We mentioned the launch of the Stardust@home project the other day – now we get to announce a temporary cessation of operations. For unknown and unexplained reasons, among the legitimate shots of the aerogel substratesent out to volunteer dust-hunters were occasional wedding snaps and beach photos. The mystery is compounded by the silence of the Stardust administrators, but the project is up and running again.

There currently seems to be a plethora of devices aimed at making computers useable by the physically disadvantaged. The MyTobii P10 is one of them, and it can be used by almost anyone, no matter how limited their bodily movement may be – because it doesn’t have a mouse or a keyboard. The keys are all on screen, controlled by a camera that detects where the user is focussing their gaze from moment to moment.

This is sure to get the creationists in a flap – physicists in Japan are considering a project that will, in essence, attempt to create a new universe. Although completely counter-intuitive to the average layman, this experiment has a good grounding in well-understood theories of how our own universe was formed. And, if I understand the article correctly, the only way they can tell if the baby universe has been created is by observing it to have disappeared. I really wish I’d paid more attention at university.

Fancy doing a simulated 520 day Mars mission, complete with cramped spaces, instrument failures and restricted diet? The Russian space agency is recruiting people who are willing to go the distance – applicants must be between 25 and 50 years old, and having certain science skills will raise your scores in their assessment structure. I’m sure you couldn’t describe this as being ‘fun’, but it’s definitely an awesome opportunity – unless this is actually a new idea from Persey Tours, of course…I wonder if they need a blogger in the crew?