Great timing for Olympics

by Kenneth Hynek

The science behind the perfectly delivered curling rock
[Via Eureka! Science News - Popular science new]

The centuries old game of curling is being put under the scrutiny of 21st century technology in a bid to help Canada’s best curlers throw their way to gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. University of Alberta researchers, Pierre Baudin and Rob Krepps, are analyzing the technical aspects of the game to determine the best way to deliver a curling stone. The research goal is to ensure optimum performance from Canada’s curlers at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games.

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I bet they already gave the Canadian team a heads up on this research. But soon everyone will know the secrets of curling, leveling the plying field. In the last 3 Winter Olympics with curling, Canada has 6 medals. Switzerland and Sweden are next with 4 each. Perhaps the US could move up from bronze.

We will know by 2018

by FlyingSinger

Spaceman
[Via BBC News | Science/Nature | World Edition]

Methane on Mars: Esa and Nasa get down to business

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Funny to think we sent men to the moon in about the same time it will take us to send this mission to Mars. Perhaps it has something to do with an accommodating launch data for getting to Mars the most efficiently.

But they seem to have things planned out well, with a set of rovers to follow up and look at any site that has high levels of methane. One of the possibly interesting things will be if the ratios of C12/C13 in the methane (which is CH4) are different than expected.

Life on Earth likes C12 better than C13, whereas there is no selection from volcanoes. So, an altered ratio could be indicative of life.