Nerdcore

Taking color pictures with the Hubble Space Telescope is much more complex than taking color pictures with a traditional camera. For one thing, Hubble doesn't use color film — in fact, it doesn't use film at all. Rather, its cameras record light from the universe with special electronic detectors. These detectors produce images of the cosmos not in color, but in shades of black and white.

Extra-terrestrials likely to possess human foibles such as greed, violence and a tendency to exploit others' resources, conference to be told

Extra-terrestrials likely to possess human foibles such as greed, violence and a tendency to exploit others' resources, conference to be told

The clouds of Venus hold droplets of sulphuric acid, and billions of years ago there may have been pools of the stuff on the planet's surface. Though pretty destructive to bags of water like ourselves, it could be a refreshing draught for beings with the right biochemistry. These acid-dwellers would have to be formed of chemically resistant materials. "Multicellular Venusians living in liquid sulphuric acid could have veins made of glass," Benner suggests, conjuring up visions of delicate, transparent glassware creatures, rolling carefully over the Venusian rocks. But glass is not the only option: more mechanically robust materials would also fit the bill. "There are flexible polymers that are acid-stable, such as Teflon, polyethylene and silicone," Benner points out.

Whats behind our collective obsession with robots? Join us as we ponder life with robots alongside science-fiction screenwriters, professors, philosophers, engineers and other thinkers.

Six drummers participate in a well planned musical attack in the suburbs. As an elderly couple leave their apartment the drummers take over. On everyday objects they give a concert in four movements: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. The drummers perform on everything from dog dishes and slippers to toilet brush and microwave oven. The hidden music in the household objects is just waiting to be brought to life.

Scientists seeking permission to exhume the remains of Leonardo da Vinci plan to reconstruct his face to discover whether his masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, is a disguised self-portrait.