New Scientist is carrying this summary of the manufacture of a new exotic subatomic particle. Called a "pentaquark" for its composition, it and its previously created (in 1993) brother have all sorts of bizzare qualities, not the least of which a much-higher-than-predicted stability.

Physics is one of the reasons I'm really sorry I suck at math. In college I once had two physics-major friends sit me down and explain the equations behind general relativity. It was amazing... all the stuff that'd confused me, that didn't make sense, was so obviously explained by just a few lines of math.

Then I got up, and lost it all.