From New Scientist again: A devastating burst of gamma rays may have caused one of Earth's worst mass extinctions, 443 million years ago.

All the bursts astronomers have recorded so far have come from distant galaxies and been harmless on the ground, but if one occurred within our galaxy and was aimed straight at us, the effects could be devastating, according to astrophysicist Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Very interesting theory! And it should remind us of what is our place in the Universe.

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PhysicsWeb: Physicists in the US have taken another important step towards making a quantum computer. Duncan Steel of the University of Michigan and co-workers have created a logic gate using two electron-hole pairs - also known as "excitons" - in a quantum dot.

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From New Scientist A scorching heat wave in Europe and a spate of forest fires has re-ignited the debate over whether global warming can be blamed for an apparent increase in the world's weird weather.

Scientists agree that no one yet knows the answer to this question, but they point out that an increase in the number and severity of extreme events is exactly what their models of a warmer world predict.

It's been about 42°C (107°F) here, today. For more than one month, a new record is beaten somewhere in France almost every day. That is we're seeing temperatures that were never reached since meteorologists existed! Also, scientists are finding mosquitos in the south of France that were never found there before: the kinds that transmit malaria and dengue fever! Is global warming an hoax? No shit!

Yeah, I know: it's no problem, we just need air-conditioning in every room and every car!

Update: More from Greenpeace.

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