Update on nanotech cancer therapies. And here's a related article on nanotubule "bombs" for cancer treatment.

Military invention of the day: "The US government has unveiled a 'non-lethal' laser rifle designed to dazzle enemy personnel without causing them permanent harm. But the device will require close scrutiny to ensure compliance with a United Nations protocol on blinding laser weapons." The new weapon is called, appropriately enough, the "Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response" or "PHASR rifle". Of course there's a picture.

"Do Space Aliens Have Souls?": Catholic theologians are trying to work out the religious implications of any first contact with intelligent aliens. (Via Linkfilter.)

Information theorists have developed robust error-correcting codes that are within a few percent of the theoretically perfect Shannon limit.