It was a slow week for news, but here’s what we’ve got:

The European Space Agency has made contact with the Russian Phobos-Grunt Mars probe. Unfortunately the window to get to Mars has passed, so even if they can salvage the mission it would have to be sent to something like a near earth asteroid. (New Scientist) In the meantime the Russian president is threatening heavy finds or criminal penalties for this and other recent failures. (Fox News)

The US Navy has now successfully launched a F-35C using the new EMALS magnetic catapult. This is the system that is being designed for the USS Gerald R. Ford and the Ford class of carriers and will replace the steam catapult that’s been standard for 50 years. (CNET News)

A new archaeological find in East Timor includes tuna, a deep sea dweller, and a fish hook created out of a shell. The oldest bones are 42,000 years old and the hook is from between 16,000 and 23,000 years ago. Before this the earliest evidence of human deep sea fishing and the use of hooks or speaks was from 12,000 years ago. (New Scientist)

The American Curiosity Mars rover will be using a nuclear generator, developed by the Idaho National Laboratory, instead of the more traditional solar. This is due to the large size of the rover and the desire to have more continuous power for more flexible use of the rover. The article also has a pretty cool description of how it works. (CNET News)

A contact lens has been tested on a rabbit that contained a one pixel display and a 5mm long antenna. Unfortunately when the lens was in place in the eye, and impacted by fluids, the range for the remote power source dropped from one meter to 2 centimeters. As awesome as this technology is it’s making my eyes itch. (New Scientist)