BaTMAN and RoBIN: comics inspire military R&D

And to maintain the balance that his sidekick has brought over the years, a companion project is named

.

You'll need to have taken a lot more science classes than I did to decipher the aim of the projects. I enjoy reading about science, especially as explained by authors such as John McPhee in his geology series, but the more abstract concepts leave me bewildered. (Though I do have an idea for a time machine that I'll tell you about some other time. I swear it could work.)

Here's how the projects are described: (BaTMAN) "could develop an understanding of the relationship between biological systems and the spatial-temporal universe through the application of advanced principles from the physical sciences. In defining the relationship, one aim of this line of research is to transform biology from a descriptive to a predictive field of science." RoBIN, meanwhile, "seeks to apply the critical control features of biological networks to build unique models for adaptable networks, and create a dynamic biologically-inspired network of scientists and other experts for crisis response and complex decision support."

Let's just hope -- for the sake of our country -- that the scientists have in mind DC Comics' rough-and-tumble superheroes , not the campy duo (shown here) played by Adam West and Burt Ward.