bobadilla, lay undiscovered in a state archive in the Spanish city of Valladolid until last year.

A bit of a bastard Chris was, and you can read about him here.

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