Scientists reported this week that they've spotted the most distant explosion in the universe yet -- a gamma ray burst almost 13 billion years old. The age of that burst means that it occurred back when the universe was still rather young, just 900 million years or so old. The catchily-named 'GRB050904' was discovered using the Swift Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft. We'll talk about the find, and what it means.

Then, we'll turn our attention to how science is taught in one school district in Dover, Pennsylvania. The school district made headlines when the board voted to require that science teachers in the district teaching evolution read a statement dealing with the idea of 'intelligent design' -- an idea that holds that the world's life forms are too complex to have been created without the aid of an intelligent designer. Critics of the idea say that it is merely creationism in another guise, and has no place in the science classroom. With the new academic year underway, another legal skirmish in the story is about to occur. We'll check in on the goings-on in Dover.

And finally -- we'll take a lighter look at superhero physics. How much energy would it take to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or outrun a bullet? How can comic books and superheroes make teaching physics fun? Perhaps we'll even try to settle some of those age-old schoolyard arguments: could the Hulk beat Spiderman in a fair fight? Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Donald Lamb
Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Professor, Enrico Fermi Institute
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Nick Matzke
Public Information Project Specialist
National Center for Science Education
Oakland, California

James Kakalios
Author "The Physics of Superheroes" (Gotham Books, 2005)
Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The Physics of Superheroes" by James Kakalios. Gotham Books, 2005.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Annette Heist