Space spectacular

Today's the last day of our space-themed Antenna Live event, featuring a new skin-tight spacesuit and some awesome 3D projections from the European Space Agency. It's running until 4pm so if you want to discuss spacesuit design with the experts and hear about the extreme effects of space on the human body, head down to the Antenna gallery.

As well as some fascinating objects we're got speakers on space medicine and an unusual British project called MoonLITE, which aims to fire missiles at the moon.

The 3D images of astronauts working on the International Space Station are really quite incredible, especially when projected onto a 3-metre screen. It's almost like you're up there floating around with the astronauts. It's probably best not to think too much about the space toilet and vacuum-packed food we also have on display though...

Image: Donna Coveney/MIT (see this new spacesuit, designed by Dava Newman of MIT, at our event)

I swear that hurts

A new study from Keele University has shown that swearing can increase your pain tolerance.

The team originally thought that swearing while experiencing pain would exaggerate pain, making you less able to cope. However contrary to the hypothesis, individuals who repeated a swear word while their hand was submerged in ice water were able to keep their hand in longer than those who chanted a non-swear word.

While it isn't clear how or why there is a link between swearing and increased pain tolerance, the scientists believe that the pain-lessening effect occurs because swearing triggers our natural ‘fight-or-flight’ response.

They suggest that the accelerated heart rates of the volunteers repeating the swear word may indicate an increase in aggression, in a classic fight-or-flight response of ‘downplaying feebleness in favour of a more pain-tolerant machismo.’

The fact that swearing triggers a physical response in people and not just an emotional response may explain why the ancient practice of cursing developed in the first place. It may also explain why swearing is almost universal in all human languages and still exists today.

Image credit: Jonnyalive - Flickr

Brain scanner takes to the skies

Swiss scientists have created a tiny scanner that can measure the electrical impulses in birds' brains as they fly. Wired up to the brain, Neurologger2 also records the bird's flightpath. By recording information on what a bird is flying past and what's going on its brain, the device is helping scientists understand the different visual landmarks that birds use to find their way around.

Image: Alexei Vyssotski