Student - December 13, 2012

Bugarach

Another couple of days and we'll be done for.

26-ultras-0709.jpg
But keep an eye on the news. There is one place that is going to be spared the apocalypse, thanks to the arrival of UFOs. The French village of Bugarach. The mayor is closing the village to outsiders between 19 and 23 December. 'To avoid an influx of pilgrims.' Of course. Noah kept numbers down too.
Top 20
What better way to go to your doom than partying? But what sort of music would be suitable? The super-musical editors of Resource started putting together a Doomsday Top 20. But we could use some help. We didn't get much beyond the Grateful Dead. Or the Final Countdown. Email your top choice to resource@wur.nl or respond on Facebook.com/Resource.WageningenUR
Quiz
Which direction do plant roots grow in without gravity? Nice question for a science quiz. The answer is: gravity has nothing to do with it. This was shown by an experiment in space station ISS. Even in space, plant roots grow away from light. And what if you put out the light? Then they don't grow at all, dummy.
Wee cells
Chinese scientists have developed a method of making brain cells out of urine. They use epithelial cells from the kidneys that end up in urine, using them to make a kind of stem cell which can develop into fully fledged neurons. Smart lot, the Chinese.