... that DNA digital data storage has been called "apocalypse-proof" by one of its creators due to its longevity under certain conditions and its resistance to
obsolescence?
... that the ADEOS IIsatellite(pictured), which cost 70 billion
yen (US$570 million) to develop, failed 10 months into the mission after the
solar panel malfunctioned?
... that Linimo(pictured) in
Aichi,
Japan, claims to be the world's first commercial automated
"Urban Maglev" train, but it has to be shut down when it is too
windy?
... that inventor Thomas Highs was never credited for his invention of both the
spinning jenny (pictured) and the
water frame, mostly due to his lack of funding to patent the devices?
... that the Explorer 32(pictured) satellite was able to determine the
density of the
upper atmosphere through ground-based observations of the effect of
drag on the satellite?
... that an electronic gear-shifting system for
bicycles can shift faster than a traditional mechanical system and calibrate itself to minimize maintenance?
...that the village of Denshaw in
Greater Manchester(pictured) achieved international notoriety when
spoof information added to its
Wikipedia entry was reported in national and international media?
... that in 2009, the
video sharingwebsiteTrilulilu was one of the most visited websites in
Romania, with an average of 2.2 million unique visitors per month?
...that the
docu-dramaThe Road to Guantanamo, depicting the incarceration of three British detainees at
Guantanamo Bay, is the first film to be released simultaneously in theatres, on DVD and on the Internet?
...that the color signals of Israel Broadcasting Authority television transmissions were erased until 1981, to insure equality for families who couldn't afford color-tv?
... that while serving as the first Chair of the School of Aeronautics at the
Georgia Institute of Technology(pictured), Montgomery Knight developed one of the first jet-powered helicopter rotors?
... that the ten-lined urchin(pictured) was one of several
species used in research to determine the feasibility of using non-invasive
MRI technology to study the internal anatomy of echinoids?
... that
Tultepec, Mexico, the host of the country's National Pyrotechnic Festival, produces around half of the nation's fireworks with sixty percent of the town's population involved in the business?