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Tidbits from New Scientist Magazine

-Giantic Particles -Ballistic Ducks -Feedback Column

These non-so-serious gems have appeared in the pages of New Scientist magazine over the years.

- Giantic Particles

I don't know about truth, but physics theorists are certainly stranger than fiction. From an article titled "Globs in space", New Scientist (Issue 2253, 26 August 2000, p.5):


- Ballistic Ducks

Ducks and other birds flying into the engines of low-flying aircraft are a hazard at many airports around the world. Now Gas Turbine News reports that Australian engineers are researching the problem.

The difficultly they faced was how to simulate a duck flying into an engine to study what damage is caused and how it can be avoided. Their solution was not to simulate it at all. Instead, they developed a gun that fires ducks at speeds of up to 273 kilometres per hour into their test engines.

They claim that the ducks are humanely dispatched prior to being shot at the engines. Feedback profoundly hopes this is so, but does not have the evidence at hand to verify the claim.

-- From the Feedback column in New Scientist (1 Apr 1995 p.64) - note the date.

See also: The Rooster Booster from the highly recommended Useless Information Home Page


- Feedback Column

28 Sep 2002:

From the Feedback column in New Scientist (Issue 2239, 20 May 2000, p.100):

Issue 2237, 6 May 2000, p.92:

Issue 2236, 29 Apr 2000, p.92:

Issue 2236, 29 Apr 2000, p.92:

23 October 1999:

9 October 1999:

2 October 1999:

25 Sept 2000:

18 Sept 2000:

11 Sept 2000:

28 Aug 1999:


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