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"Anatomists such as Prof Peter Abrahams believe that Leonardo's work was some 300 years ahead of its time, and in some ways superior to what was available in the 19th Century Gray's Anatomy. They say it is only recently with 3D, digital technology and moving images that we have been able to take a decisive step beyond what Leonardo's hand and eye were able to achieve."

Bill Nye and the Discovery Channel give you the greatest discoveries in physics. Nye explores how the universe operates and why things move and work the way they do. He also explains the second law of thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and how superconductors can help accelerate particles to near the speed of light. He illustrates Albert Einstein's theory that clocks tick slower at the speed of light and even on an airplane, and discusses how E=MC2 helped develop nuclear power, the quantum leap, the power of electromagnetic energy, the structure of an atom, and the subatomic particles known as quarks.

Bill Nye and the Discovery Channel give you the greatest discoveries in science. In this episode, Nye covers Einstein's theory of general relativity, demonstrates how Hubble determined that the universe is expanding, and discusses the 20th-century advancements that help us understand gamma ray bursts, black holes, pulsars, and quasars. Highlights include Edmond Halley, whose discovery of comets orbiting the sun proved that gravity works in space, and Alexander and Caroline Herschel, whose map of the sky brought new understanding of the universe.

"Optical illusions are more than just a bit of fun. Scientist Beau Lotto is finding out what tricking the brain reveals about how our minds work. Here he explains his findings. "

"Writing in the journal Nature, they say that in western countries, conserving water for people through reservoirs and dams works for people, but not nature."

Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food. Jamie Oliver is transforming the way we feed ourselves, and our children. Jamie Oliver has been drawn to the kitchen since he was a child working in his father's pub-restaurant. He showed not only a precocious culinary talent but also a passion for creating (and talking about) fresh, honest, delicious food. In the past decade, the shaggy-haired "Naked Chef" of late-'90s BBC2 has built a worldwide media conglomerate of TV shows, books, cookware and magazines, all based on a formula of simple, unpretentious food that invites everyone to get busy in the kitchen. And as much as his cooking is generous, so is his business model -- his Fifteen Foundation, for instance, trains young chefs from challenged backgrounds to run four of his restaurants. Now, Oliver is using his fame and charm to bring attention to the changes that Brits and Americans need to make in their lifestyles and diet. Campaigns such as Jamie's School Dinner, Ministry of Food and Food Revolution USA combine Olivers culinary tools, cookbooks and television, with serious activism and community organizing -- to create change on both the individual and governmental level.

It was the year we learned of a spectacular smash-up in space, and scientists working on the world's biggest physics experiment delighted at collisions of an entirely different sort. There were shockwaves, too, in Copenhagen, as the summit failed to reach a consensus on tackling climate change, instead merely noting a deal struck by major powers including the US and China. The BBC's science reporter Paul Rincon looks back at the twists and turns of a year in science and the environment.

Canadian scientist Willard S. Boyle received the Nobel for physics Thursday, a prize he's sharing with two other physicists honoured for their work in optics.

"The stereo movie has been adapted to human binocular vision. The movie does not represent what you would actually see with your two eyes if you visited a real black hole. In reality, the curved spacetime would distort wavefronts of light away from spherical, confusing your binocular perception. The conflicting visual cues might make you feel queasy. But the failure of binocular vision is merely a limitation of beings who have evolved in flat spacetime. Trinocular vision would work fine."

Scale model plans for a working trebuchet

"Researchers failed to find evidence of so-called "supersymmetric" particles, which many physicists had hoped would plug holes in the current theory. Theorists working in the field have told BBC News that they may have to come up with a completely new idea. Data were presented at the Lepton Photon science meeting in Mumbai."

Building a trebuchet from scratch and finding the best proportions, weights, angles etc by trial and error certainly works ..well, that's how the Grey Co's first machines were done... but if you could model the rock-throwing beasts mathematically then think of the work and possibly wasted effort you could save.

"Beth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak jointly share the award. Their work revealed how the chromosomes can be copied and has helped further our understanding on human ageing, cancer and s"

On the physics and mechanics of a medieval trebuchet, a type of catapult, its design, working and optimization through improved simulation and mathematical analysis.

Informative video on the world's largest physics experiment.