A diet that includes plenty of fresh greens is considered essential for keeping your health up to scratch. So prospective Lunar colonists will be relieved to hear that they will likely have access to locally-grown salad produce, thanks to the NASA ‘Salad Bowl’ project. The research has been aimed at developing ways of growing planet-side plants in the sort of conditions that a colony on the Moon would have to make do with.

How the (once) mighty have fallen. After filing for bankruptcy a few months ago, Tower Records is being liquidated by its latest buyer after having failed to adjust to the paradigms of a changing market. That’s not to say that the future of retail outlets is looking all bad – it seems that the secret is to keep things small-scale, specialised and customer-focussed, like the ever-increasing number of independent bookstores springing up across the States.

Oh, brother. A survey over here in the UK seems to reveal that respondents are more concerned about internet crime (phishing, pharming and so on) than they are about meatspace attacks on their property or person (mugging, burglary and so on). While this indicates a heartening level of awareness of the potential risks of doing business online, it is disappointing to realise that almost all the cybercrimes mentioned can be easily prevented by the use of some software and some common sense – I for one am still far more concerned about crossing the rough side of town after dark than about checking my bank balance online – I’ve not had a mis-spelled phishing email pull a knife on me yet.

In troubled times, the advice from the Hitchhiker’s Guide is always well worth remembering. OK, so North Korea has performed a nuclear weapons test, and I’m not going to try downplaying that fact. But it’s worth bearing in mind that the jury is definitely out on how well it went, with some commentators pretty convinced it was actually the first failed test of a simple fission device ever. I’m with John Scalzi though, as to wondering how long it’ll be before someone blames it all on Bill Clinton…

In the study of human intelligence, the major controversy is over what model applies best to the function of the human mind. Supporters of the computer metaphor have just received extra ammunition – a psychology professor has published research that appears to indicate that the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, the parts of the brain most critical to high-order intellectual abilities, do in fact operate in a manner analogous to that of a digital computer. This discovery will hopefully lead to a greater understanding of the way intelligence works, and will doubtless encourage singularitarians in their efforts to simulate the human mind electronically.