Reasons to Believe  Cool Discoveries 2  Every now and again, a
cool scientific discovery comes along that doesn't have an
obvious apologetic connection. I have decided that these
discoveries occasionally warrant mention simply because they are
interesting.  Discovery #1  The last "Cool Discoveries"
installment discussed the most recently observed distant gamma-
ray burst (GRB). It occurred when the universe was a mere 800
million years old. A new burst eclipsed that record, detonating
170 million years earlier. The older GRB, resulting from one or
two stars at most, ranks as the most remote object ever seen in
the universe. Sticking with GRBs, astronomers–using the recently
launched Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope–witnessed the most
violent explosion ever seen. The total energy of this burst
exceeded the output of nearly 9,000 supernovae!  Discovery #2  A
company called Terrefugia recently built a prototype of "the
world's first practical flying car". The Transition gets 30 mpg
on the highway and just over 20