File this one under “Amazing If True”:

“Cornell University and Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a method for enabling a computer program to scan text in any of a number of languages, including English and Chinese, and autonomously and without previous information infer the underlying rules of grammar. The rules can then be used to generate new and meaningful sentences. The method also works for such data as sheet music or protein sequences.”

And, Jackie, if you’re reading this, why is your friend Cathy top of the Scienceblog ‘Blogroll? Ooh, you’ve graduated to WordPress too. Everybody’s doing it. I am such a fashion leader. You should convert Cathy. She could take the opportunity to find a cleaner ‘Blog design. She’s got interesting things to say, but her homepage looks like the inside of my nose. And you have no idea how irritated I am that the that the “profile” link from “Cathy Seipp’s College Roommate Recollects Her Naked Ways” is broken.