I used to run a daily Short Takes column, that checked out what was new and unusual and spoke a sentence or two about it. When I stopped writing it, quite a few people asked me to start it up again. I didn't feel that it was practical, but I have decided to run a "What's New" article once in a while that is similar, but with a little more information. I hope you enjoy it.

I wonder how many people read the news article that claims that the lowly worm, an animal that most people believe is one of the dumbest creatures on earth, can do calculus? Yes you read that right, I did say calculus. Well it is not like as if when you need help with a calculus problem that you can go to a worm for help, it is more like they do this automatically and may not even realize it. Scientists state that the worms can calculate how much the strength of different smells and tastes is changing and that this is the equivalent of taking a derivative in calculus. The scientists state that they do this to figure out if they are on their way toward food, or if they should change direction to get there. Taking this a step further, at least one of the scientists thinks that we already do this as do other animals. The conclusion that worms use calculus was derived by studying the neurons in their brain. It seems that we may share the same device for smelling and tasting as these creatures do.

It seems that every time you turn around, you are hearing about devices like washing machines that use less water, or dish washers, or any of a myriad of other water using devices, even toilets, that are operating with reduced water use. Well that might end soon. Researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered a way of washing clothes with less that 2% of the amount of water that an average washing machine uses today. To get to less than that, a waterless model would have to become available. The way that this works is that plastic chips are put into the wash with a tiny amount of water. The chips remove all the stains and the wash still comes out fresh and smelling nice and as an added bonus, it is almost dry so tumbling is not required. This should also save on a large amount of energy that your dryer uses today to dry clothes. Scientists also claim that many of the solvents used in dry cleaning will be able to be replaced by using this method.

Do you think that the hybrids are the best that the automobile industry can do? Enter Doug Pelmear. Mr Pelmear is an engineer from Ohio and the proud possessor of a 1987 Ford Mustang. Wait a second, this is no ordinary Ford Mustang, this one does 0-60 in UNDER 3 seconds. The engine puts out over 400 horse power and the 180 mile per hour car gets an astounding 110 miles per gallon. Would you like to look under the hood of this car? Well you can't, because Mr Pelmear is waiting for some patents to be approved. Several companies have verified that the figures are accurate. The car is being entered in the XPrize competition for cars. The cars must be able to travel over 100 miles on a gallon of gas. The whole idea of the competition is to break our dependence on foreign oil.

Did you know that in the 1950s, when the Soviets were looking for natural gas deposits, that there was a fire at one of the sights and it is still burning today. The fire has been burning for almost 60 years. The fire is burning in Tukmenistan at a crater that is 60 meters across.

Did you ever wonder where some of the phrases come from in some of the presidential speeches? You know that the president doesn't write this stuff himself, don't you? It is said that sometimes phrases are lifted from historical speeches from other eras and sometimes other countries. Here is a paragraph that the president stated in one of his speeches. "An evil exists that threatens every man, woman and child of this great nation. We must take steps to ensure our domestic security and protect our homeland." So where did this paragraph come from? Would you believe a speech from Adolph Hitler, when he told the German people about the Gestapo. The president said the same thing in a speech a few months after 9/11. Wouldn't you have thought that Hitler was the wrong person to quote?

Why is it that there have been so many rumors about some of the Nazis getting away and hiding at a base in Antarctica after World War II? Some stories have even been embellished with tales of German flying saucers being stored there and such? These rumors grew out of the fact that before the start of World War II, the Germans had invited Richard E. Byrd to come to Germany and tell them about the poles. Byrd was a famous polar explorer. When the war started, it is said that the Germans went back to Antarctica and began work on their base. Nine years after the war ender, Admiral Byrd was sent on a military mission to Antarctica. He himself admitted that his mission was "primarily of a military nature." It is said that Byrd saw objects that looked like saucers, flying at incredible speeds. Many suspected that Byrd's mission was eradication of a still existing NAZI base. Supposedly this last battle was never recorded in the history books. The big question is why?

Did you ever wonder what our energy situation would be like today, if energy efficiency had progressed as fast as computer chips? It is said that the entire country of Great Britain could be run on a half gallon of oil for one year. The problem is that big oil has prevented any real progress in efficiency. They allow little breakthroughs here and there, but they compensate for them with rising fuel prices. The difference between the computer industry and the oil industry is an easy one to discern. In the computer industry there is competition to develop the best product and outdo the other companies. In the oil industry the goal is not competition, but keeping the product flowing and making sure everyone charges about the same for it. This is called a monopoly and is supposedly against the law, but you would never know it today.

How about that new contact lens that is being talked about? We all know what contact lenses are, but this one is quite different. This new contact lens has electronic circuits in it. These circuits allow the wearer to see things like never before. One thing that the lens does, is become the world's smallest personal computer display. Scientists and engineers know that the current screens on objects we use, are what hinders us from shrinking them down to even smaller sizes. A tiny computer could send it's video signal, without wires, to a tiny display like this new contact lens, which would allow the computer to become only a fraction of it's size now and far lighter. The same is true for cell phones. A whole new type of cell phone might appear, if the display screen wasn't needed. It might be a phone that fits into a ring, a pen, or even made into your clothing. It could be undetectable and voice activated.