The Internet search engines Google and Yahoo! have massive server farms that are all interconnected in a network configuration called “cloud computing.” These systems are engineered with fault tolerance features so that if one server breaks down it does not impair the operation of the whole, since another server has all the data ready to go in no time.

Brian Thomas, M.S., and Frank Sherwin, M.A*

The remains of a dinosaur found in the Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota are so well preserved that some scientists are just “gobsmacked.”

British researchers have developed a reliable method for determining the age of ancient clay pottery. The dating technique is based on the fact that the clays used to make pots over the centuries demonstrate a very consistent rate of change.

The God Delusion author Richard Dawkins has sponsored a week-long summer camp geared towards making atheists out of children. The camp is a UK arm of Camp Quest, and its 24 slots had been booked even before the BBC and The Sunday Times ran brief stories about it back in June.