NASA’s Michael Griffin has been closeted with the new UK Minister for Science and Innovation, and they have been discussing collaborations between the two nations on future projects, such as Lunar landings. We Brits have supplied plenty of satellites and so forth – it’d be nice if we could supply a few astronauts for a change. If a volunteer is required, drop me an email so I can get training early…

The future of medicine lies in minute devices within the body, but there are understandable concerns about installing electromechanical devices in living things – the necessity for an energy supply, for instance. One solution to this issue is to exploit the properties of other living cells, like making tiny fluid pumps using heart cells as the power cells. No batteries required – just keep the nutrients flowing, and the little suckers will keep on pumping in perpetuity.

Good architectural design will have to play a big part in a viable sustainable future for urban humanity, so it’s nice to see some building design that not only looks good but also takes its inspiration from nature. The ‘Urban Cactus’ concept is the sort of futuristic high-rise building I’d always imagined we’d end up living in eventually – and a nice step away from the weird blob-inspired creations of recent years.

Scientist and supergenius Stephen Hawking recently told BBC radio that we needed to reach for the stars if the human race was to survive in the long term, or at least get seriously off-planet.

The inventive uses of Apple’s MacBook accelerometer just keep coming. Check out this YouTube vid of a digital marionette. [digg]