July - 2009 Articles
-
Innovation: Award-winning product design of 2009
31 July 2009
See some of New Scientist's favourites from this year's International Design Excellence Awards, including a cookbook you can taste, shoes made from trash, and a genius cheese grater
-
Hasta la vista, baby
31 July 2009
Scientists start to examine the dark side of artificial intelligence and ask, could computer networks evolve to be evil?
-
Snapshots from inside an exploding star
31 July 2009
Physicists at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago have used a supercomputer to model the extreme physics of a supernova explosion
-
Why social networks like their privacy policies private
31 July 2009
Even networking sites with user-friendly policies take care not to remind members about privacy – user psychology may explain why
-
Orbiting gas station could refuel lunar missions
31 July 2009
Forget huge, expensive rockets: a plan being examined by the US government would allow smaller, cheaper rockets to fly to the moon and beyond
-
Evolution's third replicator: Genes, memes, and now what?
31 July 2009
There's a new type of evolution going on and it may not be to our liking, says Susan Blackmore
-
Review: Islands in the Cosmos by Dale A. Russell
31 July 2009
Dale A. Russell revives an important debate in evolutionary biology, arguing that life becomes progressively fitter and more competitive as time goes on
-
Ocean swimmers stir the seas
31 July 2009
Marine swimmers, such as jellyish, rival tides and wind in mixing up the oceans and may even help drive vertical currents that circulate nutrients
-
NASA panel may propose 'deep space' crewed missions
30 July 2009
While debate has focused mainly on whether NASA should send crews to the moon or Mars, a review committee has outlined a different plan, involving Venus flybys
-
Tide may be turning for overexploited fish stocks
30 July 2009
Thanks to more precise fishing methods, quotas and new marine reserves, some fisheries are on the rebound – but it's by no means all good news, finds a worldwide survey
-
Centuries-old sketches solve sunspot mystery
30 July 2009
A fresh look at sunspot drawings made in the 1700s reveals flawed assumptions behind some solar activity predictions
-
Glass leaf 'sweats' to generate electricity
30 July 2009
Artificial photosynthesis has yet to be cracked, but engineers say that synthetic leaves could be turned into power plants using transpiration instead
-
Review: Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
30 July 2009
The Mars trilogy author trains his telescope on Galileo, from the great man's work on mechanics and astronomy to his clash with the church – and there's a sci-fi twist
-
Alaska's biggest tundra fire sparks climate warning
30 July 2009
A charred region of the Arctic is pumping large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, finds an ecological assessment
-
Nuclear decay puzzle
30 July 2009
Working at a nuclear research centre as I do, I found Justin Mullins's article on seasonal variations in radioactive decay most intriguing...
-
What war is good for
30 July 2009
John Horgan argues that war is not an innate part of human nature, and discusses the possibility that the human race is heading towards a...
-
Mining company abandons orang-utan airlift
30 July 2009
An Anglo-Australian company has called off plans to airlift 48 Indonesian apes to a new reserve, but that could be good news
-
Inside the human body, Victorian-style
30 July 2009
The Wellcome Collection in London has a new exhibition called Exquisite Bodies, exploring the often bizarre Victorian approach to medical teaching and public titillation
-
Mysterious bright spot found on Venus
29 July 2009
An amateur astronomer found a new bright spot on Venus last week – volcanic activity, atmospheric turbulence, or charged particles from the sun may be to blame
-
Sloppy food labelling? You'd better believe it
29 July 2009
"MAY contain nonsense" might be a useful warning to append to food labels – only 10 per cent of products in the US labelled "may contain nuts" actually did, according to a recent study
-
Get the best from your genes
29 July 2009
If we're not careful, we could squander the great potential benefits of personal genomics
-
Big dwarf galaxies steal small ones' stars
29 July 2009
When two galaxies start to orbit and spin in tandem, the smallest is likely to lose all its stars
-
Stimulated discourse
29 July 2009
When discussing the female prostate, Elaine Morgan draws a comparison between it and human male nipples, which she describes as "functionless" analogues of the female...
-
Food allergies get curiouser and curiouser
29 July 2009
The more we find out about food allergies, the stranger they seem to get – yet discoveries are changing how we think about them, and how to protect people from them
-
Gene predictions tell an ever-changing story
29 July 2009
An analysis conducted for New Scientist shows how new discoveries in genetics can change the assessments of health risks by personal genomics firms
-
Solution to Enigma No. 1556
29 July 2009
-
Tell us your food allergies
29 July 2009
Tell us about your food allergies and help us build a map of food allergies around the world
-
Comment: Tuna can stay on the menu... for now
29 July 2009
Tuna are the latest fish to come with a health warning about exploitation and collapsing stocks, but the truth is rather different, says James Joseph
-
Did an ice age boost human brain size?
29 July 2009
Why did we humans evolve such big brains? Two new studies suggest it is no fluke that a big boom in brain size coincided with the onset of an ice age
-
Why dowsing makes perfect sense
29 July 2009
There's something irresistibly attractive about the supernatural – even when every fibre of our rational being kicks against it
-
Talking paperclip inspires less irksome virtual assistant
29 July 2009
Microsoft's "Clippy" gave software assistants a bad name, but a new helper developed by the US military hopes to be less annoying
-
Why children paint trees blue
29 July 2009
Children up to five years old may colour trees blue or grass red because their memories can't "bind" together the colour and shape of an object
-
Enigma of the 23-year-old baby
29 July 2009
In 1678 French surgeon Pierre Dionis discovered a leathery, fetus-like object in a "cabinet of curiosity" – could it have been the result of a two-decade pregnancy?
-
Should you trust health advice from the web?
29 July 2009
People are increasingly turning to the internet for health advice, but experts worry about the quality of the information they are receiving
-
Review: 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman
29 July 2009
A self-help book that is actually backed up by peer-reviewed research – find out how to be happier, procrastinate less, and improve your relationships
-
Robotic insect 'flight' may be just good vibrations
29 July 2009
Due to vibrations similar to those generated in a plucked guitar string, a robotic insect can defy gravity and "fly" up wire tethers
-
Scent of fear puts brain in emergency mode
29 July 2009
If you have ever felt fear when stuck in a crowded lift or on an aircraft flying through turbulence, you might have been responding to other people's fear pheromones
-
Synchronised blinking stops viewers missing the action
29 July 2009
By controlling the timing of blinks moviegoers limit how much of a movie they miss – and even end up blinking in unison
-
For the record
29 July 2009
In a lead-acid battery, it is the sulphate ions that are transferred between the electrolyte and the electrodes, not the lead as we said...
-
Fertile Crescent 'will disappear this century'
29 July 2009
Diverting water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to supply agriculture, alongside a warming climate, means the once-bountiful region is becoming desert
-
In a spin
29 July 2009
-
Tank life
29 July 2009
-
The otherness of poor footwear
29 July 2009
This week's Feedback reveals how to make self-destructing shoes, the importance of buying 4.49 cups, and why New Scientist can't count…
-
Hair-raising event
29 July 2009
-
Enigma Number 1556
29 July 2009
-
Out go the lights
29 July 2009
-
What's your poison?
29 July 2009
-
Converging cultures
29 July 2009
In common with other observers, most of your correspondents seem to agree that C. P. Snow's "two cultures" gap is now wider than ever...
-
What's hot on NewScientist.com
29 July 2009
-
Food fight brews at Guantanamo Bay
29 July 2009
While the US government says prisoners are well cared for, experts warn that doctors are breaking the rules by force-feeding prisoners
-
Help find a name for the third replicator
29 July 2009
If there is a third replicator already among us, what should we call it?
-
Viewfinder: Opinions from around the world
29 July 2009
-
Transparent metal could be the stuff of giant planets
29 July 2009
What kind of matter would you expect to find inside a giant planet? A strange transparent metal created by firing an X-ray laser at aluminium might hold some clues
-
Artificial Intelligence researchers confront sci-fi scenarios
29 July 2009
The potential threats posed by everything from smartphone viruses to machines that self-replicate are being debated by an elite panel of AI scientists
-
Chimps stay stuck in an innovative rut
29 July 2009
They may make simple tools and pass on skills to their groups, but apes seem to have curious limits to what they can learn
-
Erasing memories may stop cocaine cravings
29 July 2009
Sounds and smells that remind cocaine users of a previous high can induce cravings – now the neurons responsible for these associations have been deactivated in rats
-
Comets wreaked icy devastation on young Earth
29 July 2009
Greenland rocks suggest dirty ice balls assaulted the young moon and Earth, perhaps endowing our planet with its vast, life-nurturing oceans
-
Hotter weather fed growth of Incan empire
29 July 2009
The meteoric rise of the Incan civilisation was driven by a sustained period of warmer weather, research suggests
-
Super-evolved bug factories could yield drugs
29 July 2009
A new "evolution machine" has produced bacteria that make five times as much useful chemical as previous generations did
-
Social networks bury privacy policies to stay popular
29 July 2009
Online social networks keep mentions of privacy to a minimum to encourage most users to share data with impunity, argue two computer scientists
-
Wanted: humane mousetrap
29 July 2009
Despite a plethora of traps and killing methods, we have still failed to come up with a humane way of controlling vermin, says a report
-
'Recycled' space shuttle receives safety boost
29 July 2009
A potential alternative to NASA's Ares I rocket, based on existing space shuttle hardware, has received a boost from a new study
-
The stay-alive virus, First up the trees, and more
29 July 2009
-
Brain cells show surprise immunity to HIV
29 July 2009
Neurons can protect themselves against infection from HIV thanks to a protein that appears to lock out the virus
-
Monotony was 'most difficult part' of simulated Mars trip
28 July 2009
Six volunteers recently spent 3.5 months cooped up together in a simulated mission to Mars – they passed the time by writing letters and playing dice
-
Food fight brews at Guantanamo Bay
28 July 2009
While the US government says prisoners are well cared for, experts warn that doctors are breaking the rules by force-feeding prisoners
-
'Doctor' particle decides when to release drug payload
28 July 2009
Particles with a built-in logic gate can calculate when conditions are just right to release their therapeutic contents
-
Review: The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein
28 July 2009
Micro-blogging service Twitter is all the rage, but even experts admit that it is confusing to use – this primer should help the virgins and aficionados alike
-
Review: Cold by Bill Streever
28 July 2009
From historic polar expeditions to his own dip in an Arctic swimming hole, the author's narrative thaws the mysterious nature of cold.
-
Brain cells have natural resistance to HIV
28 July 2009
Neurons produce a protein that appears to lock out the virus, raising the possibility of new treatments against the disease
-
Painkillers are about to get safer
28 July 2009
A US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has recommended slashing the allowed dosage of paracetamol, while a safer alternative could be sold soon
-
Scary music is spookier with eyes shut
28 July 2009
A brain centre involved in sensing emotion and fear kicks into action when volunteers listen to horror-movie scores with eyes closed
-
Migrating red crabs driven by sugar rush
28 July 2009
The molecular mechanism responsible for the spectacular march of the Christmas Island red crabs has been discovered
-
Perils of the professional lab rat
28 July 2009
Thousands of people make their living scurrying from one clinical drug trial to the next – are they risking our health as well as their own?
-
Comets, not asteroids, to blame for moon's scarred face
27 July 2009
Greenland rocks suggest dirty snowballs pummelled the young moon and Earth, soaking our planet with life-nurturing oceans
-
Electronic tags track roaming hospital equipment
27 July 2009
Hospitals have resorted to using indoor tracking systems to monitor the whereabouts of equipment that all too easily goes astray
-
Telepathological
27 July 2009
Richard Wiseman claims to have proved that remote viewing does not work. Surely all he has proved is...
-
Malevolent Medea
27 July 2009
The research cited in Peter Ward's article may challenge James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis, that the Earth is a self...
-
Review: Addiction by Gene Heyman
27 July 2009
The claim that addiction is a disease lacks the science to back it up, according to a controversial new book
-
In search of the perfect mouse trap
27 July 2009
The world has a host of ways to trap or kill vermin, but none of them are completely humane, says a report
-
Smart machines: What's the worst that could happen?
27 July 2009
Everything from human-mimicking viruses to machines that self-replicate are being considered by an elite panel of AI scientists as they debate the potential risks of artificial intelligence
-
Light brings lakes to life
27 July 2009
The conventional wisdom that nutrients are the key players in lake productivity has been overturned
-
Fertile Crescent 'will disappear this century'
27 July 2009
Diverting water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to supply agriculture, alongside a warming climate, means the once-bountiful region is becoming desert
-
Is Pluto a planet after all?
27 July 2009
Poor Pluto was demoted, to the dismay of its many fans, but it could soon be returned triumphantly to full planet status
-
Lazy gene favours adventurous choices
27 July 2009
In a restaurant, do you order the dish you know you love or try a new one? A gene governing the amount of dopamine in a particular brain region may determine your answer
-
Last chance to save the gorilla
27 July 2009
With the number of gorillas still plummeting, the time for talking is over – it's time to get tough
-
Year of the disappearing ape
27 July 2009
The aims of the UN's initiative to protect the last gorillas are laudable – but they are a distraction from the pressing need for anti-poaching measures
-
Time to end the great Pluto debate
27 July 2009
Let's move on from the sterile argument about the meaning of the word planet – it changes nothing and risks bringing astronomy into disrepute
-
Hotter weather fed growth of Incan empire
27 July 2009
The meteoric rise of the Incan civilisation was driven by a sustained period of warmer weather, research suggests
-
Changing attitudes to gorillas
27 July 2009
The quickest way to end hunting is to step up anti-poaching patrols, confiscate and destroy illegal bushmeat, and clamp down on illegal firearms
-
What you can do to help gorillas
27 July 2009
Can you make a difference? Yes, you can
-
Transparent metal hints at nature of planets' cores
26 July 2009
A material that features in Star Trek has been produced using a powerful X-ray laser in a German lab – but only for a brief moment
-
Evolution machine speeds up search for better bugs
26 July 2009
A genome engineering machine that tweaks dozens of genes to create billions of bacterial strains in a few days could help produce biofuel or medicinal compounds in bulk
-
Plants get a boost from love hormone
26 July 2009
The "cuddle chemical" oxytocin is being put to a different use by farmers in India: boosting the growth of pumpkins and cucumbers
-
Project yourself
26 July 2009
Your letters pages have been replete with claims of priority for the experimental induction of out-of-body experiences...
-
B4 da world ens
26 July 2009
Viewfinder reported that one-in-three kids thinks the Earth will cease to exist before they grow up. I remember the...
-
Race is on for space-junk alarm system
26 July 2009
A worldwide network of radar stations could tackle the ever-growing problem of man-made debris that poses an increasing threat to spacecraft
-
Falling out of love with market myths
25 July 2009
When it comes to buying into economic theories to suit their interests, technology entrepreneurs are as bad as the bankers we demonise, says Terence Kealey
-
How to glue together a lighter spacecraft
25 July 2009
Rocket-driven spacecraft normally use strong, heavy-metal mountings to hold their fuel tanks in place within the fuselage – but there may be a better way
-
Craig Venter: Programming algae to pump out oil
25 July 2009
The genome sequencing pioneer has teamed up with Exxon Mobil to turn living algae into a source of oil – but how do they plan do it?
-
Don't panic. OK, panic
25 July 2009
New Scientist clearly does not espouse Bjørn Lomborg's Viewfinder soundbite when he calls for "a more reasoned, more constructive, and less frightening dialogue"...
-
Brainy boozers
25 July 2009
I was not as surprised as your reporter at the correlation between drinking alcohol and scores on memory tests taken by senior citizens...
-
England's homogenised woods are bad for biodiversity
25 July 2009
The woodlands of lowland England are becoming less diverse, even though most woods contain just as many species as before.
-
Fears over HIV vaccines laid to rest
24 July 2009
Concerns that HIV vaccines may actually increase the likelihood of infection have largely been laid to rest – possibly reviving the search for a vaccine
-
Review: The Solar Century edited by Jeremy Leggett
24 July 2009
As we embark on a solar revolution, the author wades in with an easy-to-read guide explaining the why and how of solar power, from thin-film silicon to electric cars
-
Innovation: Is the future of healthcare online?
24 July 2009
Clever technologies and the power of social networking sites may soon take personal healthcare onto the web
-
How to make ice melt at -180 °C
24 July 2009
Tiny crystals of ice can melt at surprisingly low temperatures – but only if the crystals contain a sprinkling of water molecules
-
The scientific arguments for US healthcare reform
24 July 2009
The future of healthcare is currently generating intense political debate in the US – our video gives a scientific perspective on why reform is needed
-
The blind spot and the vanishing head illusion
24 July 2009
Blind spots are a quirk of the structure of the eye – use yours to "decapitate" psychologist Richard Wiseman
-
Pizza chefs help cook up dexterous robots
24 July 2009
Engineers looking for ways to improve robots' dexterity have found inspiration in a pizza chef's paddle
-
Is your cat left or right pawed?
24 July 2009
Like humans, cats tend to prefer one paw over the other when tackling tricky tasks, find researchers
-
What NASA's return to the moon may look like
23 July 2009
Although an expert panel is now reviewing NASA's future plans, the agency has been developing concepts for lunar bases that could be built by 2030
-
Mismatched materials produce self-assembling gears
23 July 2009
The tiny components at the heart of microscopic motors are expensive if made using traditional machining techniques – gears that grow their own teeth offer a cheap alternative
-
'Oprah neuron' hints at nature of memory
23 July 2009
Distinct images and sounds of any person – including Oprah Winfrey and Saddam Hussein – can trigger a general concept of them, say researchers
-
Giant 'soap bubble' found floating in space
23 July 2009
It looks like a soap bubble or perhaps even a camera fault, but a newly discovered object is actually the ghost of a star like our sun
-
Lay down your arms
23 July 2009
John Horgan reports the welcome but unsurprising finding that war is not an inevitable result of human nature. I have argued...
-
US vehicle efficiency hardly changed since Model T
23 July 2009
High-profile efforts to create fuel-efficient automobile technology have had little impact on average fuel efficiency on US roads, according to a new study
-
Comment: Why people don't act on climate change
23 July 2009
Climate change is a recognised fact but that's not enough to make people alter their behaviour – we have to work on people's beliefs, says George Marshall
-
Swine flu testing
23 July 2009
Debora MacKenzie's article gives the impression that the UK has a uniform flu-testing strategy that was likely to miss many cases of transmission...
-
Malaria catastrophe
23 July 2009
Martin de Smet reports that malaria in Cambodia is developing resistance to artemisinins...
-
Microwave weapon will rain pain from the sky
23 July 2009
The Pentagon plans to develop a crowd-controlling microwave device that can be fired from an aircraft – but there are concerns over safety
-
Ion engine could one day power 39-day trips to Mars
22 July 2009
Researchers are testing a powerful new rocket engine propelled by charged particles instead of chemical fuel – one day it could shorten Mars trips from six months to one
-
Ion engine could one day power 39-day trips to Mars
22 July 2009
Researchers are testing a powerful new rocket engine propelled by charged particles instead of chemical fuel – one day it could shorten Mars trips from six months to one
-
Chimps can develop AIDS after all
22 July 2009
Chimpanzees infected with SIV, the virus that jumped from chimps to humans as HIV-1, can end up with a deadly AIDS-like illness
-
Controversial palm-oil plan may save the orang-utan
22 July 2009
If the endangered ape is to have a hope of survival, the plantations that have eaten away at its habitat must be part of the solution
-
Solution to Enigma No. 1555
22 July 2009
-
The biology of fatherhood
22 July 2009
After endless speculation about men being redundant, there's fresh evidence of their role in child rearing
-
Fathers aren't dispensable just yet
22 July 2009
You may be tempted to think men are becoming an optional extra in the mating game, but biochemical evidence suggests that fathers play a key role in rearing children
-
Scramjets promise space travel for all
22 July 2009
An air-breathing hypersonic engine could make jetting into orbit as normal as flying across the Atlantic
-
Galapagos penguins harbour malaria threat
22 July 2009
Biologists have found the malaria parasite in the penguins which, combined with climate woes, could spell disaster for the endangered species
-
Apes may imitate but they struggle to innovate
22 July 2009
They may make simple tools and pass on skills to their groups, but apes seem to have curious limits to what they can learn
-
'Eating wildlife is a part of Chinese culture'
22 July 2009
Preserving wildlife in the world's fastest developing nation is an uphill struggle. It's a good job Lü Zhi, director of the Center for Nature and Society at Peking University, is around to do it
-
How technology will ease our traffic woes
22 July 2009
The days of blundering down the road equipped with only the hope that you'll miss the traffic are over – the highways of the future will hold no secrets
-
Could u txt me ur blood sample?
22 July 2009
Cameraphones fitted with a microscope attachment could help diagnose potentially fatal diseases in remote or poor regions
-
Enigma Number 1555
22 July 2009
-
For the record
22 July 2009
Marie Curie was alive between 1867 and 1934, not 1854 and 1923 as we stated...
-
Copernicus gets his place on the periodic table
22 July 2009
The newest and heaviest addition to the periodic table – element 112 – is to be called Copernicium in honour of Nicolaus Copernicus
-
Engineering traits
22 July 2009
Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog suggest that in the psyche of engineers lurks something that makes them more predisposed to terrorism...
-
Rushing through flu vaccine could halve doses
22 July 2009
Moves by the US to push through a swine flu vaccine by September could slash the number of doses available there at the start of its winter flu season.
-
Eclipse sparks hunt for gravity oddity
22 July 2009
Chinese researchers are poised to find out for sure whether gravity fluctuates during a total eclipse – and challenge our ideas of how gravity works
-
Running on empty, HIV breakthrough, and more
22 July 2009
-
Trident nuclear missile programme in doubt
22 July 2009
Officials have given the clearest sign yet that US-UK plans to renew the controversial renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons systems could be scaled back
-
Doctors missing consciousness in vegetative patients
22 July 2009
Using a test which detects people with even slight awareness could make the difference between life, death, and recovery
-
How hippos skip along the riverbed
22 July 2009
Hippos don't swim, but use their front feet to "punt" along the bottom of a riverbed, putting their weight to good advantage
-
What's hot on NewScientist.com
22 July 2009
-
Mystery methane belched out from megacities
22 July 2009
A study of the greenhouse gases from the Los Angeles metropolitan region finds a large amount of methane, which had been previously unaccounted for
-
"We completely understand the public's concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission"
22 July 2009
Harry Schoell of Cyclone Power Technologies attempts to quash internet rumours that his company is developing a robot that runs its biomass-powered engine by digesting fallen soldiers on the battlefield (The Guardian, London, 20 July)
-
Up in smoke
22 July 2009
-
Working from... just about anywhere
22 July 2009
This week's Feedback reveals the new science of ergotopography, where to find an underwater seduction zone, and how to remove your eyes…
-
Artistic tendencies linked to 'schizophrenia gene'
22 July 2009
A genetic mutation linked to psychosis and schizophrenia may unleash creative potential in some and psychotic delusions in others
-
Head for Mars, say Apollo veterans
22 July 2009
Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin say Mars, not the moon, should be NASA's focus
-
Solar eclipse will be longest for more than a century
21 July 2009
On Wednesday, the moon will pass in front of the sun, producing a total solar eclipse that will last longer than any other until 2132
-
Stone-age innovation explains ancient population boom
21 July 2009
The advent of stone microblades set the stage for the Indian subcontinent's explosive population growth, new research suggests
-
Swine flu update: When can we expect a vaccine?
21 July 2009
Are pregnant women at greater risk from H1N1 flu? When will we get a vaccine? And who will get it first when it arrives? Debora MacKenzie investigates
-
Review: The Root of Thought by Andrew Koob
21 July 2009
In the study of brain cells, neurons have always hogged the limelight, even though glial cells make up 90 per cent of the brain – could they have a more important role?
-
Video special: Key events that took Apollo to the moon
21 July 2009
From Kennedy's space aspirations to the first death in space, Roger Highfield explores key events in the run up to the moon landing
-
Key events that took Apollo to the moon, part 2
21 July 2009
-
Doctors missing consciousness in vegetative patients
21 July 2009
A new comparison of tests for detecting consciousness suggests that around 40 per cent of people diagnosed as being in a vegetative state are in fact "minimally conscious"
-
Space probe to sport 'transforming' hardware
21 July 2009
A test satellite planned for 2012 will sport a flight computer with electronics that can be completely reconfigured in space
-
The science that dare not speak its name
21 July 2009
Relatively unloved and neglected, chemistry still has huge potential to change our world for the better
-
The burning truth about calories
21 July 2009
If you rely on food labels to count calories, you could so easily come unstuck
-
Building a den could save a panda
21 July 2009
Might a home construction boom help get giant pandas off the endangered list? A report this week on the effect of substandard dens on panda families suggests so
-
Jupiter sports new 'bruise' from impact
20 July 2009
A new black spot about as big as the Earth has been found on Jupiter – astronomers say it was caused by an impact, not by one of the planet's famous storms
-
Girl with half a brain retains full vision
20 July 2009
A girl born with half of her cerebral cortex missing sees perfectly because of a reorganisation of the brain circuits involved in vision
-
Live blogging the first moon landing 40 years later
20 July 2009
We're replaying every historic word transmitted by the Apollo 11 astronauts and the control team during the most exciting part of the mission
-
Climate engineering research gets green light
20 July 2009
Geoengineering schemes to rein in humanity's effect on the climate get the go-ahead for further research, alongside more traditional methods
-
Gravity sucks: An artist examines life's weighty side
20 July 2009
Artist Simon Faithfull has long resented being earthbound – his latest work revolves around humanity's desire to be free of gravity's powerful grip
-
Myth of raindrop formation exploded
20 July 2009
For 100 years, physicists have struggled to find a mechanism that produces both large and small raindrops during the same rain shower – now high-speed video seems to have come up with an answer
-
Apollo astronauts advocate trip to Mars
20 July 2009
Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin say Mars, not the moon, should be NASA's focus, while Neil Armstrong looks back on the factors that led to Apollo
-
Green screen switches off when ignored
20 July 2009
Software that detects whether or not you are looking at your computer and switches off the display accordingly could help cut energy bills
-
Window on the body: CT scans become art
20 July 2009
Radiologist Kai-hung Fung makes beautiful and informative art from the CT (computed tomography) scans of his patients, digitally manipulating them to look more appealing
-
Did great balls of fire form the planets?
20 July 2009
Glassy spheres inside ancient meteorites may be remnants of the explosive collisions of giant, radioactive magma balls which made the planets
-
Electric cars: Juiced up and ready to go
20 July 2009
The compact, powerful batteries needed to create viable electric cars are tantalisingly close, but which of the competing options will become the next power player?
-
World starts to act on climate change
20 July 2009
From the G8 to shipping, the world's climate players are starting to bring their contributions to the table – is real change imminent?
-
The great moving walkway issue solved
20 July 2009
Millions of late travellers have wondered whether to hop on a moving walkway to save time – now locomotion researchers have found the answer
-
July eclipse is best chance to look for gravity anomaly
19 July 2009
Chinese researchers are poised to find out for sure whether gravity fluctuates during a total eclipse – a discovery that would challenge our ideas about how gravity works
-
Innovation: Harnessing human nature to improve technology
19 July 2009
Our innate desire to compete can be seen as one of humanity's ugly sides, but harnessed in the right way it can help solve tricky technological problems
-
Comment: The Dawkins dogma
19 July 2009
Metaphors like the "selfish gene" paint a vivid picture of how evolution works, but the reality is more subtle
-
What Google Chrome will mean for cyber-security
19 July 2009
Upcoming operating systems from Google and Microsoft could offer better protection against viruses and malware
-
US Advertising feature: Bringing it all together
18 July 2009
For years, interdisciplinary research has been the hottest trend in science. Increasingly, breakthroughs come from teams of researchers scattered across disciplines and time zones
-
Encrypted CCTV protects the innocent
18 July 2009
Software that securely scrambles footage of anyone who is not a suspect should ease privacy fears over surveillance cameras
-
Clingy Martian dust guilty as charged
18 July 2009
Experiments on Earth reveal the culprit behind Mars's especially sticky dust – which might help scientists devise ways to combat the problematic powder
-
Airport travelators actually slow passengers down
18 July 2009
When rushing to catch your plane, is it faster to hop on a moving walkway or not? A new mathematical study tackles the answer
-
Spy probe images Apollo landing sites
18 July 2009
NASA's newly launched Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped images of hardware left on the moon by the Apollo astronauts
-
Review panel may offer NASA menu of spaceflight choices
17 July 2009
A committee reviewing NASA's human spaceflight plans says it may recommend several destinations – including Mars and near-Earth asteroids – as options when it announces its findings in August
-
How does your galaxy grow?
17 July 2009
The idea that galaxies can create stars only in violent mergers is itself taking a bashing, discovers Eugenie Samuel Reich
-
Punting unites hippos with uni graduates
17 July 2009
Hippos glide gracefully along a river bed by using their feet as punts, the first detailed analysis of their underwater locomotion shows
-
Copernicus gets his place on the periodic table
17 July 2009
The newest and heaviest addition to the periodic table – element 112 – is to be called Copernicium in honour of Nicolaus Copernicus
-
Mystery methane belched out by megacities
17 July 2009
A study of the greenhouse gases from the Los Angeles metropolitan region finds a large amount of methane, which had been previously unaccounted for
-
Why cops should trust the wisdom of the crowds
17 July 2009
The "unruly mob" concept is the basis for crowd control measures and evacuation procedures across the world – yet it is almost entirely a myth
-
Virus may signal first 'zombie' cellphone network
17 July 2009
Secret criminal networks of infected home PCs are a growing feature of the web – now they may be coming to your phone
-
Why Neanderthals were always an endangered species
17 July 2009
For much of their 400,000 year history, Neanderthals were few and far between, suggests a study of genetic material
-
Jockey technique boosts steed speed
16 July 2009
Rather than merely hang on for the ride, professional horse racers actively enhance their horses' gallop
-
Invisible flash takes photos without the glare
16 July 2009
A camera system that uses infrared and ultraviolet light to illuminate scenes produces sharp, natural images without the dazzling effect of normal flash
-
Artistic tendencies linked to 'schizophrenia gene'
16 July 2009
A genetic mutation linked to psychosis and schizophrenia may unleash creative potential in some and psychotic delusions in others
-
Shuttle blasts off with new 'porch' for space station
16 July 2009
After a month of delays, Endeavour has lifted off successfully, carrying a platform for experiments that will be attached to the outside of the space station
-
Robo-wheels go where caterpillars fear to tread
16 July 2009
It is often said there's no point reinventing the wheel, but when it comes to getting rescue robots into and out of avalanches, that may be just what is needed
-
First 'climate friendly' labels appear on foods
16 July 2009
Sweden has brought in the stickers in the hope is that consumers will buy greener products – but will companies make claims they can't back up?
-
Apollo special: Welcome to Lunarville
16 July 2009
Henry Spencer ponders where we'd be now if the Apollo programme hadn't been cancelled
-
Pluto's kin may have invaded asteroid belt
15 July 2009
Millions of objects in the solar system's main asteroid belt may be icy interlopers from beyond Neptune, a new study suggests
-
Moon rock competition winner revealed
15 July 2009
This week's Feedback reveals the lucky winner of our moon rock competition, plus pithy entries from 12 of the runners-up…
-
Interview: Fusion in a cold climate
15 July 2009
For most researchers, any mention of cold fusion brings back memories of a shameful period in modern science, but Martin Fleischmann, who instigated the field, says he could not have done anything differently
-
Solution to Enigma No. 1554
15 July 2009
-
Moon rock competition: Best of the rest
15 July 2009
-
The calorie delusion: Why food labels are wrong
15 July 2009
Our bodies digest food, rather than incinerate it, a fact that makes the way we count calories flawed and may help explain why so many of us are overweight
-
Fight the flab to fend off swine flu
15 July 2009
Statistics from the US indicating a link between swine flu deaths and obesity point to potential new ways to fend off the virus
-
Jefferson would not have supported intelligent design
15 July 2009
Claims in The Boston Globe that Thomas Jefferson would have espoused intelligent design are lazy and wrongheaded, says Ewen Callaway
-
Smart tags to reveal where our trash ends up
15 July 2009
New Scientist is collaborating with Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a ground-breaking experiment to electronically tag and follow ordinary trash to the end of its life
-
World's oldest tattoos were made of soot
15 July 2009
The tattoos of Ötzi the 5300-year-old Tyrolean iceman might have served a medicinal rather than decorative purpose
-
High-tech cloth is first to shed scalding water
15 July 2009
Super water-repellent materials have all failed against hot water, but a new mix of carbon nanotubes and Teflon proves up to the task
-
Brain wiring creates false memories
15 July 2009
False memories don't exist, but the brain connections that give rise to them do – the finding raises the prospect of a test for witness reliability in legal proceedings
-
The biologist who broke the Berlin Wall
15 July 2009
Janos Vargha's campaign against to stop construction of a dam on the river Danube brought communist hardliners to their knees – and set the scene for the raising of the Iron Curtain
-
Vanishing cells reveal murder most foul
15 July 2009
Immune cells could reveal a more accurate way of determining if a stab wound was inflicted before or after death
-
James Dyson: Inventing the Wright way
15 July 2009
The engineer and entrepreneur tells Paul Marks about his inventive inspirations, his return to robotics, and how 3D printing could lead to open-source inventing
-
Palm oil plans threaten African biodiversity
15 July 2009
A Chinese firm says it is preparing to create a million-hectare plantation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but conservationists say it will be a "disaster" for the environment
-
Slow-grow flu vaccine could set production back months
15 July 2009
The best strains we have for a swine flu vaccine grow only half as fast as ordinary vaccine viruses, so a jab might not be ready by the time a second wave hits
-
Girl with two hearts healthy after loss of one
15 July 2009
A British girl has recovered fully after spending 10 years with an extra heart transplanted alongside her own
-
Aral Sea blues, Bat cave emptied, and more
15 July 2009
-
Sweat sums predict fluid lost in exercise
15 July 2009
The exact volume of perspiration produced during long periods of exercise can now be predicted, and it is less than expected
-
Intelligence: Nature outpaces nurture as kids get older
15 July 2009
Contrary to expectations, children's genetic inheritance contributes more to their intelligence than their environment as they age
-
"An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away"
15 July 2009
A National Health Service pamphlet being distributed in Sheffield, UK, advising teenagers that regular sex is good for cardiovascular health (The Times, London, 20 July)
-
Review: An Orchard Invisible by Jonathan Silvertown
15 July 2009
Focusing on seeds, the author has written a witty and charming introduction to the evolutionary wiles of the plant kingdom
-
Enigma Number 1554
15 July 2009
-
Hidden messages in images leave telltale trail
15 July 2009
Dissidents beware, electronic steganography packages leave fingerprints on users' hard drives that could give the game away
-
Dinosaurs burrowed for winter warmth
15 July 2009
The discovery of three fossil burrows in south-eastern Australia is shedding new light on how dinosaurs survived the winter at the poles
-
First stars may have been twins
15 July 2009
Some of the universe's earliest stars may have been born in pairs – which might explain a long-standing mystery
-
'Honest Joes' and cheaters unmasked in brain scans
15 July 2009
Given the chance, some people have no temptation to cheat, according to a brain study that could provide the basis for a test of honesty
-
Lightning cooked dinner for early life
15 July 2009
Rare forms of phosphorus – particularly palatable to some microbes – were likely to have been produced by lightning strikes on the early Earth
-
Eating less may be the key to living longer
15 July 2009
A sparse diet has extended the lifespan of monkeys, adding strength to the notion that eating less slows ageing in people too
-
Hungry cats dupe owners with acoustic trick
15 July 2009
Manipulative cats purr in a frequency range similar to a crying baby when soliciting food from owners – they could be playing on human nurturing instincts
-
Blindspot shows brain rewiring in an instant
15 July 2009
The speed with which the brain compensates for a lack of visual information suggests that it is even more flexible than previously thought
-
SpaceX delivers first commercial payload
15 July 2009
The company's Falcon 1 vehicle has lofted a Malaysian satellite into near Earth orbit – the private space firm's first commercial delivery
-
Cut-rate genome scans may spark research revolution
15 July 2009
Two personal genome scanning firms are offering low cost or free scans in exchange for permission to use the data in medical research
-
Rank and dank
15 July 2009
-
Believe in evidence
15 July 2009
Stephen Roots suggests that most atheists would admit the possibility of hitherto unknown, vastly intelligent life forms...
-
Gravity sucks: An artist examines life's weighty side
15 July 2009
Artist Simon Faithfull has long resented being earthbound – his latest work revolves around humanity's desire to be free of gravity's powerful grip
-
Review: Penguins on Mars, CD by Guitares Cinématiques
15 July 2009
Meteorites, solar storms and relativity – just a few of the ideas explored by one-man-band Nicolas Kasha in his debut album
-
Sea shares
15 July 2009
Your article on the Arctic describes how application of international law might effect peaceful distribution of its untapped resources (6 June, p 6...
-
Antibiotic advice
15 July 2009
Karl Hoenke questions whether we should adhere to the medical orthodoxy of completing a course of antibiotics, suggesting that this might encourage the emergence of...
-
Trekkie politics
15 July 2009
Lawrence Krauss is his usual entertaining self when he discusses Star Trek, but seems to have missed what for me was...
-
For the record
15 July 2009
Christine Maggiore's daughter Eliza Jane died in 2005, not in 2003 as we suggested...
-
Big and scary
15 July 2009
-
Revealed: How the turtle got its shell
15 July 2009
The way the body wall of the growing embryo folds inwards helps to explain how the reptiles achieve their unique body shape
-
Darling suds
15 July 2009
-
Guilty as charged
15 July 2009
-
Freeze frames
15 July 2009
-
Timely action
15 July 2009
Having been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in middle age, I was fascinated by the article on altered time perception in children with...
-
Home grid
15 July 2009
Larry Curley complains that UK law requires small domestic wind turbines to shut down in the event of a mains electricity failure...
-
What's hot on NewScientist.com
15 July 2009
-
Rocket science
15 July 2009
The anniversary of the moon landing is an appropriate time to note the changing technologies involved. In particular, the moon landing would not have been...
-
Blindspot shows brain rewiring in an instant
14 July 2009
The speed with which the brain compensates for a lack of visual information suggests that it is even more flexible than previously thought
-
Apollo special: The loneliest museum
14 July 2009
There is a plethora of must-see sites for future lunar tourists. Linda Geddes is your guide
-
Swine flu death rate estimates 'flawed'
14 July 2009
Estimates of the proportion of people who will die if infected with H1N1 flu rely on uncertain figures – but planned studies should remedy the situation
-
Arctic glacier to lose Manhattan-sized 'tongue'
14 July 2009
A vast chunk of ice is about to detach from the biggest glacier in the Arctic – researchers worry that it could be a result of a warming climate
-
SpaceX launches first commercial satellite to orbit
14 July 2009
The aerospace start-up firm has previously had only one successful launch, which carried a dummy payload
-
Hacking body with light could speed jet lag recovery
14 July 2009
A new computer program can advise when best to expose yourself to light to reset your body clock after a long flight
-
Apollo special: Brian Eno's moon music
14 July 2009
In 1983, Brian Eno released an album inspired by Apollo 11 – now it has been reworked for its first live performance
-
New transistors to reduce need for 'wall warts'
14 July 2009
Non-silicon-based transistors will make power adaptors small enough to fit inside your laptop – and save energy too
-
Apollo special: Another small step
14 July 2009
Astronaut, cosmonaut or taikonaut? Greg Klerkx asks whose footprints will be next
-
Dawn of the animals: Solving Darwin's dilemma
14 July 2009
A series of extraordinary discoveries over the past decade has transformed our ideas about the evolution of early animals, and of the world they lived in
-
Timeline: The evolution of life
14 July 2009
Did you know mammals evolved before flowering plants? Find more intriguing facts in our evolution timeline
-
Girl with two hearts healthy after loss of one
14 July 2009
A British girl has recovered fully after spending 10 years with an extra heart transplanted alongside her own
-
Autism alters how kids sense motion
14 July 2009
How a new action feels is more important than how it looks for children with autism, possibly explaining why they find imitation tough
-
'Honest Joes' and cheaters unmasked in brain scans
13 July 2009
Given the chance, some people have no temptation to cheat, according to a brain study that could provide the basis for a test of honesty
-
Martian 'egg cups' could trace past climate
13 July 2009
Thousands of Martian craters that are elevated on pedestals like giant egg cups could hide ice from past eras, when the planet's tilt was different
-
Lightning may have cooked dinner for early life
13 July 2009
Rare forms of phosphorus – particularly palatable to some microbes – could have been produced by lightning strikes on the early Earth
-
Slow-grow flu vaccine could set production back months
13 July 2009
The best strains we have for a H1N1 swine flu vaccine grow only as half as fast as ordinary vaccine viruses, meaning poorer nations may not get it in time if there is a second wave
-
Hungry cats trick owners with baby cry mimicry
13 July 2009
Manipulative cats purr in a frequency range similar to a crying baby when soliciting food from owners – they could be playing on human nurturing instincts
-
Shaky home movies get a big budget feel
13 July 2009
New software can transform the distinctive wobble of handheld camera footage into the smooth glide of a Hollywood tracking shot
-
Parasitic worms: Just what the doctor ordered?
13 July 2009
Hookworms, whipworms, and flukes are generally bad news, but if you suffer from allergies or asthma they could be a blessing in disguise
-
Cassavas get cyanide hike from carbon emissions
13 July 2009
One of Africa's most important food crops – which already has health risks attached to eating it – becomes more toxic as carbon dioxide levels climb
-
Dinosaurs burrowed to avoid winter's chill
13 July 2009
The discovery of three fossil burrows in south-eastern Australia is shedding new light on how dinosaurs survived the polar winters
-
Bad oral health increases risks from brain surgery
13 July 2009
It may be the last thing on your mind, but going to the dentist before you have brain surgery could save you from pneumonia
-
'Smart' house texts you if there's a problem
13 July 2009
Buildings that learn occupants' habits could slash heating and lighting bills, and send out a warning if a door or window is left open
-
Scientific economics
13 July 2009
It amuses me that in Mark Buchanan's article "Can science fix economics?" it is suggested that "it should be possible within a decade to"...
-
Apollo special: Mirrors on the moon
12 July 2009
Reflectors planted on the lunar surface may provide the first cracks in Einstein's theory of gravity, says Stuart Clark
-
IVF discounts beat cash rewards for research eggs
12 July 2009
"Egg sharing" offers a viable – and less controversial – alternative to paying women to donate their eggs for research
-
Do crabs have rights?
12 July 2009
Including crustaceans in animal welfare law would be a mistake, argues Peter Fraser
-
Review: Chasing Medical Miracles by Alex O'Meara
11 July 2009
Millions of people around the world seek cash rewards by becoming guinea pigs in trials of experimental drugs, and many of them are ill and vulnerable
-
Black boxes to get back-up battery
11 July 2009
Flight recorders are key to finding out the cause of an air crash, but sometimes turn out blank – but now there is a fix
-
Star's magnetic flips down to gassy neighbour
11 July 2009
The first magnetic flips to be observed in a star other than our own suggest the influence of an extremely close "hot Jupiter" planet
-
Train gain
11 July 2009
Your article "Trains recast as climate baddies" discusses the relative emissions of different modes of transport. I note with interest that...
-
Forest protection invites trouble for trees
11 July 2009
Keeping the loggers out of forests doesn't seem to displace deforestation, but the people protection attracts can be damaging in other ways
-
Cyborg crickets could chirp at the smell of survivors
11 July 2009
If you're trapped in rubble after an earthquake, the last thing you want is an insect buzzing around your face, but if a Pentagon plan comes off, that insect could save your life
-
Remote viewing
10 July 2009
I found Richard Wiseman's Twitter experiment to determine whether remote viewing – the psychic ability to "see" distant locations – was real...
-
Equation stops athletes sweating about fluid intake
10 July 2009
The exact volume produced during long periods of exercise can be predicted, potentially lightening the load of people carrying water during lengthy exercise
-
Due gravity
10 July 2009
According to Michael Brooks, we don't know what gravity is. However, in 1992 I proposed a theory to explain its...
-
Rival designs race to harness ocean energy
10 July 2009
The world's oceans and seas hold an awesome amount of power, but effective ways to harness it have proved elusive – until now
-
California: No longer the Golden State?
10 July 2009
The US state is in a fiscal hole, and without a radical overhaul of its constitution, the world may lose a unique cradle of innovation, says Peter Aldhous
-
Embryo origami gives the turtle its shell
10 July 2009
The way the body wall of the growing embryo folds inwards helps to explain how the reptiles achieve their unique body shape
-
Apollo special: It's the solar system, stupid
10 July 2009
Rocks brought home by Apollo astronauts revolutionised our thinking about Earth and its peers, says Dana Mackenzie
-
Military mega-lasers are too hot to handle
10 July 2009
High-energy laser weapons have been hailed as the future of anti-missile defence, but they may be further from being battle-ready than military chiefs hoped
-
Liver cells could be reprogrammed as insulin factories
10 July 2009
Transforming human liver cells into something like the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin could result in a one-off treatment for diabetes
-
Universe's first stars may have been twins
10 July 2009
Born together in clouds of gas, a good fraction of the universe's stars might have been smaller than previously thought, which could resolve a long-standing mystery
-
New clues in search for elixir of youth
09 July 2009
The findings of two studies in mice and monkeys may not offer eternal youth, but they do suggest how drugs and lifestyle changes could lengthen lifespans
-
NASA nominee says agency has lost its lustre
09 July 2009
Charles Bolden, President Obama's choice for NASA's next chief, outlined the challenges that face the agency in a congressional hearing on Wednesday
-
Swine flu spread demands new tactics
09 July 2009
As pandemic flu replaces normal seasonal flu around the world, research into more affordable methods to combat H1N1 should be a priority
-
Good dancers make the fittest mates
09 July 2009
Bad news for terminally uncoordinated males – men who can strut their stuff like John Travolta may be more likely to be strong and to produce healthy offspring
-
Swine flu sweeps the southern hemisphere
09 July 2009
As the White House meets with state representatives to discuss preparations for the autumn flu season, the pandemic is intensifying in the other parts of the globe
-
Ancient supernova is oldest and most distant found
08 July 2009
Astronomers have found a supernova that exploded 1.5 billion years earlier than any seen previously – finding others like it could shed light on how the universe got its heavy elements
-
Was ancient Earth a green planet?
08 July 2009
The Earth may have greened much earlier than we thought, paving the way for animals to evolve in the Cambrian explosion
-
Warming Arctic could teem with life by 2030
08 July 2009
An influx of tiny organisms could lead to an Arctic rich with life during the summers in the next few decades, a study of ice cores suggests
-
Rethinking the great Apollo adventure
08 July 2009
Contestants in the forthcoming space race are more likely to be companies than countries
-
Is your city prepared for a home-made nuke?
08 July 2009
Radiation from an improvised bomb could kill hundreds of thousands, but with the right preparation many might be saved
-
Phantom menace to dark matter theory
08 July 2009
A subtle anomaly in the orbit of the planets in our solar system could prove a controversial idea that goes beyond Einstein
-
Win the best science books of the year
08 July 2009
Tell us what popular science book you think still needs to be written, and you could win one of five sets of the Royal Society's shortlisted books
-
Challenge New Scientist to a scientific wager
08 July 2009
Scientific wagers aren't just fun: they also stimulate fresh thinking. Come up with a wager for us to take, and you could win a bottle of vintage champagne
-
Solution to Enigma No. 1553
08 July 2009
-
Apollo 11: Where were you?
08 July 2009
Do you remember where you were when mankind walked on the moon for the first time?
-
What can DNA tell us? Place your bets now
08 July 2009
Scientists from Newton to Hawking have settled differences by putting their money where their mouth is. Now Lewis Wolpert and Rupert Sheldrake are continuing the tradition – and you can too
-
Computer learns sign language by watching TV
08 July 2009
It's not only humans that can learn from watching television – software has worked out the basics of sign language in just 10 hours
-
This document will self-erase in five minutes
08 July 2009
Colour-changing nanoparticles could make possible a new generation of secure documents that wipe themselves clean after they've been read
-
Memristor minds: The future of artificial intelligence
08 July 2009
What connects human intelligence to the unsung cunning of slime moulds? An electric component that no one thought existed, explains Justin Mullins
-
Are lab-grown human sperm the real thing?
08 July 2009
If further tests can demonstrate that they are identical to naturally grown sperm, they could be studied in the hope of developing treatments for male infertility
-
Murder and suicides climb during recessions
08 July 2009
When employment fell by 3 per cent or more in one go, suicides grew by 4.4 per cent and homicides by 6 per cent
-
Monkeys have a memory for grammar
08 July 2009
Cotton-topped tamarin monkeys can remember grammatical patterns, hinting that basic memory functions play a role in language
-
Antimatters
08 July 2009
Perry Bebbington's idea of an antimatter universe, receding in time from the big bang goes back at least to...
-
Praise bee
08 July 2009
In his report on animal species that appear to have numeracy skills, Ewen Calloway says: "The ability to count may date"...
-
Useless ID
08 July 2009
Not only patients whose fingerprints have been degraded by the cancer drug capecitabine are embarrassed by US immigration procedures. Playing jazz...
-
Trials of woman
08 July 2009
You state in your article "Trial inequality" that women are under-represented in clinical trials of cancer drugs, yet do not give any explanation as...
-
Enigma Number 1553
08 July 2009
-
For the record
08 July 2009
Our article on the role of science in the verification of nuclear weapons failed to make it clear that North Korea left the 1968 Nuclear...
-
Review: Shortlist for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books 2009
08 July 2009
Who will win this year's Royal Society Prize for Science Books? Amanda Gefter hedges her bets
-
Undersea meadows in peril
08 July 2009
A seagrass meadow the size of a football pitch is vanishing every 30 minutes, according to the first world-wide assessment of the problem
-
Australia's dinosaur drought is ending
08 July 2009
The discovery of three large fossils in central Queensland is finally putting the continent on the dinosaur map
-
Are lab grown human sperm the real thing?
08 July 2009
If further tests can demonstrate that they are identical to naturally grown sperm, the artificial sperm could be studied in the hope of developing treatments for male infertility
-
"If I was in a family that had the familial form of Alzheimer's ... I would definitely be taking in 500 milligrams of caffeine a day"
08 July 2009
Gary Arendash at the University of South Florida, on his study suggesting that coffee might reverse Alzheimer's memory problems (ABC news, 6 July)
-
Green light for blue rose, Hubble hiccup, and more
08 July 2009
-
Intelligent aliens could be out there... in droves
08 July 2009
There's no reason to believe that complex life in the universe is rare – as suggested by one major theory – in fact there may be many worlds with life like ours
-
US stem cell science survives concerns over consent
08 July 2009
New federal funding for stem cell science will not shut down existing research avenues that many feared would not meet ethical standards
-
Big nukes deal ignores security risk of small devices
08 July 2009
The US and Russia broker a deal to limit long-range nuclear warheads – but leave other crucial nuclear weapons untouched.
-
Botnets could hijack your social security number
08 July 2009
Identity theft could be made easier as researchers show how easy it is to guess US social security numbers from publicly available information
-
Murder and suicide soar in the slump
08 July 2009
When employment fell by 3 per cent or more in one go, suicides grew 4.4 per cent and homicides by 6.0 per cent
-
What's hot on NewScientist.com
08 July 2009
-
Editorial: Gambling on a more interesting scientific future
08 July 2009
The creative power of the scientific wager has been recognised for millennia – can you come up with a fun idea for a bet?
-
Apollo special: What if man had stayed on the moon?
08 July 2009
Even before the dream of a lunar landing had been realised, the Apollo project's funding was cut. Things could have been very different...
-
One small footprint?
08 July 2009
-
On the spike
08 July 2009
-
Touchy feely
08 July 2009
-
Terrible telly
08 July 2009
This week's Feedback reveals the deadly perils of a TV set, a plant that only flowers for an instant, and a new unit for climate change scientists to use…
-
Shrinking sheep 'defy' natural selection
08 July 2009
Climate change contributes to the mysterious shrinking of Soay sheep off the coast of Scotland
-
Exoplanet pairs may be masquerading as singles
07 July 2009
More than 100 extra planets may be hiding in the existing telescope data, but spotting them could be tricky
-
Innovation: When advertising meets surveillance
07 July 2009
We have become used to advertising firms tracking and targeting us online – but are we ready for technology that makes it possible in the real world?
-
Timeline: Weapons technology
07 July 2009
Throughout history, societies have put their best minds to work creating new ways to fight each other. New Scientist looks at the major milestones in the development of tools of war
-
Clever dogs speak in tongues to find food
07 July 2009
The smell of food on the breath of dogs allows them to communicate the location of treats to their fellow dogs
-
US stem cell science survives concerns over consent
07 July 2009
New federal funding for stem cell science will not shut down existing research avenues that many feared would not meet ethical standards
-
Winning the ultimate battle: How humans could end war
07 July 2009
Is warfare really an immutable part of our nature, or is it something we can overcome? Some researchers now suspect the latter
-
Limited-colour screens could boost cellphone battery life
07 July 2009
Subtly tweaking the colour sets used to display images on next-generation flat-panel screens can dramatically cut the amount of energy they consume
-
Social security flaw leaves way open for cyber-theft
07 July 2009
If tech-savvy criminals know your date of birth, they can guess your social security number – and that gives them access to credit cards in your name
-
Chemical trap takes the sting out of white phosphorus
07 July 2009
A chemical cage that safely traps the unstable substance could help clean up industrial spills or war zones
-
Modified invisibility cloak could make the ultimate illusion
07 July 2009
An illusion device that makes one object look like another could one day be used to camouflage military planes or create "holes" in solid walls
-
'Greedy' trees still leave room for the little plants
06 July 2009
While they might hog the bulk of the resources, trees still leave enough "crumbs" for smaller neighbouring plants to eke out a living
-
Interplanetary internet gets permanent home in space
06 July 2009
A new protocol which could one day handle deep-space communications is now being tested aboard the International Space Station
-
Interview: The elephant whisperer
06 July 2009
From saving Baghdad zoo to rescuing rogue elephants, it's no wonder Hollywood is planning a film about maverick conservationist Lawrence Anthony
-
Female prostate
06 July 2009
Sharon Moalem's article on female ejaculation raises many questions (30 May, p 31). Moalem wonders whether the female prostate ever performed an antibacterial or...
-
Bigfoot's likely haunts 'revealed'
06 July 2009
A tongue-in-cheek study based on sightings of the mythical Sasquatch is a warning to ecologists that they shouldn't make too many assumptions about species habitats
-
Watching whales sure beats killing them
06 July 2009
Whale tourism is far more profitable than killing them for meat, concludes an international report
-
Eavesdropping on the music of the brain
06 July 2009
A new way of analysing brain activity as sound may reveal previously unknown differences and similarities between healthy and dysfunctional brains
-
Call for tolerance towards some 'stem cell tourism'
05 July 2009
The internet may be awash with bogus or untested stem cell-based treatments targeted at unwary patients, but that is no reason to condemn "scientifically justifiable" therapies, say researchers
-
Review: Sex in shades of grey
05 July 2009
Science is undermining the notion that there are only two sexes and presenting a broad spectrum – from male to female and everything in between, says the author of Between XX and XY
-
Cyberwars
05 July 2009
Jim Giles's report on the Conficker worm (13 June, p 36) reminded me that I have always thought antivirus software, and indeed Microsoft Windows...
-
Cosmic 'whips' may have left their mark
04 July 2009
Cosmic strings may have broken into pieces in the early universe – but, if so, they should have left traces that we could observe, say researchers
-
Fellow students smell your exam fear
04 July 2009
Anxiety seems to prompt the release of a chemical that automatically triggers empathy in anyone who sniffs it
-
'Hippy' monkey is a killer when starved of sex
04 July 2009
The world's most peaceful primate is observed launching a lethal attack, giving clues to the origins of human gang warfare
-
Blood test could predict IVF success
04 July 2009
Patterns of gene expression in a woman's blood may give couples a clue as to whether she is likely to get pregnant using IVF
-
Sugar cane drain
04 July 2009
Marcos Buckeridge supports the use of biofuels as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel, stating that because sugar cane does not grow in Amazonian climate...
-
Emotional robots: Will we love them or hate them?
03 July 2009
Software that can tell our emotional state is on the way, but will we like machines that can sense how we feel?
-
Revealed: How pandemic swine flu kills
03 July 2009
Two independent studies show that the pandemic H1N1 flu virus binds deeper into the lungs than ordinary flu, which could explain why it is sometimes fatal
-
GM rice makes allergies easy to stomach
03 July 2009
Rice that has been genetically modified to produce pollen proteins and then release them in the gut during digestion is ready for human trials, say its creators
-
Meadows of the sea in 'shocking' decline
03 July 2009
Seagrass meadows, an important habitat for shrimps, crabs and juvenile fish, are disappearing fast
-
Billabong fossils end Australia's dinosaur drought
03 July 2009
The discovery of two massive plant-eating titanosaurs, and a velociraptor-like predator, promises to put Australia on the global dinosaur map at last
-
Metal comes to the rescue of revolutionary plane
03 July 2009
The first flight of the Boeing 787 has been delayed after engineers discovered structural weaknesses in its new plastic airframe
-
Police crackdowns may encourage drug use
03 July 2009
Tough law enforcement may have the perverse effect of making drugs more affordable
-
Brain scanner for astronauts passes 'vomit comet' test
02 July 2009
A device designed to study astronauts' brain activity has been tested in zero gravity for the first time – one day it could be used to monitor mission-compromising depression
-
Incredible shrinking sheep blamed on climate change
02 July 2009
The mysterious size reduction of Scottish sheep over the last 20 years can be explained by shorter winters, researchers say
-
Computer reveals stone tablet 'handwriting' in a flash
02 July 2009
Identifying individual carving styles on ancient tablets takes years of training – and even then can be up for debate – but now a computer can do it in seconds
-
Money flows into green transport despite recession
02 July 2009
Investment in green transport rose in the second quarter of 2009 – bucking a six-month-long downward trend
-
Most inspirational woman scientist revealed
02 July 2009
Find out who New Scientist readers voted the most inspirational woman scientist of all time
-
Plant life saved Earth from an icy fate
02 July 2009
We owe our very existence to plants, which – thanks to their relationship with CO2 – have prevented the Earth from freezing over
-
Robot rescue 'rat' feels its way through rubble
02 July 2009
A new robot with artificial whiskers could one day be used to locate survivors of natural disasters, or people trapped in burning buildings
-
Laser light switch could leave transistors in the shade
01 July 2009
An optical transistor that uses one laser beam to control another could form the heart of a future generation of ultrafast light-based computers
-
Treat killing like a disease to slash shootings
01 July 2009
Shootings in deprived areas of Chicago and Baltimore have plummeted thanks to a programme that treats violence as if it is an infectious disease
-
Now is the time to prepare for the great floods
01 July 2009
Building in at-risk coastal areas should stop if we want to leave our children a lasting legacy
-
Sea level rise: It's worse than we thought
01 July 2009
As more and more ice slides into the ocean, sea levels are rising faster and faster – but just how high will they get?
-
Return of the race myth?
01 July 2009
The Human Genome Project blew apart the idea that "race" was a biologically meaningful term – but new genetic technologies threaten to revive it, warns Osagie Obasogie
-
An insurance plan for climate change victims
01 July 2009
As governments dither over how to protect the world's poor from the effects of a warming planet, an unlikely group is stepping up
-
Solution to Enigma No. 1552
01 July 2009
-
Dinosaur mummy gives up organic material
01 July 2009
A mummified dinosaur seems to contain traces of 66-million-year old amino acids - the building blocks of proteins - which could provide vital information about its evolution
-
X-rays are smoking gun for middleweight black holes
01 July 2009
Astronomers have found the best evidence yet of an elusive intermediate-mass black hole
-
'Trojan' cells take on drug-resistant tumours
01 July 2009
Just one imitation horse was enough to conquer Troy, but two waves of "Trojan" cellular compartments are needed to destroy drug-resistant tumours in mice
-
Size doesn't matter to some women
01 July 2009
While western women generally prefer tall males – the women of Tanzania's Hazda tribe can take them or leave them
-
Record-breaking solar cells are tailored to their location
01 July 2009
Solar cells tuned to particular wavelengths make the most of the light at different places on Earth, boosting efficiency to record levels
-
Brain's response muted when we see other races in pain
01 July 2009
The response of the brain is less pronounced when we see strangers in pain who are a different race to our own
-
Trendy science findings more likely to be wrong
01 July 2009
The behaviour of proteins that are popular with researchers is more likely to be reported inaccurately than that of their less fashionable counterparts
-
Disease runs riot as species disappear
01 July 2009
Preserving the world's many species has an unexpected benefit, say researchers – it might protect us from deadly illnesses
-
Laser weapon dazzles but doesn't blind
01 July 2009
A new type of laser device being developed by the Pentagon will let military personnel force drivers to a halt without harming their eyesight
-
Taxibot could save airlines billions
01 July 2009
Robotic tractors could one day be used to tow airliners from the airport gate to the edge of the runway, saving billions in fuel costs
-
Triple-engined car could smash land-speed record
01 July 2009
A supersonic car dubbed Bloodhound SCC is being prepared to take the record to over 1600 km/h some time in 2011
-
Ad hominin
01 July 2009
I was intrigued to see (30 May, p 7) that "Tafforeau and colleagues recently showed that Neanderthals grow up only slightly faster than humans and"...
-
For the record
01 July 2009
• The experimental reruns involved in the discovery of element 112 occurred three years earlier than we stated, in 2000 (20 June, p 10). Also, we...
-
Enigma Number 1552
01 July 2009
-
Ancient chants
01 July 2009
When discussing the rongo-rongo script of Easter Island, Andrew Robinson states that the direction of reading is unusual, though not unique, with lines being...
-
Obama's intellect
01 July 2009
In his article on Barack Obama's new era of intellectualism, Chris Mooney derides what he sees as a long-standing antipathy towards intellectuals in...
-
New model army
01 July 2009
I was very interested in your articles on how advances in neuroscience may reduce confusion and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers, and help...
-
Made to last
01 July 2009
Perry Bebbington asserts that old technology will inevitably be thrown away rather than repaired, but we still need to salvage components to reduce landfill (13...
-
Perceived reality
01 July 2009
James Le Fanu is disconcerted by the similarity between his genes and those of a nematode worm or a fruit fly (23 May, p 45...
-
US grandparents 'smarter' than UK counterparts
01 July 2009
Senior Americans beat their British peers in a memory task, though light boozers did surprisingly well on both sides of the Atlantic
-
Mini 'black box' offers clues to pigeon navigation
01 July 2009
A gadget that monitors the brain and GPS-location of pigeons in flight suggests that brain activity spikes at prominent landmarks
-
Ozone hole may be bad for the climate
01 July 2009
The Southern Ocean has lost its appetite for sucking up carbon dioxide, and now it appears that ozone levels could be partly to blame
-
Optical switch puts electric transistors in the shade
01 July 2009
An optical transistor that switches a laser beam on and off rather than an electric current could form the building block of future light-based computers.
-
Your taste in movies summed up in an algorithm
01 July 2009
Three years after online DVD rental firm Netflix offered a $1 million prize to anyone who could improve its movie recommendation system by 10 per cent, an international team of computer scientists has made the grade.
-
'Hardware Trojans' could turn microchips into timebombs
01 July 2009
Firewalls and anti-virus software will be useless against to a new generation of attacks that target the very fabric of microchips
-
Ulysses probe to roam no more
01 July 2009
NASA and ESAs' solar probe will never return home – but is set to die in space as ground controllers pull the plug on the venerable craft
-
Blast clues in rare clouds
01 July 2009
What do the space shuttle and a giant explosion in 1908 have in common? Both have been followed by strange, glowing clouds, and these may point to what caused the Tunguska blast a century ago
-
Primates drive a hard bargain
01 July 2009
Just like humans, monkeys swap favours based on supply and demand
-
Teen baby narrows search for 'master ageing gene'
01 July 2009
Scientists hope that by comparing the genome of a 16-year-old girl locked physically and mentally in a baby-sized body, that they may find the genes for holding onto youth
-
What's hot on NewScientist.com
01 July 2009
-
Editorial: The end of magic?
01 July 2009
Metamaterials are raising the possibility of making one object look like another – the knowledge that it is even conceivable puts the magician's art of illusion in the shade
-
Editorial: Time to declare war on war itself
01 July 2009
Technological and social change have made wars between nation states increasingly irrational – but could we eradicate it altogether?
-
Trendy science findings more likely to be wrong
01 July 2009
The behaviour of scientifically popular yeast proteins is more likely to be reported inaccurately than their less popular counterparts
-
Ear wiggling
01 July 2009
-
Round and round
01 July 2009
-
Thinking person's crumpet
01 July 2009
-
The usefulness of a wet sponge holiday detector
01 July 2009
This week's Feedback reveals why anyone would need a holiday detector, the secret identity of "bully sticks", and the apparently Satanic tendencies of butterfly fanciers
-
Review: The Embalmer's Book of Recipes by Ann Lingard
01 July 2009
Lingard's tale weaves together a handful of lives to show how people grow to become much more than the sum of their biological parts
-
Review: Turbulence by Giles Foden
01 July 2009
A compelling tale of meteorology and war, involving a key character loosely based on pioneering weather-modeller Lewis Fry Richardson
-
Review: Sum: Forty tales from the afterlives by David Eagleman
01 July 2009
Neuroscientist by day, dark chronicler by night, Eagleman has turned himself into a David Deutsch figure of the hereafter, but with a multi-afterverse rather than a multiverse
-
First drug resistant swine flu discovered
01 July 2009
The case raises questions about the current European policy of giving low, protective doses of drugs to contacts of swine flu cases
-
Review: Far North by Marcel Theroux
01 July 2009
This book is that unusual thing, a work of literary science fiction – and its new twist on dystopia is compellingly icy
-
Review: What's the Worst That Could Happen? by Greg Craven
01 July 2009
When it comes to the climate debate, let's stop worrying about the science and start thinking about the risk, says the author of this valuable book
-
Squatted Amazon gets reprieve in legal bill
01 July 2009
People hoping to gain legal ownership of illegally occupied tracts of Brazil's Amazon rainforest were thwarted last week by last-minute vetoes to parts of a controversial bill
-
Worldwide creationism, Shotgun stunner, and more
01 July 2009
-
"Fish do very well in the seas without eating cows"
01 July 2009
Robert Friedland at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, who is concerned about the possibility of people contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from eating farmed fish that are fed by-products rendered from cows (Reuters, 26 June)
-
Review: Pythagoras' Revenge by Arturo Sangalli
01 July 2009
Leonardo who? Why Pythagoras is the perfect character for a mathematical thriller