Turning wood into bones

The following development appeared in news reports this morning: By Duncan Kennedy
BBC News, Rome

A novel - and natural - way of creating new bones for humans could be just a few years away.

Scientists in Italy have developed a way of turning rattan wood into bone that is almost identical to the human tissue.

At the Istec laboratory of bioceramics in Faenza near Bologna, a herd of sheep have already been implanted with the bones.

More here:Turning wood into bones

Blog for writers

If you have had a go at writing your own book, or want to know how to do it, there is a blog especially for you. http://lulu.com (the writers' publishing system on line) has just announced their blog.


http://lulublog.com/

There you can find lots of information and hints on how to write your book and publish it.

Having gone through this process some years ago, I can tell you a few things about the process.

1) You need to prepare your work in a suitable format using a word processor.
I used Word for Windows.
Note: If you make mistakes in the text, they will appear in the printed work, so go over it carefully before publishing!
Divide the work up into sections for easy handling. I found individual chapters practical (one for each chapter).

2) When you are ready, upload your chapters, introduction etc to your account on lulu.com and create a cover for it (title, image, author's name etc). Then download the PDF file of your creation to your PC. Note: It may take years of work before you get to the publishing stage.

Go over it carefully to spot problems (formatting errors, spelling mistakes, other boo boos in the story).

When you are convinced you have done a good job, publish a copy in its final form (choose cover, style etc). Note: The format of your pages is something you set when writing your Word document(s). If you do a bad job here, it will show up in the published work, so watch out for that.

It may be wise to have a skilled person go over the work and spot problems before you turn it loose on an unsympathetic public.

News:EU awards Galileo satellite-navigation contracts

By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News

Sat-nav will become ubiquitous in mobile phones

A German/UK consortium has been asked to supply the first operational spacecraft for Europe's Galileo satellite-navigation system.

OHB System and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) will build 14 satellites in a contract valued at 566m euros ($811m; £510m).

The contract was announced by the European Commission in Brussels.

Galileo is intended as an EU version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS), but with significant improvements.

More here:Satellite navigation contracts

Google phone

The Nexus One will be the first Google-branded mobile phone, but its software is on various smartphones

The web is awash with gossip and rumour about the imminent arrival of a Google-branded phone.

The search firm is widely expected to unveil the Nexus One phone at a press conference scheduled for 5 January at its California HQ.

It is believed Google will sell the gadget directly to customers and that it will also be available, subsidised, from mobile operators.

Google has remained tight-lipped about what will be unveiled at the event.
More here: Speculation rife on Google phone

Space plane information

You will find quite a lot of technical information on the Reaction
Engines Click here.

Space plane question and response

Just one question: Since the craft is designed for trips into the upper atmosphere to the edge of space, a possibility exists that it could (by whatever means) cross that limit and end up outside the atmosphere.

In such a case, jet engines would be useless due to the lack of oxygen to burn fuel (which could also occur in high atmosphere).

What would happen if the craft was unable to return (whether by miscalculation, mechanical fault, rocket failure, software bug, virus or other unanticipated mishap)?

RESPONSE:Jonathan Amos-Online wrote:John. If you are referring to Skylon, it breathes air only to about
30km and then uses oxygen from a tank. It is rather like merging the
Pegasus-rocket-and-aircraft system into one unit, only much more
efficiently and with a greater uplift capacity. J

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Thanks for the clarification. That was the missing piece I needed.
It would seem then that the capacity and range of the craft are tied to the capacity of the tank. Therefore a design limit exists for the range of the flight based on the size of the oxygen tank. This also explains why the flights are only to the edge of space (limited resources to extend the journey).

Do you know if the designers intend to modify the system for longer flights?

Richard Branson unveils Virgin Galactic spaceplane

By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News

Sir Richard Branson has unveiled the rocket plane he will use to take fare-paying passengers into space.

SpaceShipTwo was presented to the world in Mojave, California.

The vehicle will undergo testing over the next 18 months before being allowed to take ticketed individuals on short-hop trips just above the atmosphere.

Billionaire Sir Richard, who heads the Virgin Group, intends to run the first flights out of New Mexico before extending operations around the globe.

Built from lightweight carbon composite materials and powered by a hybrid rocket motor, SS2 is based on the X-Prize-winning SpaceShipOne concept - a rocket plane that is lifted initially by a carrier vehicle before blasting skywards.

Click for more info