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So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction...

Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tasty morsels from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true!

April Sci-Facts

Science Page April 2008

Artificial Artefacts

Let’s look at some of the weird and the wonderful, in honour of the month.

Artificial Black Hole

Scottish scientists have produced an analogue of a black hole at the University of Saint Andrews. The announcement was made in March this year. Ulf Leonhardt (what a great name for a knight!) recreated the weirdness of an event horizon using fibre optics. An artificial black hole allows theorists to test their pet predictions, particularly those relating to Einstein’s theory of general relativity and quantum theory (pun intended). One little item they hope to detect is Hawking radiation, created as a black hole ‘evaporates’ – something that would help scientists to plug some of the holes in the current knowledge of Physics. The best thing about artificial black holes is that you can’t accidentally suck anything into the gravity well – because the gravity well isn’t there.

Artificial Intelligence
Remember my two articles on language acquisition? Guess what! Scientists are developing a robot that will be taught to speak by using the same social interactive methods used by adults to teach language to babies and children. Professor Chrystopher Nehaniv and Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn, from the University of Hertfordshire, are working on ITALK (Integration and Transfer of Action and Language Knowledge in Robots). This research is being done in conjunction with an international consortium led by the University of Plymouth. The most interesting aspect of this robot is that is humanoid in shape, resembling a small child; will the shape of robot affect the ability to learn a human language. As well, if the robot can develop normal language skills, this will be a big step towards settling the innate/learned language acquisition debate. Is the robot being supplied a set of rules like an ‘innate’ ability, or will it be taught by using the gradual build up of grammar and syntax and vocabulary and so ‘learn’ language? We have to wait and see...

*The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green

So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science?

Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory.

I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia...and hopefully entertaining people at the same time.

As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write!

Read previous Sci-Facts:

More on Language Acquisition
Language Acquisition
Putting on the Squeeze
Hard Currency
Anti-Science
Colour My World
Lynne's Top Five Science Books
Animals at War
Busy Little Bees
Thinking Outside the Square
Water-Saving Tips
The Dark Side
Strange Objects
Updates: Bad New, Good News
Happy Holidays
Happy Birthday
Carnivorous Plants
What Makes Matter, Well Matter?
Putting the Science into Science Fiction
The Vortex
The Baddies on Your Bread
Scientific Updates on Previous Articles
Talking not Choking
Searching for the Lost Eden
A Comment on Comets
Mari Lwyd
The Pandemic
Zombie Insects and other oddities
You'll Be A Star!
Twisting the Light
Green by name, green by nature
A No Science Page...
The Art of Statistics...
Ice, Ice, Baby...
Oddities
Bang, crash...Thud!
The Concept of Time
Fact versus Fantasy
Sci-Facts review
Incy-Wincy Teeny-Weeny Itty-Bitty Small Things
Flavour versus Flavonoids
The Third Eye
X Marks the Spot
The Horseshoe Crab
Pathology
The Tenth Planet
Science News Updates
The Sweet Keen Smell
Indulgence
Hollywood Crimes
Natural Oddities
A Rainbow of Emotions
When is a star, not a star?
The Red Planet
Minerals
Hot Topic - Vitamins
A brief glimpse of New Technologies
Cuddly Australian Animals
Something light-hearted
Living in Interesting Times
New Hope for Our New Year
The Meaning of Life...
As the worm turns
Forensics
A Grab Bag of Facts
Bits and Bobs
Australian Achievements
Getting Your Attention
May Sci-Facts
After the Big Bang
The Big Bang
Ashes to ashes; Dust to dust
Twists in the tale
Robots in the Swim and other things
The Tachyon and other things

Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds!