The pick of the science news
Images of Saturn moon "just like Earth"
New images released by Nasa of Saturn’s moon Titan reveal “flyover” views of Earth-like landscapes including mountains, a “sand sea” and thick flows that could have come from volcanoes.
The 3D topographic images come courtesy of Cassini’s radar mapper, which has obtained stereo views of almost two per cent of Titan’s surface during 19 fly-bys over the last five years. “These flyovers let you take in the bird’s-eye sweeping views of Titan, the next best thing to being there,” said Cassini team member Randy Kirk.
“We’ve mapped many kinds of features, and some of them remind me of Earth. Big seas, small lakes, rivers, dry river channels, mountains and sand dunes with hills poking out of them, lava flows.”
Brain drain
The brain appears to offload decision-making processes when we receive financial advice, according to a US study published this month in the Public Library of Science (PLoS One).
Researchers at Emory University monitored the neural pathways of participants as they made choices between a guaranteed payment and a lottery, either on their own or under expert guidance.
“This study indicates that the brain relinquishes responsibility when a trusted authority provides expertise,” explains researcher Prof Gregory Berns.
“This can work to a person’s detriment if the trusted source turns out to be incompetent or corrupt.”
By numbers
20
The number of years since the stranded tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sea. An estimated 21,000 gallons persist along the Alaskan coast, reports National Geographic.
2,200
The age in years of a bronze statue netted in the Aegean Sea by a Greek fisherman.
5
The number of seconds you can now have to "unsend" an ill-advised e-mail when using Google's Gmail facility.
Claire O'Connell
e-mail: 1000.claire@gmail.com