On the Record

“That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Computer analysis shows that Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, didn't fluff his lines after all.

“If you had told me I would have death threats in a case like this, I would have said you were crazy. But I did.”

Judge John Jones is stunned by what happened when he struck down the decision of a school board in Dover, Pennsylvania, to teach intelligent design in schools.

Overhyped

Allergy-free kittens

Credit: J. BURTON/NATUREPL.COM

Allerca of San Diego, purveyor of “the world's first scientifically proven hypoallergenic cats”, is making much of the fact that its kitties were bred naturally rather than using transgenic methods, all in a mere 18 months. How did the firm avoid years of selective breeding? It stumbled across three cats with mutated allergen proteins during pre-testing for the gene-silencing method it was preparing to use, neatly sidestepping most of the hard work. And how did Allerca obtain “independent confirmation” that the $4,000 cats are for real? Ten blindfolded volunteers, stroking experimental or control cats. The research has yet to find a publisher.

Scorecard

Endurance

Mars rover Opportunity caused joy and panic as it reached 1,000 days of exploring — it was built to last just 90 days, so the onboard software could only accommodate dates with 3 digits.

Astronomy

Iceland's capital Reykjavik was plunged into darkness last week as lights were switched off to give locals an unprecedented view of the night sky, despite a few clouds.

Sources: Kansas.com, Reuters