On The Record

“He's the best when it comes to dog cloning, and for that reason it behoves us to work with him.”

Lou Hawthorne, chief executive of BioArts International in Mill Valley, California, explains why his company has partnered with disgraced South Korean scientist Woo Suk Hwang to clone pet canines. The bidding for the first five dog duplications will start next month at US$100,000.

Credit: S. YOHANAN

Robot News

Robobunny

Researchers on two continents have made major advances towards developing robotic rabbits. In British Columbia, a scientist has built a therapeutic bunny that responds to petting. Meanwhile, a Swiss team has developed a microbot that hops hither and thither. Next step: designing an automaton fuelled by lettuce.

Credit: D. JAMES (c) 2008 LUCASFILM LTD

Showbiz News

Indiana Jones and the wax crusade

Harrison Ford feels the planet's pain. Literally. The 65-year-old actor had his chest waxed to highlight how deforestation hurts the Earth's environment. Ford has had a busy month: he has been elected to the board of the Archaeological Institute of America and apparently also has a new film out.

Sources: New York Times, New Scientist, Telegraph