Olympic Countdown Clock Stops

The London 2012 Olympics countdown clock has somewhat embarrassingly stopped.

Set running with 500 days to go to the 2012 games the digital display has stopped at just 500 days and 7:06:56.

Omega is investigating what has gone wrong.

A Time Lord on a Time Lord

Linda Buckley-Archer, author of the 'Time Quake' trilogy, has reviewed BR Collins' new 'Tyme's End' ghost story noting a rather nice turn of phrase from the story's main character "No-one escapes the past, it's simply a question of how long the leash is".
She describes how Collins racks up the tension towards an unputdownable finale concluding that Collins is a writer of real power.
See 'Linda Buckley-Archer uncovers secrets from the past' in the Guardian's Review section, Saturday, 29 January 2011.

Alpha Carotene in Vegetables for Longer Life

A large U.S. study has found that adults with higher concentrations of serum alpha-carotene in their blood were likely to live longer than those who had lower levels.

Interestingly, women tended to have slightly higher concentrations of the nutrient than men.

The team found an especially strong correlation between higher alpha-carotene levels and lower risk of death from diabetes, upper respiratory tract and upper digestive tract cancers, as well as lower respiratory disease.

The researchers cautioned that the levels of alpha-carotene, rather than having a direct affect on disease prevention themselves might instead "act as an indicator of multiple interactive forces."

"These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death," the researchers noted.
See more at http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=alpha-carotene-from-veggies-linked-2010-12-30

Time for Christmas

Here is a wonderful seasonal take on time by Steven Appleby, a regular in The Guardian UK newspaper on Saturdays (this one appearing on 12th December 2010). Enjoy.

Quantum Time Travel (By Post)

A Letter in New Scientist, 4 December 2010:
This letter is a test of quantum time travel. I, in your past, am sending you, in my future, a message. When you print this, in my future, you will, by post selection, be sending me, in your past, a message telling me what to type when I have finished my cup of coffee. PS: It works.
(Andy Biddulph, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, UK)

World in a Hundred Objects Timepieces

The BBC's History of the World in 100 Objects included few mechanical devices but the need to measure time has meant that two did just that. They were Object 62, a Hebrew astrolabe, and Object 91, the ship's chronometer from HMS Beagle.

Solar System a Little Bit Older

Analysis of isotope decay in a 2004 meteorite has suggested that the solar system may be a million years or so older (give or take rather a lot) than previously thought according to research at Arizona State University. See 'Solar system slips back in time', New Scientist, 28 August 2010, p16.