In February, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (Wmap) satellite took the most detailed picture yet of the cosmic microwave background - an image of the infant cosmos when it was less than 400, 000 years old.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Dark energy tops science class

They have found that heating the sand for about 90 seconds with a microwave generator (known as a magnetron) designed for a household microwave oven produces a thermal image that is detectable for 15-20 minutes.

ECONOMIST: Landmines

One image of the innermost regions of our universe that is "mapped at microwave frequencies" looks like a badly smudged Polaroid.

WSJ: Book Review: Gravity's Engines