Centauri Dreams has a write up of a probe designed from the start to cross into interstellar space.

Another planet could have formed in the space between Mars and Jupiter, back when the solar system was young. Two researchers reckon they may have the clues to pinpoint what happened to this missing planet, using data on the positions of certain groups of rocks near the asteroid belt.

Batteries need to be pack maximum power into minimum space – a tall order for many manufacturing methods. So why not leave the work to someone used to working at a small scale? MIT scientists have been tinkering with virus genes to make them collect the correct molecules and form them into tiny nanoscale wires on a polymer surface, which can then be sandwiched with other materials to produce a battery.

The New York Times is running an article about NASA’s ‘Centennial Challenges’, and other sponsored competitions which offer prizes to all-comers who can come up with new and innovative designs and ideas, from space elevators to solar sails. These offer the average man of science an unprecedented opportunity to work with ‘the big boys’, and contribute towards the cutting edge of technology.

The National Geographic Genographic Project proposes to build a historical atlas of the human diaspora using a massive collection of DNA samples. For $100 you can contribute and trace back your lineage.