Today’s physics news: Tuesday, 27 July 2010

MPs pass flagship academies bill
The government’s flagship academies bill was rushed through parliament, though six Liberal Democrat MPs voted for an amendment calling for more consultation with parents
Guardian
Times
BBC 
 
Sarkozy shares his enlightenment vision with high-energy physicists
French President Nicolas Sarkozy delivered an impressive endorsement of fundamental science at the International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP) yesterday
Guardian 
 
China considers big rocket power
Chinese engineers are considering a new super-powerful engine for the next generation of space rockets, say officials
BBC
  
The science fiction that turned into science fact
Jetpacks and flying cars, teleportation and time travel: movie inventions that are now part of life
Telegraph 
 
Education Quangos: Who will monitor the curriculum now?
The war on quangos has already claimed three education bodies – with the prospect of a fourth in the near future.
Independent 
 
Ageing spacecraft makes best-ever map of Mars
The images come from NASA’s Odyssey spacecraft, which is set to smash the longevity record for a Martian probe
New Scientist