• I discussed why gravity doesn’t need to escape a black hole in order to work.
• Using an evolutionary algorithm, Northwestern University developed an efficient solar cell that would trap more light due to its shape. The design is so effective that it outperforms the theoretical limit three times over. Meanwhile, Norwegians produce a new type of solar cell that is 20 times thinner, and thus cheaper, than standard solar cells.
• A new experiment suggests that our sense of smell might take advantage of the bizarre world of quantum vibrations.
• Evolution in the test tube: the university of Minnesota evolves a primordial enzyme.
• Korean scientists developed a magnetic transistor that would allow circuitry to be reconfigured on the fly, dramatically reducing size and energy consumption of computers.
• Penicillin may have been responsible for the sexual revolution of the ’60s much more than the contraceptive pill.
• Extroverts are not better at sales and leadership than introverts. The highest performance seems to come from people with a mix of both.
• Poor memory in old age may be the result of poor sleep.
• A working artificial pancreas.
• The Scripps Research Institute discovered that tiny fragments of DNA (microRNA) play a role in forming memories within the amygdala, the part of the brain that handles fear and aggression (and sometimes sex).

Featured Science Book This Week:

The Universe Within: From Quantum to Cosmos (CBC Massey Lecture)