Science of the Week, 6/29/12

It's hard to believe the year is almost half over already. Next Wednesday, I'll post a quick rundown of what I've read so far in 2012. I'll also have some extra posts planned for Sunday and Monday. In the meantime, here are some of the most interesting articles I read on ScienceBlog this week:

Picatinny Army engineers set phasers to "fry" (science catching up to science fiction)

New planet-weighing technique found


Palladium beats iron for toxic cleanup

Focused light may lead to scapel-less surgery

'Neural fingerprints' of memory associations hint at mind reading

Diamonds to help laundry detergent bring back bling to dirty clothes

Rewriting quantum chips with a beam of light


New hormonal gel combination shows promise as reversible birth control for men

Discovery of material with amazing properties


I finished reading the July 2012 issue of Scientific American this week. Articles include the evolution of cooperation, the education of computers so they can learn on their own, and the laughter of rodents.

Back in April, I discussed a Petridish science project to study the DNA of African village dogs. The project did obtain enough funding to go forward. I donated enough money to get e-mail updates from the field. I don't think I should share them here, but it has been interesting reading about the scientists' mishaps and encounters with villagers as they collect their samples.

Enjoy your weekend. If time permits, please stop by next week as I interview a BroadUniverse author, discuss indie books, and present Smashword coupons!