Asteroid found, followed and foraged for the first time.

For the first time, an asteroid has been identified in space, watched as it entered Earth's atmosphere, and pieces found and recovered.

It is hoped that knowing which area of space the asteroid came from, and then being able to study the material will lead to increased knowledge of where these asteroids originate from and how they are formed.

47 pieces (a total of nearly five kilos) of the 2008 TC3 asteroid was recovered after it had exploded high in the atmosphere. Usually when asteroids explode so high, it is blasted to smithereens and sizable pieces are very rare.

For the full story and more images of the difficult recovery see website: http://asima.seti.org/

image credit: P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute.

Have you heard the one about...qualitative recontextualization?

It's no joke, but evolutionary theorist Alastair Clarke has taken a very serious look at Humour and has today published details of eight patterns he claims to be the basis of all the humour that has ever been imagined or expressed, regardless of civilization, culture or personal taste.

Clarke's theory doesn't just classify every possible type of humour, but he has also suggested the evolutionary role humour has played in the development of the intellectual and perceptual capacities of humans.

The eight patterns of humour Clarke has identified are: positive repetition, division, completion, translation, applicative and qualitative recontextualization, opposition and scale.

I'm not sure which pattern category knock knock jokes fit into, but I would suggest "mum jokes" are the pattern of scale.

See here for the full story, or here if you fancy buying Clarke's book.

Comment to tell us your best joke. Extra points if it is science themed or you know which pattern of humour it belongs to!