July - 2008 Articles
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Phoenix Mars lander 'tastes' first sample of water ice
31 July 2008
The TEGA instrument detected its first water ice in relatively dry soil collected on Wednesday – the mission was also extended
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Universe's first stars bulk up in new simulation
31 July 2008
The very first stars were giants weighing 100 Suns – they coalesced out of primordial gas about 300 million years after the big bang
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Scientists 'reprogram' cells from sick, elderly patients
31 July 2008
Motor neurons have been grown from skin cells taken from aged women with a fatal neurodegenerative disease – a first in ill patients
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Colliding continents create havens for life
31 July 2008
The biodiversity "hotspots" with the greatest variety of fish, molluscs and corals may have shifted according to the movement of the Earth's crust
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Electrode lights the way to artificial photosynthesis
31 July 2008
A material that extracts oxygen from water at room temperature using relatively little electricity could lead to a way of storing solar energy
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Randy male fish try to dupe the competition
31 July 2008
Atlantic molly fish go for less fertile females if another male is present, in a bid to trick the other male into choosing a poorer-quality mate
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Solar-cell material can soak up more Sun
31 July 2008
Today's solar cells ignore the 50% of the Sun's energy that reaches Earth as infrared light, but cells made from the new material could harness that too
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Nations sign landmark lunar exploration agreement
31 July 2008
NASA is teaming up with eight other nations, not including Russia, to start exploring the moon in great detail
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New cash to tackle smoking in developing world
31 July 2008
Bill Gates and the multibillionaire mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, have pledged $375 million towards anti-smoking programmes
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Why a mule is not a dumb-ass
31 July 2008
'Hybrid vigour' may explain why mules – the offspring of male donkeys and female horses – are smarter than either of their parents
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Gene mutations reveal schizophrenia's complexity
30 July 2008
The three largest genetic schizophrenia studies yet have uncovered new genome variations that seem to be linked to the mental condition
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British NASA hacker to face US trial
30 July 2008
A British computer expert has lost his appeal against extradition to the US, where he is accused of 'the biggest military hack of all time'
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Was ancient Greek 'computer' an astronomical tool?
30 July 2008
Inscriptions on a 2000-year-old clockwork device suggest it was inspired by earlier devices made by the great Greek mathematician Archimedes
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Marine burglar alarm squawks at the sound of bubbles
30 July 2008
The right sequence of sounds could trigger a system to warn archaeologists that looters are approaching a wreck
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Smart shoe keeps you on your toes
30 July 2008
Sensors buried within the sole of a shoe could spot balance problems and prevent falls – a common cause of death in old people
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Barred spiral galaxies becoming more common
30 July 2008
Small spiral galaxies with bars at their centres are three times more common today than they were 7 billion years ago
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T. rex 'tissue' may just be bacterial scum
30 July 2008
A palaeontologist says extracts from fossils said to be dinosaur flesh may in fact be biofilms left by bacteria
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Bees help police close in on serial killers
30 July 2008
Studying the behaviour of bumblebees has enabled biologists to refine methods used to track down people who habitually kill
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Is climate change causing an upsurge in US tornadoes?
30 July 2008
There was a record number of tornadoes in the US in 2004, and this year unseasonally early tornadoes have wreaked havoc. Chris Mooney reports
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A vaccine for modern living
30 July 2008
The next generation of vaccines could help people overcome everything from drug addiction to obesity
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Review: The Score by Faye Flam
30 July 2008
A new book explains why men do what they do to get women into bed
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Review: Surrealism, Art and Modern Science by Gavin Parkinson
30 July 2008
New evidence shows how much the surrealist art movement was inspired by the strange worlds of relativity and quantum theory
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Past masters of coastal geology
30 July 2008
When climate change threatens, coastal engineers and planners should take a few tips from the pre-Raphaelite painters
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Feedback
30 July 2008
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Surround sound
30 July 2008
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That's the spirit
30 July 2008
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Chill factor
30 July 2008
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Ethical storm brews over embryonic stem cell lines
30 July 2008
Documents reveal that some women were not properly informed that their viable embryos would be destroyed to form new cell lines
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Secret DNA
30 July 2008
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Survival of the nastiest
30 July 2008
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Miraculous moo
30 July 2008
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God wills the weather?
30 July 2008
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Spottings staus
30 July 2008
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Advertising ethics
30 July 2008
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Flash failure
30 July 2008
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Nu-food redux
30 July 2008
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Strange inheritance
30 July 2008
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Oil prudence
30 July 2008
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Deciduous delight
30 July 2008
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For the record
30 July 2008
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Diamond whisky
30 July 2008
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Nu-food redux
30 July 2008
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Strange inheritance
30 July 2008
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Hidden populations give lynx a fighting chance
30 July 2008
The world's rarest cat may avoid extinction after new populations are found across Spain
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A third of China's carbon footprint blamed on exports
30 July 2008
Economists now say that one-third of China's carbon dioxide emissions are produced making exported goods – many of them for developed countries
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Digital camera chip turned into lens-free microscope
30 July 2008
Standard CCD imaging sensors have been turned into cheap, compact and durable microscopes that could be a boon in the developing world
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Commentary: Why God and science don't mix
30 July 2008
The Templeton Foundation might seem benign, but aiming to prove the existence of God goes against everything science should stand for, says Lawrence Krauss
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Editorial: Where do nutrititional supplements fit in sport?
30 July 2008
Efforts to stop Olympic athletes taking performance-enhancing drugs are well recognised, but little attention is given to nutritional supplements. It's time that changed
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Dementia vastly underestimated in low-income countries
30 July 2008
The current test may miss impairments among people with little education because the standard test is innappropiate
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Schizophrenia genes found at last
30 July 2008
A trio of studies has revealed common gene variants that slightly increase the risk of schizophrenia, and rare ones that raise it significantly
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Supermountains gave us the air we breathe
30 July 2008
The tectonic collisions that formed supercontinents also formed "supermountains", whose quick erosion may have boosted atmospheric oxygen
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Review: Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 by David Crystal
30 July 2008
A linguist argues that text messaging produces talented young writers
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Review: Physics for Future Presidents by Richard A Muller
30 July 2008
Listen up, McCain and Obama – there's stuff you may need to know in here, like why dirty bombs are unlikely weapons for terrorists
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Gizmo
30 July 2008
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Bumblebees help close in on serial killers
30 July 2008
Analysing bumblebee behaviour could improve the techniques police use to locate people that habitually kill
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60 Seconds
30 July 2008
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Getting inside the minds of athletes who cheat
30 July 2008
Figuring out why some athletes take drugs while others stay clean might be the key to deterring doping
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Gene variant more prevalent in transsexuals
30 July 2008
If other transsexual gene variants are discovered, diagnosis could become easier, allowing gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy earlier in life
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Comment: Anthropologists should stay off the front line
30 July 2008
The US army is seeking the help of anthropologists to help it understand the cultures in which it operates. Not a good idea, says anthropologist Hugh Gusterson
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'I bought a brand-new Cadillac'
30 July 2008
Mike Smith of De Soto Parish in Louisiana splashed out after becoming a millionaire. Energy firms are buying up land in the region after finding a huge natural gas deposit
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Your neighbourhood could be making you fat
30 July 2008
People who live in older city neighbourhoods where people tend to walk are less likely to be obese
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Tree shrews could drink humans under the table
30 July 2008
Nectar-sipping shrews spend much of the time drinking alcohol but don't get drunk – they may help us understand what drives the human taste for alcohol
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Rocket-powered racing plane takes flight
29 July 2008
The Rocket Racing League's first racing plane took to the skies on Tuesday, but a planned race between multiple planes will have to wait
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Five ways to trigger a natural disaster
29 July 2008
It's the stuff of big-budget Hollywood fiction, but can humans really trigger natural disasters?
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Mud springs reveal true extent of San Andreas fault
29 July 2008
A newly discovered line of "mud pots" suggests that the fault stretches further south than was previously thought
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Russian North Pole explorer heads for deepest lake
29 July 2008
The scientist and submersibles which planted a Russian flag on the North Pole have dived to the bottom of the world's deepest and oldest lake
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'Transsexuality gene' makes women feel like men
29 July 2008
A common gene variant seems to play a part in female-to-male transsexuality, although upbringing also has a role, say researchers
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China 'breaking promises' on Olympic web censorship
29 July 2008
Despite government assurances of unfettered internet access for foreign media at the games, websites are being filtered
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Artificial tongue mimics human speech
29 July 2008
An animatronic tongue designed to show how much energy people use to talk could improve speech-recognition software
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Consent row threatens stem cell research
29 July 2008
Documents reveal that some women were not properly informed that their viable embryos would be destroyed to form new cell lines
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Living on the wrong street could be making you fat
29 July 2008
People with a lower body mass index – a measure of obesity – tend to live where a higher proportion of people walk to work
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Virgin Galactic rolls out SpaceShipTwo's 'mothership'
28 July 2008
Flight tests are planned to begin later this year for WhiteKnightTwo, which will launch SpaceShipTwo on suborbital flights
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'Gravity tractor' could deflect asteroids
28 July 2008
The gravitational pull of a spacecraft placed near an Earth-threatening asteroid could pull the asteroid off course, a new NASA study finds
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Phoenix's first ice study foiled by sticky Mars dirt
28 July 2008
On Saturday, the lander collected icy soil to study in its TEGA instrument, but the sample failed to fall out of its collection scoop
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Nanowire lawns make for sheets of image sensors
28 July 2008
An imaging sensor made from a mixed crop of nanowires could one day be printed onto sticky tape, and be self-powered and wireless
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Boozy tree shrews avoid fermented fruit hangovers
28 July 2008
Alcoholic nectar is an essential part of the tree shrews' diet, but the animals avoid the effects of alcohol by metabolising most of it
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iPod-size microscope could become lifesaving gadget
28 July 2008
Floating samples over the sensor from a digital camera makes for a cheap, durable microscope in a pocket-size package
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33% of China's carbon footprint blamed on exports
28 July 2008
Economists now say that one-third of China's carbon dioxide emissions come making exported goods – many of them for developed countries
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Swapping facial features protects online privacy
28 July 2008
Software that automatically pieces together different faces for people in web images could preserve public anonymity
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Tweaked Kevlar vest stops bugs as well as bullets
28 July 2008
The protective material worn by police officers has been put through a new process that makes it deadly to bacteria
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Blue light helps flies feel the force
28 July 2008
A protein that detects blue light also helps fruit flies tune into the Earth's magnetic field – crucial for the homing and migration abilities of many animals
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Invention: Smart specs for the blind
28 July 2008
This week's patents include glasses that signal obstacles using sound, an implant that can read the brain's system for hand-eye coordination, and shoes to take the load off your knees
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Wild orangutans treat pain with natural anti-inflammatory
28 July 2008
Great apes have never before been seen self medicating, although local people use the same natural balm to treat aches and pains
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Dementia vastly underestimated in the developing world
28 July 2008
The standard methods for diagnosing dementia work well in the West, but may not be appropriate in low-income countries
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Beam sharpener produces laser 'knife'
27 July 2008
A new device does away with mirrors and lenses and focuses fuzzy beams into a sharp edge of laser light
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Did eroding supermountains give us the air we breathe?
27 July 2008
Key stages in the oxygenation of our atmosphere coincide with the formation and erosion of supercontinents, say researchers
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Parasitic worms may boost African HIV rates
27 July 2008
A new study in monkeys suggests that people infected with schistosomiasis may be more susceptible to HIV infection
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Soil dishes the dirt on criminals
26 July 2008
The organic compounds found in soil provide a unique chemical profile and can link a suspect to the crime scene
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Coral-killing starfish curbed by fishing ban
26 July 2008
Crown-of-thorns starfish, which can devastate coral reefs, are less common in Australian no-fishing zones
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Comets may be spawned when mum breaks up
26 July 2008
Many of the comets circling in the inner solar system might have been created in swarms when much larger ice-balls fragmented
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Algorithms battle to trade stocks in the dark
26 July 2008
Investors are increasingly placing big orders for stock in private "dark pools" – but how do you know the orders are actually there?
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Planet and star in puzzling waltz
25 July 2008
Gravity cannot explain how a newly discovered exoplanet is so well synchronised with its star, says a UK astronomer
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'Fuel battery' could take cars beyond petrol
25 July 2008
An electricity storage system that combines features of batteries and fuel cells packs in more energy than a tank of gasoline
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Neglecting safety could nip space tourism in the bud
25 July 2008
Civilian space firms need to get real about the risks they face taking paying customers into space, according to the US safety regulator
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Bluetongue spreads despite vaccinations
25 July 2008
The disease resurfaces in France, and sheep populations in Britain are now under threat
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Advice to drop condom use is HIV 'disaster'
25 July 2008
The suggestion that condoms are not essential if an HIV-positive person is taking antiretroviral drugs is wrong, say experts
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Magnetic slingshot creates aurora on Earth
24 July 2008
NASA's THEMIS satellites may have resolved a long-standing mystery of how some auroras form
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Material that turns heat to power gets efficiency hike
24 July 2008
Adding the right metal to a thermoelectric compound can more than double its efficiency – paving the way for heat wasted by engines and computers to be recovered
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Interview: Extreme virus hunter
24 July 2008
Virologist Claire Evans reveals how marine viruses exert a huge influence on food chains and can even influence the weather
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Total eclipse to pass over China and Siberia
24 July 2008
Expeditions are underway to try to catch just two minutes of totality, as the Moon passes before the Sun on 1 August
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Big brother to watch illegal file sharers
24 July 2008
The biggest internet service providers in the UK have agreed to monitor the sharing of copyright material and to send warning letters to offenders
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Jumping robot makes light work of stairs
24 July 2008
A lightweight robot powered by compressed air could herald a generation of wheeled machines that can jump over obstacles
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Hypothetical particle presents a fresh test for inflation
24 July 2008
If string theory and what we know about the nature of a particle called the axion are right, the universe's expansion is more complex than we thought
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Volcanoes may not be fed by magma 'mushrooms'
24 July 2008
Magma thought to fuel "hotspots" like Iceland and Hawaii may not form a mushrooming plume, but rather a more patchy, slow-moving structure
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Many little parasites add up to one big biomass
24 July 2008
An analysis of estuaries finds that the amount of parasitic life weighs more than the top predators – something scientists didn't expect
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Reason special: Negotiating diversity
23 July 2008
Lee Smolin argues that we must agree when the evidence forces us to, and agree to disagree when it does not
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Designing streets to help drunks home
23 July 2008
A model that mimics the movements of drunken crowds might help find ways to design streets so that they direct late-night revellers safely home
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Reason special: Science and morals
23 July 2008
Reason undermines those values and morals that are irrational, but it also helps us create new ones, argues Peter Singer
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Reason special: A world based on reason
23 July 2008
A world based entirely on reason, with no room for emotions and feelings, would not be a nice place to live, says Tom Shakespeare
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Black holes dine on hot gassy pancakes
23 July 2008
By filtering out the dusty shrouds around monster black holes, astronomers have found the clearest evidence yet that they feed on accretion discs
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Reason special: Reason eats itself
23 July 2008
We can never be absolutely sure about anything, but provided we remain open-minded we can make some very good guesses, says Mary Midgley
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Overactive bladders play with the mind
23 July 2008
An overactive bladder changes brain activity in rats, possibly explaining some of the disrupted sleep and confusion that can accompany ageing
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Dinosaur evolutionary tree unveiled
23 July 2008
A study shows how 440 dinosaur species are related to each other, and reveals that the great reptiles diversified most in their first 50 million years
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Americans must diet to save their economy
23 July 2008
Ecologists calculate that a change in diet could bring massive energy savings and decrease the pressure on the environment
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Stellar nursery found near Milky Way's violent heart
23 July 2008
Signs of protostars have been found in a ring of gas surrounding the destructive core of our galaxy
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Interview: Driving towards the 100-mpg car
23 July 2008
Millions of dollars in prizes and free publicity await the team that can build a production-ready 100-mpg car. The competition's director John Shore tells New Scientist about the Automotive X Prize
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Boozing mice get the blues when they dry out
23 July 2008
Mice that drink show depression-like behaviour when alcohol is withdrawn, suggesting that alcoholics may need treatment when they give up
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Commercial bees spread parasite to wild cousins
23 July 2008
A nasty bug often found in captive bumble bees that are kept to pollinate greenhouse crops may be spreading as insects escape into the wild
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'Universal' allergy therapy a step closer
23 July 2008
A molecular "decoy" makes the body behave as if it is under attack from a bacterium and stop reacting to harmless allergens
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US spring melt to shift by months
23 July 2008
Climate change could mean a two-month change in the start of the snowmelt by the end of the century, suggests a new model
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Rocket planes to ship for first demo race
23 July 2008
A company hopes to showcase two "rocket racers" flying head-to-head, but problems with flight permits could yet make it a one-plane demo
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Whale foil
23 July 2008
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Nature not over yet
23 July 2008
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Star nursery survives near Milky Way's violent heart
23 July 2008
Astronomers cannot explain how stars are forming only a few light years from the black hole at our galaxy's centre
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Monkeys go wild over onion wash
23 July 2008
Capuchin monkeys get in a lather over communal onion baths, but rather than being relaxed after this social activity, they become unusually aggressive
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Reason destroys itself
23 July 2008
Do we know, for certain, that two plus two is four? Of course we don't. But we must be reasonable about it, says mathematician Roger Penrose
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Mixed results for Alzheimer's treatments
23 July 2008
An abandoned antihistimine is found to improve cognitive ability, while a vaccine that helps destroy plaques did not alleviate symptoms
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Electrickery
23 July 2008
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Survival of the nastiest
23 July 2008
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Reason is just another faith
23 July 2008
An unconditional, general reliance on a single authority is never sensible, whatever god it may invoke, says philosopher Mary Midgley
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Editorial: How to make reason more reasonable
23 July 2008
Rethinking the rational underpinning of our society is a daunting task, but we are risking a lot if we don't make the attempt
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Einstein and god
23 July 2008
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Feedback
23 July 2008
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Bubble fusion researcher in big trouble
23 July 2008
A Purdue University committee says the scientist who claimed to have triggered "bubble fusion" in 2002 is guilty of research misconduct
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IMF loans 'lead to TB deaths'
23 July 2008
The organisation's policy of insisting on government cuts in return for loans is linked to reduced healthcare and increased rates of tuberculosis
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Editorial: No complacency on disasters
23 July 2008
Reports of the demise of the human race have been greatly exaggerated – but we should still plan for the worst-case scenario
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Editorial: Why the IMF can be bad for your health
23 July 2008
The International Monetary Fund needs to measure the outcome of its interventions in more than just economic terms
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Rain imminent
23 July 2008
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Brolly life
23 July 2008
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Dirty business
23 July 2008
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Whose reason is it anyway?
23 July 2008
The fruits of reason have transformed our world and brought many benefits, but they have also brought problems, says bioethicist Tom Shakespeare
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Reason excludes creativity and intuition
23 July 2008
Science can be an inspiration, but it can't take the leaps of faith that art can, says 2002 Turner prizewinning artist Keith Tyson
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History at stake
23 July 2008
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Einstein and god
23 July 2008
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Plutonium puzzle
23 July 2008
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Rocket racing prepares for take-off
23 July 2008
What combines the romance of space travel with the visceral thrill of road racing? Welcome to the Rocket Racing League, says Greg Klerkx
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Hunting the biggest atoms in the universe
23 July 2008
The search for supersized elements is teetering on the brink of the possible, says Tim Dean
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Cracking the mysteries of bird migration
23 July 2008
Clever tracking technologies are finally letting us understand how birds travel such huge distances, says Bob Holmes
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No one really uses reason
23 July 2008
If we had to think consciously about everything we did, we would never do anything at all, says neuroscientist Chris Frith
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I hear 'reason', I see lies
23 July 2008
Cynical use of the appearance of science is part of the armoury of the PR industry, but the defence is simple, says sociologist David Miller
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Reason stands against values and morals
23 July 2008
We can't assume that reason alone will tell us how to shape a moral and humane world, says Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
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How humans dared to know
23 July 2008
The recent passion for "Enlightenment values" owes a lot to the 18th century. But where do they come from and what do they mean today, asks A C Grayling
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Seven reasons why people hate reason
23 July 2008
When rational thinking is threatened by everyone from fundamentalists to pseudoscientists, what can you do but counterattack? A C Grayling sets the scene for our reason special report
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Snakes alive
23 July 2008
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Virulent Hendra virus has new symptoms in horses
23 July 2008
The changing illness suggests that new strains may have emerged – experts worry a strain capable of spreading from human-to-human will follow
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Crickets thrive best on his and hers diets
23 July 2008
Although naturally, both sexes eat a high-carb diet, female crickets would do better on an Atkins-style protein-rich diet, say researchers
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Waste not
23 July 2008
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Breast milk provides menu of different flavours
23 July 2008
Flavours consumed by the mother can get transferred to her milk – the finding may mean that breast-fed children are more open to new foods later on
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Mongrel fish is a mixture of three species
23 July 2008
An aquatic ménage à trois between native and introduced fish could damage biodiversity in the Colorado river
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Gizmo
23 July 2008
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Nitrogen trifluoride
23 July 2008
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Comment: It's time for the Vatican to accept IVF
23 July 2008
The Catholic church's demonising of the technologies that facilitate test-tube babies is making it look out of touch and irrelevant, says Michael Brooks
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Aloof parents may produce autistic children
23 July 2008
Socially withdrawn parents with autistic children seem to analyse facial expressions in the same way as people with the condition
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Drug breakthrough starves prostate cancers
23 July 2008
The drug works by penetrating cells and disabling an enzyme vital for producing testosterone and other hormones that drive tumour growth
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Controversial climate programme let off the hook
23 July 2008
The Great Global Warming Swindle misrepresented climate science, but rules on accuracy did not apply
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60 Seconds
23 July 2008
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The end of the world is not nigh
23 July 2008
From bioterror and nuclear war to an asteroid hit, the threat from a mega-catastrophe is diminishing
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Quake risk is written in the mountains
23 July 2008
Steeper mountain slopes may indicate faults that are at risk of slipping – a theory borne out by the May earthquake in Sichuan
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Soundbites
23 July 2008
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Viagra could boost orgasms in depressed women
22 July 2008
The drug sildenafil could alleviate sexual problems for women on antidepressants, according to a study funded by Pfizer
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World's fastest train under Olympic starter's orders
22 July 2008
A new train service built for the 2008 Olympics will reach 350 kilometres per hour, beating the current record held by a French rail route
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Newtonian telescope makes for greener TV screens
22 July 2008
Pixels based on Isaac Newton's telescope can make displays that use light three times more efficiently, potentially cutting power use and emissions
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Why 'climate swindle' film is dangerous, despite ruling
22 July 2008
The UK's broadcasting regulator Ofcom says Channel 4's climate-change documentary was not misleading, despite blatant falsehoods
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Laser illuminates fragile dinosaur footprints
22 July 2008
Dinosaur tracks spread across kilometres of sloping, crumbling rock have been scanned with lasers
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Brain's response to being spurned is affected by race
22 July 2008
A study with black and white students finds that being snubbed on racial grounds activates different regions of the brain
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Could killer horse virus spread amongst humans?
22 July 2008
The Hendra virus spreads from horses to humans – experts worry a new strain could be transmitted from person to person
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Grazing sea urchins create reef cacophony
22 July 2008
Ravenous sea urchins scraping algae off rocks create a massive din at their peak feeding times
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IMF loans 'lead to TB deaths'
22 July 2008
The organisation's policy of insisting on government cuts in return for loans is linked to reduced healthcare and increased rates of tuberculosis
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How best to protect the treasures of the deep?
22 July 2008
UNESCO will soon pass an extensive plan to preserve the world's undersea heritage, but is banning commercial treasure hunters the answer?
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Plankton turn tropical Atlantic into a huge carbon sink
21 July 2008
The discovery that the Atlantic stores large amounts of CO2 is a major shift in our knowledge of the oceans' carbon balance
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Alien fish creates three-way hybrid
21 July 2008
An invasive fish is acting as a genetic bridge, allowing two previously distinct native species to mingle – it could wipe out the original species
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Human-frog hybrids reveal autism's secrets
21 July 2008
Fusing together brain cells and eggs from a carnivorous frog could help us understand the causes of the condition and possibly lead to a treatment
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Moonlighting engineers design alternative NASA rocket
21 July 2008
In their spare time, a group of engineers is developing an alternative to NASA's Ares rockets – they want an independent review of their concept
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Toy rocket inspires variable-speed bullets
21 July 2008
The technology behind liquid-hydrogen-propelled rockets is being used to make guns that can switched from "stun" to "kill"
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Onion washing gets monkeys in a lather
21 July 2008
Does a rub down with an onion loosen the normal constraints of capuchin monkey society?
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Nanotube 'springboard' weighs clinging atoms
21 July 2008
The mass of gold atoms has been calculated using a tiny vibrating tube of carbon – the system could weigh even single atoms, say researchers
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Old hayfever treatment could be best Alzheimer's drug
21 July 2008
An abandoned antihistamine drug shows promising results in a trial, but a separate study finds removing brain plaques brings no improvement
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Worm pincers may inspire better spacecraft materials
21 July 2008
An ugly marine worm with a super-strong jaw could provide a simple way to tailor-make the strength of polymers
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Invention: Smart inhaler
21 July 2008
This week's patents include a device that can make inhaling drugs more effective, a back-up power supply for lorry drivers at leisure, and a three-dimensional organ-on-a-chip to help test drugs
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Awaiting a messenger from the multiverse
21 July 2008
If we switch everything off and wait quietly, a very important particle might come out to play. Stephen Battersby is on tenterhooks
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Dangerous faults reveal themselves in the landscape
20 July 2008
Analysing surface features can help spot high-risk fault zones, say researchers who predicted the location of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
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Desperate parents sold implausible stem-cell 'cures'
20 July 2008
Some Chinese biotech companies appear to be marketing themselves to families with controversial stem cell treatments for incurable disorders
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Invisible nanotube cable could support a human
20 July 2008
A theoretical carbon nanotube cable could not only be invisible, but also strong enough to support a person's weight
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HIV gene is a mixed blessing for carriers
20 July 2008
The mutation, common in African Americans, slows the progression of HIV yet paradoxically increases the risk of contracting the virus
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Babies use grown-up memory tricks
19 July 2008
Psychologists have found that babies can expand their working memory by grouping objects into categories, just as adults do
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Why economic theory is out of whack
19 July 2008
If you want to get to the root of the credit crunch you need to look at how traders think, says Mark Buchanan
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Comment: Can fiction make a difference?
19 July 2008
Science fiction author Stephen Baxter hopes a fictional account of global flooding will persuade people to engage with the realities of climate change
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Asteroid switched Mars's magnetic field on and off
19 July 2008
The gravitational tug of an orbiting asteroid could have triggered a dynamo inside Mars that powered its temporary magnetic field
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Mystery ailment hits South African crocs
19 July 2008
Thirty dead crocodiles in Kruger National Park seem to have drowned because their tails were hardened with fat to swim
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Early galaxies had magnetic fields as strong as today's
19 July 2008
Distant galaxies have magnetic fields apparently too strong to have formed by the dynamo mechanism thought to create them
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Panel finds misconduct by bubble fusion researcher
18 July 2008
A Purdue University committee says the scientist who claimed to have triggered 'bubble fusion' in 2002 is guilty of research misconduct
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Smell of fresh earth traced to bacteria genes
18 July 2008
A mysterious chemical that is a key part of the familiar smell of soil has been traced to not one, but two, bacterial genes
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Chemical breakthrough turns sawdust into biofuel
18 July 2008
Lignin makes up a third of the dry mass of wood, but nobody knew how to convert it into ethanol - until now
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'Blade Runner' fails to make the Olympic cut
18 July 2008
The amputee sprinter with prosthetic carbon-fibre legs proves too slow for South Africa's Olympic squad
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Academics hack London's transport payment system
18 July 2008
A Dutch court gives the green light to the publication of a hack that could be used to defraud London's Oyster wireless ticketing system
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Threatened species 'need help' finding cooler homes
18 July 2008
To help species survive climate change, governments should consider transplanting entire ecosystems to new regions, say researchers
-
People power is new weapon against Olympic terrorism
18 July 2008
High-tech methods for preventing terrorist attacks are not enough for Chinese security officials, who hope to engage the whole of Beijing
-
Missing fossils could warn of extreme climate to come
18 July 2008
Overheated tropics millions of years ago may have wiped out plant life – finding proof could help modellers produce more accurate forecasts
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Atom-thick carbon sheets set new strength record
18 July 2008
The extraordinary properties of the carbon supermaterial graphene are turning out to be more fantastic than scientists imagined
-
Grunting fish tell of the origins of human speech
18 July 2008
The ability to produce vocalisations at will evolved in a common ancestor of birds, mammals and amphibians before they developed their unique voices
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Serious assaults up 30% in the UK
18 July 2008
Though violent crime in general has fallen, a study suggests that severe violence has increased sharply over the last four years
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What would Earth look like to alien astronomers?
18 July 2008
If they had super-powerful telescopes, it might look like what the Deep Impact probe recently saw from its vantage point 50 million km away
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'Sleepless' gene hints at the nature of slumber
17 July 2008
Flies with a genetic mutation that controls how brain cells fire have been found to sleep 80% less than normal flies
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Aloof parents may produce autistic children
17 July 2008
Some parents of autistic children evaluate facial expressions in a strikingly similar way to people with the disorder
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Painless needle mimics a mosquito's bite
17 July 2008
Drawing blood and injecting drugs could finally become pain-free, thanks to a tiny device that copies the bloodsucking action of the irritating insect
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Is the largest asteroid Pluto's wayward cousin?
17 July 2008
Ceres sits in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter – yet its composition suggests it has wandered far from its origins
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Taking motion capture out of the studio and onto the slopes
17 July 2008
Elite skiers could refine every move thanks to a breakthrough system that measures the movement of the body with a host of sensors
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'Ten Commandments' of race and genetics issued
17 July 2008
A multidisciplinary group has issued a set of guidelines on how geneticists should deal with issues of race, genetics and medicine
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Do the sexes have different dietary needs?
17 July 2008
Male and female crickets that need different diets for optimum energy and egg production hint that men and women could have similar differences
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A Report on the New String Theory Library
17 July 2008
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Nothing fishy about old people after all
17 July 2008
An investigation finds no "ageing odour" chemicals in the skin secretions of Americans in their 40s and above
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Who needs coal when you can mine Earth's deep heat?
17 July 2008
If the energy held in hot subterranean rocks can be harnessed economically, it could provide abundant green power anywhere on Earth
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The best places in the world to have cancer
17 July 2008
A huge study compares cancer survival rates in 31 countries on five continents, and reveals a stark disparity between blacks and whites in the US
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Phoenix takes a stab at Martian ice
16 July 2008
The Mars lander has successfully drilled holes into the icy soil, a first step to delivering ice to the craft's science instruments
-
Mineral maps show widespread water on early Mars
16 July 2008
The highest-resolution spectrometry ever taken shows the planet's oldest terrain is rich in clay minerals, which formed in liquid water
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Is this the end for the plaster cast?
16 July 2008
Ankles may heal faster and better if patients are fitted with removable splints or braces that patients can take off daily
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Bonk: The curious coupling of sex and science by Mary Roach
16 July 2008
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Books to travel with: A Question of Blood, Aberystwyth Mon Amour & The Amateur Cracksman
16 July 2008
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Exotic ceramic could halve microwave cooking bills
16 July 2008
A new material heats food more efficiently by absorbing microwaves, speeding up the cooking process and cutting energy bills
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Super-sensitive controller opens Wii to music
16 July 2008
Nintendo announces a new hand-held device that allows more subtle gameplay and sports moves, as well as virtual instruments
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Water fleas 'mail' their eggs from pond to pond
16 July 2008
While not able to survive outside water, Daphnia have found a way to send their eggs along with large predatory insects
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Losing the lasers turns CDs into memory sticks
16 July 2008
Memory transistors made from an alloy used to make CDs and DVDs can be smaller and longer lasting, say US researchers
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When acquiring mosquito-borne disease is a good thing
16 July 2008
It seems counter-intuitive, but rapid, multiple infections of painful dengue fever endow better resistance - should we learn to live with mosquitoes?
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Satellite cutbacks could leave us blind at the poles
16 July 2008
If current climate satellites fail, slashed funding will mean the next generation of instruments may not be launched in time
-
Printable ads boost ignored web campaigns
16 July 2008
By ensuring that online ads also appear on printouts of web pages, advertisers get the attention they desire
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First Europeans shunned Neanderthal sex
16 July 2008
Cro-Magnon DNA contains no trace of Neanderthal DNA, and claims of possible contamination from modern humans have been quashed
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Gizmo
16 July 2008
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What price more food?
16 July 2008
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Brains apart: The real difference between the sexes
16 July 2008
The human brain is complex enough. But imagine if there were not one, but two, says Hannah Hoag
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Liming the oceans
16 July 2008
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Survival of the nastiest
16 July 2008
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Medicare muddle
16 July 2008
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Interview: It's a dog's life...again
16 July 2008
Will you miss your dog when it's gone? Willing to splash out on a clone? Then biotech entrepreneur Lou Hawthorne knows just the man
-
Circumcision: To cut or not to cut?
16 July 2008
There's an almighty rumpus over the pros and cons of circumcision. Vivien Marx investigates
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Books to travel with: Final Theory by Mark Alpert
16 July 2008
A physics thriller, in which Einstein's unified theory drives the action, is the perfect beach reading for the physics geek who likes a dose of action
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Because it's there
16 July 2008
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For the record
16 July 2008
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World with less oil
16 July 2008
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The trouble with trust
16 July 2008
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Define me not
16 July 2008
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There are alternatives
16 July 2008
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Monstrous regiment
16 July 2008
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Web of interest
16 July 2008
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Cap and share carbon
16 July 2008
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Cost of green virtue
16 July 2008
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World without oil
16 July 2008
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Books to travel with: What the Nose Knows: The science of scent in everyday life by Avery Gilbert
16 July 2008
Seeking a tour with a twist? This one through the realm of smell will awaken your senses
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Feedback
16 July 2008
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Books to travel with: Coral: A pessimist in paradise by Steve Jones
16 July 2008
Steve Jones's journey through coral reefs is essential reading – but you might want to leave it in your bag until the flight home
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60 Seconds
16 July 2008
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Mars sample mission carries $8 billion price tag
16 July 2008
The estimated cost of returning rock samples to Earth dwarfs that of previous missions – but it could reveal if the Red Planet ever hosted life
-
Soundbites
16 July 2008
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CD alloy boosts flash card memory
16 July 2008
The alloy used to store data in CDs and DVDs could also be used to increase the capacity of flash memory cards
-
Submarine eruption bled Earth's oceans of oxygen
16 July 2008
A vast undersea eruption 93 million years ago may killed nearly a third of all marine life
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A taste for the rare may drive sturgeon to extinction
16 July 2008
Snobbish attitudes drive a strong preference for caviar supposedly from "rare" species, even when the samples are the same
-
Killing mosquitoes increases dengue fever deaths
16 July 2008
Targeting the mosquitoes that carry dengue fever is the only way to fight the disease, but this can make the deadliest form of the illness more prevalent
-
Google Earth reveals Afghanistan's hidden treasures
16 July 2008
Archaeologists are using Google Earth's satellite images to uncover previously unknown sites and add new detail to known ones
-
Dying Tasmanian devils turn to teen pregnancies
16 July 2008
In populations affected by the deadly devil facial tumour disease, females show extreme levels of precocious sexual behaviour
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Ice maths
16 July 2008
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Net rage
16 July 2008
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Books to travel with: Guesstimation by Lawrence Weinstein and John A Adam
16 July 2008
What better travel companion than a book that helps you work out the risk of a shark attack compared to the drive you just took to the beach?
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Books to travel with: The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
16 July 2008
This fictional tale of Nikola Tesla gets closer to the man than any biography
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Books to travel with: The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester
16 July 2008
Joseph Needham is credited with changing the West's view of China, revealing a hotbed of invention – this is the story of his monumental quest
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Commentary: Cash prizes won't solve our energy problems
16 July 2008
Breaking America's dependence on oil will take years of painstaking research, says Lawrence Krauss
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Books to travel with: Riffing on Strings edited by Sean Miller and Shveta Verma
16 July 2008
A book on creative writing and string theory? It's got the potential to go horribly awry, but this collection of writing is stellar
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Books to travel with: Central Park in the Dark by Marie Winn
16 July 2008
You don't need to leave the city to witness real wildness – as this celebration of wildlife in New York's Central Park shows
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Middle-age spread
16 July 2008
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Seaweed sucker vacuums up invasive reef algae
16 July 2008
A giant vacuum hose attached to a barge is ridding reefs of suffocating algae, with amazing and lasting results
-
Editorial: Economic theory just isn't up to scratch
16 July 2008
Traditional economic models did not foresee the deepening financial crisis in the US – it's time for a root-and-branch rethink of economic theory
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Climate change may increase kidney stones
16 July 2008
As temperatures rise, more people will be put at risk of developing kidney stones, say researchers
-
Who's the brightest star of all?
15 July 2008
The Milky Way's current record holder, Eta Carinae, has some competition in the Peony nebula star
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Astronauts prepare space station for new parking spot
15 July 2008
Spacewalkers lay the groundwork for an extra berthing port at the space station for when the crew size doubles to six next year
-
US floods to create record 'dead zone'
15 July 2008
Chemicals in runoff following the devastating floods in the Midwest this summer are having a knock-on effect on marine life many miles away
-
Dirt-repelling tube promises cheap, pure water
15 July 2008
Removing bugs and dirt from water may be as simple as passing the liquid through a thin plastic pipe, say rearchers
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Bush lifts ban on oil drilling in coastal waters
15 July 2008
Restrictions set in place after the Exxon Valdez disaster have been lifted by the US president, but the move is largely symbolic
-
Fruit 'lungs' explain why pears rot faster
15 July 2008
Their existence has been hypothesised for years, now scientists have used powerful X-ray machines to map hidden channels between the cells of fruit
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To put up an oil rig, follow that clam
15 July 2008
A digging device inspired by razor clams could help anchor offshore oil rigs, and has netted $6.5 million of oil industry funding
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UK to get superfast broadband by 2012
15 July 2008
The fibre-optic system to be rolled out by telecoms firm BT will allow high-bandwidth activities from the home
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New Centrino chip to feature city-wide wireless
15 July 2008
The new generation WiMax-enabled chips could change the landscape of wireless internet connection, says maker Intel
-
Earth's hum predicts quake danger spots
15 July 2008
Ocean waves create a constant seismic background noise that can be used to forecast how destructive quakes will be
-
Killer asteroid predictions 'off by millions of miles'
15 July 2008
The solar system's most dangerous rock, Apophis, could be more of a threat to Earth than thought
-
Distant solar system body named 'Makemake'
14 July 2008
The large object 2005 FY9 is christened after an Easter Island deity – but naming the next 'plutoid' may be much more controversial
-
Devils get pregnant early to avoid cancer
14 July 2008
In a desperate bid to survive, Tasmanian devils are showing precocious sexual behaviour in populations ravaged by a fatal facial tumour disease
-
Climate pain ahead for folk in the 'kidney stone belt'
14 July 2008
As the climate warms in coming years, higher rates of dehydration will encourage painful kidney stones and a big bill for hospitalisations
-
Ebola-like virus returns to Europe after 40 years
14 July 2008
The Marburg virus has killed a Dutch woman who recently visited Uganda – New Scientist takes a closer look at the virus and its history
-
Sturgeon swimming towards 'extinction vortex'
14 July 2008
Irrational preferences for rare products are likely to drive the few remaining caviar sturgeon in the Caspian Sea to extinction, warn biologists
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Four artificial new letters for the DNA alphabet
14 July 2008
A new form of the molecule of life, with no natural bases, could find a use in tomorrow's electronic devices
-
Underwater neutrino telescope looks down to see sky
14 July 2008
Astronomers have finished building a detector called ANTARES under the Mediterranean Sea – it will look through the Earth at the southern sky
-
Robot chef gets a boost from wireless kitchen
14 July 2008
The most advanced robot butler yet can carry out simple tasks in a real kitchen, helped by electronic ID tags and, eventually, an online database
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Seven reasons why people hate reason
14 July 2008
In a series of essays, our contributors look more carefully at some of the most provocative charges against reason. The results suggest that for all the Enlightenment has achieved, we still have a lot of work to do.
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Party laser 'blinds' Russian ravers
14 July 2008
More than 30 victims seek treatment for retinal damage after a powerful outdoor laser is turned on a crowd of revellers
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World on the verge of the last great land grab
14 July 2008
Booming demand for resources as the world's population surges from 6 to 9 billion will put unsustainable demand on the remaining forests
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Invention: Artificial whiskers
14 July 2008
This week's patent applications include artificial hairs to act as environmental sensors, a new way of predicting extreme Atlantic hurricanes, and a smart stethoscope that can "hear" heart disease
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Contaminated US site faces 'catastrophic' nuclear leak
14 July 2008
The risk of a serious leak from a storage site for nuclear and chemical waste in Washington State is sharply increasing by the year
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Spinal implant grows with the patient
14 July 2008
Engineers have developed an implant to correct curvature of the spine that "grows" with the child and harvests energy from their movements
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Making formula milk more like mum's
14 July 2008
Infant formula is a poor substitute for breast milk, but researchers want to add some of the missing ingredients that make a mother's milk so special
-
Stellar theft sends guilty star into a spin
14 July 2008
Astronomers have found the remnants of a star close to Regulus, one of the brightest in the sky, which could explain its odd pumpkin shape
-
The monk who went to hell in a basket
14 July 2008
When Friar Blas del Castillo climbed into the mouth of a Nicaraguan volcano in 1538 he became America's first volcanologist
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Flatfish caught evolving, thanks to its roving eye
13 July 2008
Fossil fish with eyes in different places on the two sides of their skulls reveal an intermediate step in the evolution of modern flatfish
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How we can learn from children with half a brain
13 July 2008
Nico and Brooke have both had brain hemispheres removed yet the boys are defying neuroscientific wisdom to do things they shouldn't be able to do
-
Tiny fishing reel gets DNA researchers out of a tangle
13 July 2008
A plastic "microbobbin" allows researchers to more accurately locate specific genes by neatly winding up the long, fiddly strands
-
Hormone-loaded spearguns make captive tuna spawn
12 July 2008
An EU-funded project has yielded 10 million fertilised eggs from caged tuna, a breakthrough that could see the overfished bluefin reared in farms
-
Drivers are safer with a passenger at their side
12 July 2008
The responsibility drivers feel towards the safety of their companions outweighs any distraction from talking to them
-
How bats made the leap from gliding to flying
12 July 2008
An analysis of bat and flying-squirrel wings hints that bats may have developed rudimentary flapping as their wings became less suited to gliding
-
Frog princes woo with a song and a sac
11 July 2008
A robotic frog that bulges in all the right places has shown that a well-synced vocal sac is crucial for finding a mate
-
The moonbots have landed
11 July 2008
What will it take to persuade the moon to give up its secrets? Maybe a global space mission would do it, says Dana Mackenzie
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Hot super-Earths could host life after all
11 July 2008
The massive, rocky worlds – even those orbiting searingly close to their stars – may provide the right conditions for life
-
Astronauts remove explosive bolt in risky spacewalk
11 July 2008
Similar bolts on Soyuz spacecraft are suspected of failing to fire during atmospheric re-entry, causing bumpy landings
-
Giant vacuum cleaner leaves reefs thriving
11 July 2008
Sucking problem algae from beneath the sea may sound like a futile task, but a trial shows the technique can help preserve coral reefs
-
Sneeze-sensing software gives avatars a good laugh
11 July 2008
Digital representations of people that copy actions such as laughing or sneezing could take online communication to new levels of realism
-
Side-effects analysis reveals new uses for old drugs
11 July 2008
Looking into the links between over 700 common drugs has revealed hundreds of pharmaceutical surprises
-
Nanotubes bring artificial photosynthesis a step nearer
11 July 2008
Carbon nanotubes have the right properties to allow a key step in photosynthesis that has eluded chemists until now, say experts
-
Chelation trial for heart disease under fire
11 July 2008
Why is the world's biggest biomedical research agency backing a trial for an alternative therapy involving doctors with criminal and disciplinary records?
-
Organic dye lets window panes harvest the Sun
10 July 2008
Trapping sunlight inside normal sheets of glass could reduce the cost of generating photovoltaic power
-
Corals join frogs and toads as world's most endangered
10 July 2008
Over a quarter of reef-building corals are threatened by extinction, suggests first comprehensive review of tropical coral species
-
Astronauts to remove explosive bolt in risky spacewalk
10 July 2008
The bolt, on a Soyuz ship docked to the space station, might otherwise fail to fire during atmospheric re-entry, causing a bumpy landing
-
Iran tests more missiles as a 'lesson for enemies'
10 July 2008
Iran test-fired missiles for the second day in a row on Thursday – the US responded that it was ready to defend its allies
-
Referees award more points when they see red
10 July 2008
Olympic sports such as boxing could be at risk of unconscious bias from refs who see competitors wearing red as being more dominant
-
Archaeologists to refuse help over possible Iran strike
10 July 2008
After failures in protecting historical sites in the Iraq war, archaeologists vow not to help the US military compile a list of similar sites in Iran
-
Shrinking chip could keep us on track with Moore's law
10 July 2008
Etching silicon using laser interference patterns could help computer chips reduce even further in size
-
Volcano spews lethal acid brew
10 July 2008
An acidic flood from the crater lake of an Alaskan volcano killed fish, defoliated trees and lined the now-polluted local lakes with red scum
-
Ten people die from new CJD-like disease
09 July 2008
An unusual form of fatal dementia that seems distinct from existing forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has come to light in the US
-
Jupiter's third red spot torn apart by siblings
09 July 2008
The planet's Great Red Spot and Red Spot Jr dismembered their little brother last week when it tried to come between them
-
Now the Moon reveals its water
09 July 2008
An analysis of volcanic glass collected during the Apollo missions reveals the Moon's interior may hold as much water as Earth's
-
New legal threat to teaching evolution in the US
09 July 2008
Religious groups hostile to the idea of evolution have adopted a cynical new tactic in Louisiana, says Amanda Gefter
-
Solar-powered asteroids make their own moons
09 July 2008
Most asteroids with moonlets started off as solitary bodies that split in two while sunbathing, new computer simulations suggest
-
Brain implant helps stroke victim speak again
09 July 2008
An implant and specialised software interpret the paralysed man's brain signals and produce recognisable sounds
-
Iran test fires long-range missiles
09 July 2008
Iran warns it could retaliate against military strikes over its disputed nuclear activities, but analysts say its capabilities are limited
-
Common drugs may combat ageing disease
09 July 2008
Two drugs used to treat cholesterol and osteoporosis have reversed the effects of progeria, a premature ageing disease, in mice
-
Books to travel with
09 July 2008
Whether you're planning a weekend trip or the holiday of a lifetime, make sure you have some stimulating books to take with you
-
Embracing icebergs sing eerie duets
09 July 2008
Strange sounds crossing the oceans have been traced to icebergs – and the phenomenon could help us better understand earthquakes
-
Smart contact lens feels the pressure of glaucoma
09 July 2008
A new way of printing circuits into contact lenses could allow real-time monitoring of the eye condition, say researchers
-
Scientists find smoking gun for diabetes sperm damage
09 July 2008
Sperm of men with diabetes may appear healthy under the microscope, but their testes may be less able to repair damaged DNA, say researchers
-
Cleaner skies explain surprise rate of warming
09 July 2008
A decrease in air pollution may account for half of the warming experienced in Europe over the last 30 years
-
Lab-grown meat could ease food shortage
09 July 2008
In a world where food is short, raising livestock is a terribly inefficient use of grain. So why are we still getting our meat from animals, asks Anna Olsson
-
Fossilised 'sausages' could reveal dinosaur colours
09 July 2008
Ancient bird fossils have yielded the remains of pouches that produce colour – the same technique could be applied to dinosaurs
-
Review: Nature's Clocks by Doug Macdougall
09 July 2008
We owe a lot to the burgeoning science of geochronology
-
Try THISP for size
09 July 2008
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Review: Darwin's Garden by Michael Boulter
09 July 2008
The garden at Down House, Darwin's home for 40 years, was a hub of scientific activity that paved the way for much of today's biological sciences
-
Frozen embryos give bouncier babies
09 July 2008
Babies from embryos that were frozen after fertilisation have a higher birth weight than those that have not been frozen
-
Dextrous dilemma
09 July 2008
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Commentary: Don't accept this tainted money
09 July 2008
New Scientist doesn't accept ads from organisations that say "God is the answer". A C Grayling doesn't think that goes far enough
-
Soundbites
09 July 2008
-
Love makes you blind to sexy strangers
09 July 2008
Thinking about love subconsciously directs visual attention away from attractive faces of the opposite sex
-
Brain's mood regulator implicated in cot death
09 July 2008
A study in mice suggests that imbalances in a brain chemical called serotonin may trigger sudden infant death syndrome
-
Governments urged to crack down on 'transplant tourism'
09 July 2008
A global declaration calls for an end to organ trafficking, and for surgeons who continue the practice to be stripped of their medical qualifications
-
Comment: The developing world needs its own science journals
09 July 2008
The lack of local journals in which to publish scientific research, in particular in fields such as health, can have serious consequences
-
'Extinct' languages
09 July 2008
-
Brain implant lets paralysed man talk again
09 July 2008
Erik Ramsey is learning to make the sounds of speech again, thanks software that interprets his brain signals
-
Giant rubber snake may be the future of wave power
09 July 2008
A flexible water-filled cylinder that generates electricity as it is hit by waves is very efficient and offers benefits over sea-energy devices
-
Gizmo
09 July 2008
-
What price more food?
09 July 2008
-
Bias bias
09 July 2008
-
Let's not make a deity
09 July 2008
-
Melting ice sheets will send slow wave around globe
09 July 2008
Low-lying Pacific islands may get a few unexpected decades reprieve from rising seas, but look out Europe and North America
-
Grasslands may be resistant to climate-led invasions
09 July 2008
The lack of nutrients in some grasslands and tropical rainforests makes them resistant to invasion by non-native species when the climate alters
-
The supercontinent that ate itself
09 July 2008
Pangaea, the most recent supercontinent in Earth's history, may have consumed part of itself – a previously unknown process in plate tectonics
-
Interview: From rock'n'roll to the sounds of nature
09 July 2008
Bernie Krause gave up his musical career to record the natural sounds of endangered soundscapes before they are lost forever
-
Feedback
09 July 2008
-
Foil attack
09 July 2008
-
Cleaner fish stations are a reef safe haven
09 July 2008
The soothing calm of a cleaner fish massage turns vicious predators into placid neighbours
-
Creationists launch cynical attack on school science
09 July 2008
Creationists have been repeatedly thwarted in their attempts to introduce religious thinking into science classes in the US - now they have a new tactic
-
Mystery mist
09 July 2008
-
Can you turn teeth into sperm?
09 July 2008
Researchers claim they took stem cells from human teeth and injected them into the testes of mice to produce sperm, but some experts are sceptical
-
We're so special
09 July 2008
-
Plutoid cream
09 July 2008
-
School democracy
09 July 2008
-
Rewriting Darwin: The new non-genetic inheritance
09 July 2008
The idea that children can inherit characteristics that their parents acquired during their lifetime is coming in from the cold
-
Oil prudence
09 July 2008
-
Gay abandon
09 July 2008
-
60 Seconds
09 July 2008
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Trust him, he's a lawyer
09 July 2008
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Solar moonshine
09 July 2008
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Value added tact
09 July 2008
-
Giddy capital
09 July 2008
-
Lucky Hubble find raises star cluster mystery
08 July 2008
While observing our own Milky Way, Hubble accidentally imaged star clusters in a distant galaxy that appear puzzlingly red
-
Rings, dunes and geysers: The best Cassini images
08 July 2008
Experience the beauty of Saturn and its moons close-up with Carolyn Porco, head of the Cassini mission's imaging team
-
Eight new natural wonders added to Heritage List
08 July 2008
Sites include Surtsey, formed by volcanic eruptions in the 1960s, pristine lagoons and a Canadian fossil bed that hosts the earliest known reptiles
-
Why G8 climate pledge doesn't go far enough
08 July 2008
The world's leading economic powers have agreed to emissions cuts, but lack of precise figures has disappointed environmentalists
-
Pulling a tooth could lead to tailor-made sperm
08 July 2008
Stem cells from human teeth have been coaxed into becoming sperm by injecting them into the testes of mice, claim researchers
-
Miniaturised scanner zooms in on disease
08 July 2008
A revolutionary portable NMR scanner in combination with magnetic nanoparticles can spot tiny amounts of bacteria in samples
-
Transplant tourists running out of destinations
08 July 2008
Experts from 78 countries have called on governments to ban transplants of organs taken from vulnerable people
-
Rainforests get a climate boost from UK grassland
08 July 2008
Many of the world's nutrient-poor ecosystems may turn out to be surprisingly resistant to the ecological effects of climate change
-
Nanoparticle 'smart bomb' homes in on cancer
08 July 2008
A promising new treatment in mice seeks out and destroys the blood vessels that nourish aggressive cancers without poisoning the whole body
-
Did 'burrowing' placenta give us big brains?
08 July 2008
A hormone which allows the placenta to push into the wall of the uterus in some primates might also have played a key role in brain evolution
-
Frozen embryos do better in IVF
08 July 2008
Concerns that freezing embryos for IVF could be harmful may have been laid to rest by a study that finds fresh embryos actually do worse
-
Space experts prepare for Martian land grab
07 July 2008
Returning Mars rocks to Earth could be our best hope of answering long-standing questions about Mars and whether the planet ever hosted life
-
Old newspaper could be worth its weight in gold
07 July 2008
A gel made from pulped newspapers and chemicals is particularly good at reclaiming precious metals from industrial solutions, say researchers
-
Synchronising 'heartbeat' saves sensor batteries
07 July 2008
"Pumping" data around a network could help sensors' batteries to last much longer by allowing them to switch off between beats
-
Toyota Prius may get 'symbolic' solar panels
07 July 2008
The next generation of the gasoline-electric hybrid car will be fitted with solar panels to power on-board electrical equipment, it is reported
-
Hyena has hidden 'language' of groans
07 July 2008
The communicative mammals are famous for their giggling calls, but groans have been found to be an important facet of their vocal repertoire
-
Invention: Eco-friendly tattoo removals
07 July 2008
This week's inventions include a more environmentally friendly way to remove tattoos, radiation dosage tests that don't need a medic to administer, and tough turbines for desert-bound jets
-
Greenland meltwater will take slow wave around globe
07 July 2008
Low-lying Pacific islands may get a few unexpected decades safe from rising seas, but look out Europe and North America
-
Love really is blind, or at least blinkered
07 July 2008
Attractive people of the opposite sex are repulsive when you're in love, finds a study – perhaps so you gain a reproductive advantage
-
Wasps use parasitic mites as baby bodyguards
07 July 2008
In a previously unsuspected relationship, the potter wasp goes as far as offering a home to a parasitic mite that helps fight off intruders at its nest
-
Land purchase is big, wet boost for Florida Everglades
07 July 2008
The state is set to buy 75,000 hectares of agricultural land and restore it to marsh – this should help ensure a supply of freshwater for the ecosystem
-
Nature 2.0: Redefining conservation
07 July 2008
In the face of rapid environmental change, preserving the status quo is no longer an option, says Sharon Oosthoek
-
To silence a gene, join the quantum dots
07 July 2008
Quantum dots – tiny pieces of semiconductor – turn out to be extremely good at making deliveries inside living cells
-
Lithium: The hole in the big bang theory
07 July 2008
What really happened in the first few minutes after the big bang? One element could hold the answer, says Matthew Chalmers
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Pac-Man supercontinent ate itself to pieces
06 July 2008
The Pangaea supercontinent may have torn itself apart as it stretched to close up a gap occupied by an ancient ocean
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Sex offenders unlikely to commit second crime
06 July 2008
Sex crime statistics often make depressing reading, but newly released figures from California show that very few sex offenders reoffend
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Should researchers tell over bad news brain scans?
06 July 2008
Scientists face a dilemma over what action to take when an MRI scan finds something untoward in a study participant's brain
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Fresh puzzle over dark energy supernovae
05 July 2008
The supernovae that astronomers use to measure dark energy's affect on the universe's expansion have more complex origins than we thought
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Wind power sails ahead in UK as US solar plans freeze
05 July 2008
The UK government has big plans for wind farms off its coast, but similarly bold plans for solar power in the US are put on hold
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Cosmic blasts may throw out plasma 'cannonballs'
05 July 2008
Discrete chunks rather than jets of plasma may be behind some of the universe's most powerful explosions
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Cleaner fish calms predators with caresses
04 July 2008
The parasite-eating fish turns its "cleaning stations" into reef safe havens, not only for itself, but for other species too
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Giant rubber snake could be the future of wave power
04 July 2008
A flexible water-filled cylinder that produces electricity as it is hit by waves is very efficient and offers benefits over other sea-energy devices
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Body-sensing shirt could sharpen up your tennis swing
04 July 2008
Clothing that can reveal exactly which of a person's muscles are active provides detailed feedback to sportsmen and women
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Solar sail gets another chance for launch
04 July 2008
As early as the end of July 2008, NASA plans to test solar sail technology in orbit with a tiny spacecraft called NanoSail-D
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Do we have the technology to build a bionic human?
04 July 2008
Electronic eyes give sight to the blind, while functioning penises are grown in the lab. New Scientist investigates the body shop of the near future
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3D modelling gets the measure of stone axes
04 July 2008
Archaeology is set to become more precise by using imaging software to get objective measurements of artefacts like stone axes
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Mercury: The incredible shrinking planet
03 July 2008
Data from the Messenger probe suggests Mercury has a molten core that is cooling and causing the whole planet to contract
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Pulsar's wobble provides new Einstein test
03 July 2008
An extremely rare alignment between Earth and a pair of dense stars called pulsars reveals how bodies wobble in the presence of gravity
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Brain chemical may have role in cot death
03 July 2008
Infant mice that produce less serotonin are more likely to die soon after birth – the finding may lead to ways to predict the deadly condition
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Greenland ice sheet slams the brakes on
03 July 2008
Fears that meltwater could increase the speed at which glaciers flow into the sea, rapidly destroying the ice sheet, may be unfounded
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Wine chemical improves health but not longevity
03 July 2008
Two studies find ways to improve the health of mice, but fail to find any life-extending effect with either the chemical or a key ageing protein
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Microwave ray gun controls crowds with noise
03 July 2008
A weapon that can project sounds directly into people's heads causes pain and incapacitation, and could be built inside a year
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Lack of cracks may explain Peru meteorite mystery
03 July 2008
A meteorite that hit the town of Carancas last year may not have fragmented in the atmosphere because it was unusually tough
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Interview: It's a dog's life... again
03 July 2008
Will you miss your dog when it's gone? Willing to fork out on a clone? Then biotech entrepreneur Lou Hawthorne knows just the man
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Why satnavs are a detective's best friend
03 July 2008
The location records routinely stored by in-car GPS units are a treasure trove of personal data, police investigators say
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Global treaty promises hard times for file sharers
03 July 2008
Distributing or downloading copyrighted material will become a criminal offence if a new G8 treaty comes into force
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Tiny scanner may monitor astronauts' mental health
03 July 2008
A portable brain scanner may one day monitor astronauts for signs of brain injury or stress – but space crews might oppose its use
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Why continents split up and get back together
02 July 2008
A simulation of processes deep in the Earth shows how an insulating effect may help drive the formation of supercontinents
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Did newborn Earth harbour life?
02 July 2008
An Australian rock deposit hints that life may have emerged 250 million years into Earth's history – nearly a billion years earlier than thought
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No place to hide for herpes virus
02 July 2008
The cold sore virus lurks in neurons by switching off its "escape" proteins, making it difficult to kill – but turning them back on could drive it out
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Which countries would you pick for your climate team?
02 July 2008
A new map shows which countries are doing the most to combat climate change, with Latvia and Slovakia getting top marks
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Steam car to go for land speed record
02 July 2008
A record more than a century old could fall to a bizarre collection of kettle elements and power-station parts – if the car can be made to work
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Air travel in the tropics is worse for climate
02 July 2008
The effect of bright sunlight increases the production of the greenhouse gas ozone from aircraft exhaust fumes
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Decline in bee diversity could sting crop producers
02 July 2008
It isn't just the sheer number of bees that counts when it comes to pollinating flowering plants, the bees' size, shape and behaviour matter too
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It's a wonderful cosmos
02 July 2008
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Visceral politics
02 July 2008
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Review: Rebels, Mavericks, and Heretics in Biology edited by Oren Harman and Michael R Dietrich
02 July 2008
What's special about scientists who challenge the consensus? This collection of stories about 19 dissenting biologists finds out
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Review: The End of Food by Paul Roberts and Eat Your Heart Out by Felicity Lawrence
02 July 2008
The food crisis we face today isn't going to be resolved unless we take serious action, say two authors
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You're so special
02 July 2008
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Review: Cosmic Anger by Gordon Fraser
02 July 2008
The Islamic world's greatest scientist in 1000 years was exiled. This biography reminds Jim al-Khalili of how much catching up Islamic countries have to do
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Commentary: How Einstein kept it simple
02 July 2008
A letter written by the great man on religion is evidence of a clear, brave intellect, says Lawrence Krauss
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Review: Relativity: A Very Short Introduction by Russell Stannard
02 July 2008
Need a clear explanation of Einstein's theory of relativity? Try Russell Stannard's very short introduction
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Smart camera keeps an eye on endangered penguins
02 July 2008
Chest markings on African penguins allow a computer to identify snapshots of individuals without disturbing the colony
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Feedback
02 July 2008
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Bags of sleep
02 July 2008
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Exhibition: Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef
02 July 2008
This woolly reef looks harmless enough, but hides some seriously mind-stretching geometry
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What price more food?
02 July 2008
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You're so special
02 July 2008
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Saving savants
02 July 2008
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Farmers' forty factor
02 July 2008
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Locust lunch
02 July 2008
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What price more food?
02 July 2008
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Henge bodge
02 July 2008
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Sailing into harm's way
02 July 2008
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Me and my genome
02 July 2008
What's it like to get a glimpse of your genetic destiny in a personalised DNA readout? New Scientist speaks to six people about their experience
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Cold war 'caterpillar drive' could harvest sea power
02 July 2008
A failed method of powering submarines with superconducting magnets rather than propellers may instead end up generating energy from tidal currents
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For better or worse
02 July 2008
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The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind
02 July 2008
An account of one of 20th-century physics's biggest battles provides a vivid human portrait of two intellectual heavyweights, says Amanda Gefter
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The language detective
02 July 2008
Linguist Steven Pinker says that grammar can reveal a huge amount about how we think and the way we act
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Count the rings
02 July 2008
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Olympics drug cheats may go undetected
02 July 2008
The test for detecting an illegal blood-boosting chemical has been found to be unreliable in the run up to the Beijing games
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Cane toads kill off river crocodiles
02 July 2008
As the toxic front of cane toads marches across Australia, it leaves mass death of crocodiles in its wake
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Secret sleep of birds revealed in brain scans
02 July 2008
Zebra finches show many features of sleep that had previously been assumed to be the sole preserve of mammals
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Shaking up the bird family tree
02 July 2008
The most robust reconstruction of avian evolutionary history reveals some surprising close relatives
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Diet-sized snack packs turn off willpower
02 July 2008
Could "diet packs" make you fatter? A study finds that people eat more from tiny bags of unhealthy foods than they do from full-sized packets
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Youthful 'nurse' cells could restore male fertility
02 July 2008
Some forms of male infertility might be treated by winding back the developmental clock of the cells in the testes that protect developing sperm
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DNA-chopping molecule makes cells resistant to HIV
02 July 2008
The molecule sabotages a gene for a surface protein to which the HIV virus must attach before it can infect white blood cells
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Gizmo
02 July 2008
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Satnavs stop criminal trail turning cold
02 July 2008
Personal data recovered from by satellite navigation systems has helped London's Metropolitan Police to solve crimes including kidnap, the grooming of children, murder and terrorism
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Can cow hormone help battle climate change?
02 July 2008
A synthetic growth hormone produced by biotech food giant Monsanto could reduce methane gas emissions and cut energy used in dairy production
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The universal language of charades
02 July 2008
Even though spoken languages use different sentence structures, the differences disappear when we communicate with gestures
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Blanket effect flips Earth's insides
02 July 2008
A table-top simulation of Earth's interior shows how the insulating effect of continents can change the mantle flow that drives plate tectonics
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Editorial: Dilemmas posed by chance research results
02 July 2008
What should researchers do when they discover unlooked-for information that has serious implications for a subject's health?
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The hole truth
02 July 2008
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60 Seconds
02 July 2008
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TV boom may boost greenhouse effect
02 July 2008
A chemical being used in ever larger quantities to make flat-screen TVs may make global warming worse, but no-one knows by how much
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List reveals countries failing on climate change
02 July 2008
A "climate cooperation index" reveals the countries that aren't pulling their weight when it comes to tackling global warming
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Soundbites
02 July 2008
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Disgust comes in three revolting flavours
02 July 2008
Brain scans reveal the origins of disgust towards putrid pathogens, inappropriate sexual behaviours and moral transgressions
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Hubble snaps ghostly ribbon of light
02 July 2008
The faint, twisting ribbon is actually a fast-moving shock wave from a supernova that exploded in the Middle Ages
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Will huge health plan make guinea pigs of UK citizens?
01 July 2008
Giving most British patients the potential to participate in clinical trials could save lives, but privacy and safety must be paramount, says Andy Coghlan
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Can the US get Beyond Einstein?
01 July 2008
A NASA mission to study dark energy may be too expensive to begin in 2009, as planned
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Fred's Footprint: Fair trade or environmentally friendly?
01 July 2008
Fred Pearce finds that fair trade does have some economic benefits for farmers, but "environmental" coffee does them little good
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Springy sediments may amplify tsunamis
01 July 2008
The quake behind the 2004 tsunami generated a taller wave than expected – flexible sediment on the seafloor could explain the difference
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'Gordon Gekko' trading bot profits from mood swings
01 July 2008
By getting more aggressive when market conditions demand it, a new virtual trader can be 5% more profitable than existing programs
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Californian wildfires claim life of rare condor chick
01 July 2008
Natural fires that forced conservationists to evacuate a field site in California's Big Sur have killed one of the endangered birds
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Quick-thinking ants trim foliage to fit
01 July 2008
Faced with a restrictive obstacle in their path, leaf-cutter ants are able to tailor their trimmings to keep the production line moving
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Counting monkeys tick off yet another 'human' ability
01 July 2008
Rhesus macaques that can add dots and sounds at the same time suggest that some mathematical abilities could be a boon in the wild
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Roundest objects in the world created
01 July 2008
Crystals of pure silicon have been ground into nearly perfect spheres by master craftsmen – they could be used to redefine the kilogram