"Today we're rolling out two new improvements to Google search. The first offers an expanded list of useful related searches and the second is the addition of longer search result descriptions – both of which help guide users more effectively to the information they need."

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/two-new-improvements-to-google-results.html

Cool, looks like they went live with this test you spotted: http://blogoscoped.com/forum/151105.html

Interesting, according to the Google Blog, the snippets will expand based on your query:

<< When you enter a longer query, with more than three words, regular-length snippets may not give you enough information and context. In these situations, we now increase the number of lines in the snippet to provide more information and show more of the words you typed in the context of the page. >>

[moved ~ hebbet]
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/161869/google_rolls_out_semantic_search_capabilities.html

"Google has given its Web search engine an injection of semantic technology, as the search leader pushes into what many consider the future of search on the Internet.

The new technology will allow Google's search engine to identify associations and concept related to a query, improving the list of related search terms Google displays along with its results, the company announced in an official blog on Tuesday.
...."

Announcement at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/two-new-improvements-to-google-results.html

mbegin Indeed. Anyway i find the four lines very usefull when they apear.

Is this the first, little sign of Web 3.0...