Before I forget... Friday's tech post

[dracodraconis]

Source: Seed Magazine For those interested in a different view of science, Information Esthetics is providing, free of charge, a map of the relationships between scientific disciplines. You can order a free copy (you pay shipping and handling, but the link, when I tried it, said access was restricted) or follow the link at the Source to download your own copy. The map is a based on the inter-relationship among more than 800,00 research articles.

Source: Globe and Mail On March 28th, tourists will officially be able to walk through the sky, 1.2 kilometres above the ground. The Grand Canyon Skywalk was built as a tourist attraction to bring revenue to the local Indian reserve and features a $30 million (US) glass-floored platform that allows walkers to gain the impression of standing more than a kilometer above the canyon floor.

Source: National Geographic If you're a cat lover with $3,000(US) burning a hole in your pocket, the latest craze is the "Toyger" which has markings remarkably like a tiger (see photo).

Source: Nature Mice normally see the world as a mix of greys, blues and yellows, but this is not the case with the latest in genetically-modified mice. Scientists inserted DNA that encode for red eye pigment, expanding the range of colours the mouse appears to be able to perceive. This indicates that the brain may have sufficient plasticity to accommodate the new channel of information. The article concludes with the statement that all that may be required to give humans night vision is to introduce DNA coding for pigments sensitive to ultraviolet light.

Source: National Geographic Scientists believe that it may be possible to build shielding capable of protecting astronauts from radiation, yet is light enough to be practical to lift into space. They propose building the shield from graphite nanofibre with embedded hydrogen particles. They have not yet determined on how much of this material would be needed for a manned flight to Mars.