September 26, 2006

Surgery in Space?

A team of French doctors will operate on a patient under near-weightless conditions on Wednesday, in what they hope will be a step toward performing surgery in space. The 3-hour procedure involves the removal of a fatty tumor from a volunteer's forearm and will be conducted aboard a modified Airbus designed to simulate weightlessness. It is part of a project backed by the European Space Agency that aims to develop Earth-guided surgical space robots.

inexorable

DEFINITION: (adjective) Not capable of being persuaded by entreaty; relentless. SYNONYMS: relentless, grim, unappeasable, unrelenting, unforgiving, stern. USAGE: The inexorable investigator questioned the witness repeatedly, long after she had been reduced to tears and claimed to know nothing more.

Olivia Newton-John

This British-born Australian singer and actress achieved international fame when her song "If Not for You," written by Bob Dylan, was released in 1971. In 1974, she represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest and had a #1 hit single with "I Honestly Love You." In 1975, she moved to the US and broke into film, co-starring with John Travolta in Grease. The movie was the biggest box office hit of 1978 and remains a favorite. Who was Newton-John's Nobel Prize-winning grandfather?

Sweden Adopts New Act of Succession

The Act of Succession is the part of the Swedish Constitution that regulates the rights of members of the House of Bernadotte to ascend to the Swedish throne. It was adopted in 1810 and is still enforced today. Among other things, the act specifies that the monarch and the royal family shall belong to the Church of Sweden and be raised within the realm. In 1980, what change was made to the rule of succession?

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a Canadian province situated in the Maritimes. It is the nation's smallest province in both size and population, but it has Canada's highest population density. With its fertile, distinctive red soil and its agreeable climate, the island has become known as the Garden of the Gulf. Tourism and fishing contribute to the island's economy, and there may be natural gas deposits beneath its eastern end. What Canadian author and PEI native set most of her novels there?