PASADENA, Calif - Aerospace engineers at the California Institute of Technology normally test cars and telescopes for aerodynamic differences in their high-tech wind tunnel.

On Wednesday, they tackled a different object: the controversial new Jabulani ball at this year's World Cup.

The brouhaha over the Jabulani -- both on the pitch and in the blogosphere -- prompted scientists at the Nobel Prize-winning Caltech to test differences between the traditional ball and the upstart.