Scribbles on the margins of science.
On the record
“When a 4,700-pound pickup truck meets a 5,000-pound seal, they both lose.”
Ken Cumings of the Friends of the Elephant Seal group in California describes the carnage when the huge beasts try to cross roads.
Valentine's special
A rose by any other hue
Blue roses are in production and will go on sale next year. Developed by Japanese researchers, the genetically modified blooms are likely to be pricey, so start saving.
Kiss and tell
Not just an expression of affection: kissing is also used subconsciously by both sexes to assess the status of their relationship, say researchers, who say it might also be addictive.
Robot news
Robopump
Dutch inventors have developed a robot that can pump petrol, removing the tiresome need for drivers to exit their cars at a petrol station. The €75,000 (US$109,000) automaton finds a match for the vehicle on a database, unscrews the fuel cap and fills the tank.
Zoo news
Breath of life
Germany's love of cute baby animals — nicely portrayed by the ongoing Knut shenanigans — has reached a new level. Noticing that a tiger cub had choked on a piece of meat, medical student Janine Bauer climbed into its cage and resuscitated it at Halle Zoo. In gratitude, the zoo has named the tiger after Bauer's son Johann.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, AFP, Scientific American, Spiegel, Reuters
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Sidelines. Nature 451, 756 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/451756a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/451756a