December - 2009 Articles
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Top 10 space stories of 2009
31 December 2009
The most popular space stories of the year include a visualisation of what it would look like to fall into a black hole
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Computer-aided design for life itself
31 December 2009
A software package for designing synthetic life forms means you can create virtual organisms and see how they would function
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High-tech tipples: The future of cocktails
30 December 2009
Dry Martini? Would you like that shaken, stirred, centrifuged or spherulated?
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New Scientist TV December 2009
29 December 2009
See how technology is transforming greeting cards and toys, find out about identity and learn how to walk on water in the latest New Scientist vodcast
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Getting to grips with why we slip
29 December 2009
Whether ice, wet floors or banana skins are to blame, falling over is no laughing matter. And explaining how it happens has friction aficionados floored
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Geo software aims to avoid ski resort eco-disasters
28 December 2009
The software analyses environmental factors to determine ideal spots for resorts, helping ensure alpine environments are not thoughtlessly disrupted
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Atomic dogs: The making of an internet sensation
28 December 2009
Could New Scientist's Richard Fisher make it big online with nothing but 16 golden retrievers and a little help from his friends?
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Free yourself from oppression by technology
27 December 2009
That new phone or laptop may be giving you a warm glow, but beware a stealth attack on your happiness, warns Yair Amichai-Hamburger
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Sugar-free satisfaction: Finding the brain's sweet spot
27 December 2009
Don't rely on zero-calorie drinks to offset that festive feast. Sugar-free sweeteners might fool your taste buds, but your brain knows better
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2009 review: In green tech we must trust
26 December 2009
More brainpower than ever before has been expended on technologies to cut the damage we do to the environment – here are some of the most interesting
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2009 review: It's the environment, stupid
26 December 2009
Thoughts of climate change were never far away, but with ice on fire and a salamander uglier than ET, there was more to 2009 than political brouhaha
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2009 review: Most popular articles of the year
26 December 2009
From space storms to vampires to porn, here's a countdown of the year's most-read articles. Warning: contains sex stories. A lot of them
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2009 review: Sex at the noughties' end
26 December 2009
There was plenty to hold the attention of those with an academic interest in sexual attraction and reproduction
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2009 review: Favourite picture galleries
26 December 2009
From carnivorous robots to exploding stars and bizarre medical devices, here are your favourites from the image galleries we posted this year
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2009 review: Digging up prehistoric monsters
26 December 2009
Dinosaur hunters and anyone with an interest in prehistoric creatures great and small were not disappointed
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2009 review: In sickness and in health
26 December 2009
It was a year as hopeful as it was scary, with a flu pandemic, genome hackers and fresh hopes for Alzheimer's disease and HIV
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2010 preview: Will a neutralino steal Higgs's thunder?
26 December 2009
The Large Hadron Collider is primed to reveal the origin of mass – but an unexpected particle could grab the news
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2010 preview: Journey to the bottom of the sea
25 December 2009
It's more like 6000 metres under the sea than 20,000 leagues, but an ambitious series of undersea explorations in planned
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2010 preview: The polyglot web
24 December 2009
With web addresses authorised to use non-Latin characters such as Arabic, Chinese or Russian, the internet will be transformed
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Pain or prayer? Two ways to grow a religion
24 December 2009
Some religious rituals are traumatic one-offs, others are soothing and repetitive - but it's best to stick to one or the other
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2009 review: The year in space
23 December 2009
Astronomers found water on the moon and saw the most distant object yet, but space radiation hit a record high and the Spirit rover struggled for life
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Top 10 physics stories of 2009
23 December 2009
The most popular physics stories of the year include a report on an artificial black hole and an investigation into the best way to slice a pizza.
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Video-stitched cellphone streams go widescreen
23 December 2009
A system called Mobicast enables cellphone users at public events to combine their live streams of video, creating a patchwork feed with a richer view
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Ancient clone saw out the last ice age
23 December 2009
Clones of an ancient bush have been discovered in California by botanists who reckon it first grew at the height of the last ice age, 13,000 years ago
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Chatbots add intelligence to Sherlock Holmes game
23 December 2009
The online movie tie-in enables gamers posing as the great detective to question virtual suspects and witnesses in natural language
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The Royal Institution's festive feasts for the mind
23 December 2009
From Michael Faraday to David Attenborough, many eminent figures have given Christmas lectures at the UK's Royal Institution – see the hall of fame
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2010 preview: Waiting for ET to phone
23 December 2009
Fifty years ago next April, Frank Drake kick-started the modern search for extraterrestrial life at a radio telescope in West Virginia
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The shape of gifts to come
23 December 2009
The latest revolution in games consoles owes its existence to car airbags – so what hot gadgets of the future will today's technologies spawn?
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Ducks fight the battle of the sexes in their genitals
23 December 2009
Male Muscovy ducks have evolved super-long penises – with "explosive erection" ability – while females retaliate with antagonistic vaginas
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Are we looking in the wrong places for water on the moon?
22 December 2009
Conventional theory says water ice should be concentrated in permanently shadowed craters near the poles, but that's not where it seems to be turning up
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2009 review: Top videos of the year
22 December 2009
The best of New Scientist's video coverage, including a tiny hovering robot, bionic penguins and plasma ejections from the sun
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Dams linked to more extreme weather
22 December 2009
The statistics of rainfall around more than 600 dams reveal many have triggered more extreme storms
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Innovation: The sinister powers of crowdsourcing
22 December 2009
Governments are turning to web users to help identify criminals and protestors – could they enlist people's help without revealing their true goals?
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2010 preview: Genome sequencing for all
22 December 2009
Gene hunters will start routinely working with complete human genome sequences, releasing a new wave of discovery in human health
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Microbes survive 30,000 years inside a salt crystal
22 December 2009
Microbes entombed in a salt crystal have survived for 30,000 years by feeding off the remains of algae that were trapped along with them
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New Scientist 2009 trivia quiz
22 December 2009
Cheating soccer robots, new ways into space and smelling out the sexes - how much do you know about the less groundbreaking advances of the past year?
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Pong-ology: Sniffing out a cure for iffy whiffs
22 December 2009
Most of us steer well clear of halitosis, body odour, farts and smelly feet – but these researchers have a keen nose for their biological mysteries
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Single light wave flashes out from fibre laser
21 December 2009
A long-elusive goal of physics has been reached – producing a pulse of light so short that it contains just a single cycle of a light wave
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Generosity is natural for kind-hearted people
21 December 2009
Generous people aren't fighting the urge to screw others over – the desire for fairness lies in a brain area that controls intuition and emotion
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Life in the inner galaxy would be bombarded by comets
21 December 2009
Comets may be bombarding planets closer to the centre of the galaxy more heavily than Earth, making things tough for life
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The noughties – a decade of Big Science
21 December 2009
The decade now ending offers hope that we can build a more sustainable relationship with nature in the one to come
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Total recall: The milestones of 2009
21 December 2009
If your memory doesn't last much longer than the half-life of copernicium (less than a millisecond), refresh those brain banks with our review of the year, ranging from solar storm Armageddon to a vegetarian spider
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2010 preview: Is this the year that we create life?
21 December 2009
'Synthia' – a living bacterial cell carrying a genome made from scratch in the lab – could be born
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Richard Wrangham: Cooking is what made us human
21 December 2009
Cooking food allowed our ancestors to evolve our big brains, the zoologist argues, and created the gender roles still observed by most people
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Quiz: Ten curiosities to identify
21 December 2009
These are the weirdest objects in the Wellcome Library in London – can you guess what they are?
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Engage the x drive: Ten ways to traverse deep space
21 December 2009
So far humans have only made it to the moon. We look at some technologies and wild ideas that could take us much farther
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Let's face it, science is boring
21 December 2009
Mouse urine, puréed goldfish brains and human computers. Sound interesting? Well, it's not. Honest
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2010 preview: Automotive X Prize contestants power up
20 December 2009
From May, more than 40 teams will compete for a share of a $10 million prize for the most efficient car that could be mass-produced
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Beware humans bearing gifts
20 December 2009
Giving and receiving presents is a simple pleasure, isn't it? No, it's a social and economic battlefield, says philosopher Robert Rowland Smith
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2010 preview: Tooth-mounted hearing aid for the masses
19 December 2009
Beethoven used a primitive version, but it's something much more sophisticated that is set to restore hearing to people with a common form of deafness
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Copenhagen chaos sets world on track for 3.5 ˚C
19 December 2009
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the climate talks fell to pieces and climate modellers predicted dangerous levels of man-made global warming
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Sceptical climate researcher won't divulge key program
18 December 2009
A physicist whose work is often highlighted by climate-change sceptics is refusing to provide the software he used to other climate researchers
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Copenhagen diaries: Capitalist gods and socialist tantrums
18 December 2009
Get 115 heads of state and government into one conference centre, give them 5 minutes of airtime each and there's bound to be fireworks
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The US air force's holiday wish list: 2500 PlayStations
18 December 2009
Rather than planning a really geeky party, the plan is to build a new kind of supercomputer that provides massive computing power at low cost
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2010 preview: The space shuttle's last ride
18 December 2009
Each of the three surviving orbiters will make their final flights, ending a dream that space exploration could become mundane
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Clearest sign yet of dark matter detected
18 December 2009
An experiment in a Minnesota mine has seen a tantalising glimpse of dark matter, the stuff thought to make up most of the universe's mass
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Leaked Copenhagen draft suggests a win for China
18 December 2009
New Scientist has seen a leaked draft of what the 115 heads of state who have come to the climate talks are expected to sign before they leave
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Foot-in-mouth syndrome: Pitfalls of the party season
18 December 2009
The more you try not to think of something, the more it comes to mind – now psychologists are starting to understand why
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Is synaesthesia a high-level brain power?
17 December 2009
The cross-sensory condition requires attention, which suggests it reveals special ability in "higher" brain areas responsible for language and attention
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2010 preview: Arise, Neanderthal brother
17 December 2009
The publication of the Neanderthal genome sequence is imminent, so we may finally be able to determine if they interbred with our ancestors
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Five laws of human nature
17 December 2009
Why is there always so much work to do? Will I become immortal? There are laws to answer such questions – New Scientist examines the evidence for them
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Why your boss is incompetent
17 December 2009
The Peter principle says people get promoted until they reach the level of their own incompetence – now mathematics proves it
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Sliding ink could boost speed of printed electronics
16 December 2009
Dripping conductive ink down a microscopic bump can reduce leakage and may finally make it possible to fabricate transistors using printing along
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Bill Bryson: Everything that happens is amazing
16 December 2009
The award-winning writer on why his fascination with our place in the universe led him to revisit his least favourite subject at school
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Battle for climate data approaches tipping point
16 December 2009
Behind the "climategate" headlines, there are real struggles over access to climate records
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Know a gene's 'parent' to improve disease prediction
16 December 2009
Knowing which parent particular genes came from is crucial to predicting whether a child is at increased risk of developing certain diseases
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Alice's adventures in algebra: Wonderland solved
16 December 2009
The absurdities of Lewis Carroll's classic disguise an attack on new-fangled mathematics, says literary scholar Melanie Bayley
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Video-stitched cellphone streams go widescreen
16 December 2009
A system called Mobicast enables cellphone users at public events to combine their live streams of video, creating a patchwork feed with a richer view
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Alien planet could be ultimate water world
16 December 2009
The discovery of a planet that seems to made almost entirely of water suggests "super-Earths" are a more diverse bunch than we thought
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Loopholes in climate deal could render it useless
16 December 2009
The devil is in the detail, and a deal to slash emissions by 20 per cent could in fact increase them by 10 per cent
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Masterworks in Petri dishes
16 December 2009
Dangerous, yes; useful, sometimes; works of art – no. But this gallery of the best microbial artworks might change your mind
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Martin Rees: Getting to the right desks in government
16 December 2009
As the Royal Society enters its 350th year, its president says its mission is to speak up for science to public and politicians alike
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Blaming his tools
16 December 2009
Paul Collins's review of Jimena Canales's book A Tenth of a Second states that Canales argues that the effect of human reaction time...
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For the record
16 December 2009
• The Ordnance Survey's 3D maps are more precise then we reported (28 November, p 24). They are accurate to 4 centimetres in each direction...
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The science of Santa
16 December 2009
Santa Claus must use advanced technologies to pull off his annual feat. But where did he get them? Gregory Mone reveals all
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Fly like a bird
16 December 2009
The wingsuit adventurers who wish to land without parachutes might benefit from an afternoon's observation of the goings-on in my backyard (14 November...
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Noddy in space?
16 December 2009
Feedback mocks the statement made by Noddy Holder of Slade in the lyrics of their song Far Far Away, "I've seen the sunset in"...
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Rainforest fears
16 December 2009
Discussing the destruction of rainforests for financial gain, Eric Worrall rightly points out that rich countries are in no position to lecture poorer ones on...
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Sleepfighter
16 December 2009
I have suffered since early adulthood from a sleep disorder in which I fight in my sleep, like the person described in your recent article...
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Starship fantasy
16 December 2009
Marcus Chown suggests that we might achieve interstellar travel with the use of a fantastic starship consisting of a million-tonne black hole which will...
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Mustn't do better
16 December 2009
Michael Bond's article on the relationship between IQ scores and rational decision-making was interesting (31 October, p 36...
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Climate coverage
16 December 2009
I have just read your editorial, which discusses the current situation in the field of climate change research (28 November, p 5). In particular you...
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Flash fiction competition winners
16 December 2009
We challenged you to write very short stories about the world 100 years from now. SF superstar Stephen Baxter helped us choose the winners
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Enigma Number 1576
16 December 2009
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Cracking the Majorana code
16 December 2009
A Brilliant Darkness by João Magueijo is a gripping journey through the life and unsolved disappearance of quantum physicist Ettore Majorana
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Who vetoed 'blood as perfume'?
16 December 2009
An eye-catching title on a PNAS press release turned into something a lot more boring in the journal
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What's hot on NewScientist.com
16 December 2009
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BMJ criticisms of Tamiflu questioned
16 December 2009
The journal's new analysis fails to show drug is ineffective against seasonal flu, and the claims are irrelevant to pandemic flu anyway
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Baby black holes implicated in universe's mightiest rays
16 December 2009
The merger of two types of dead star to form a black hole may explain the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays
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DNA's guardian gene found in placozoans
16 December 2009
Tiny amoeba-like animals have the same key protective gene as humans, shedding light on when it evolved
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Our atmosphere came from outer space
16 December 2009
Comets may have given birth to Earth's atmosphere, rather than volcanoes spewing gases from deep within the planet
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Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters
16 December 2009
Remarkable footage of veined octopuses collecting coconut halves for use when under threat could be the first example of tool use in invertebrates
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Total recall: The milestones of 2009
16 December 2009
Our review of the year ranges from solar storm Armageddon to a vegetarian spider
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2010: The preview
16 December 2009
From the potential discovery of dark matter to the creation of an artificial life form, we preview the great advances next year is set to bring
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Solar cell eye implant could give sight to the blind
16 December 2009
Some forms of blindness occur because photoreceptors in the retina degrade – a flexible implant based on solar cell technology could help
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Fake blood cells so agile they can carry drugs
16 December 2009
Copycat red blood cells can squeeze through the smallest spaces to deliver drugs and imaging agents anywhere in the body
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Small fingers give women a sensitive touch
16 December 2009
Women have a more sensitive touch than men, but only because their fingers are usually smaller
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Postgraduate dilemmas
16 December 2009
Are you prepared for your MSc or PhD? New Scientist solves all your postgrad problems
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Small fingers give women a sensitive touch
15 December 2009
Women have a more sensitive touch than men, but only because their fingers are usually smaller
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Copenhagen talks shift gears
15 December 2009
As world leaders prepare to descend on the climate negotiations in Denmark, the key issues remain unresolved
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Locked-in man controls speech synthesiser with thought
15 December 2009
If the repertoire of signals the brain implant can translate is widened, it could revolutionise communication for people with complete paralysis
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Smart CCTV learns to spot suspicious types
15 December 2009
Video-analysis software can follow people from camera to camera in busy public places and identify those who are behaving suspiciously
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Baby black holes implicated in universe's mightiest rays
15 December 2009
The merger of two types of dead star to form a black hole may explain the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays
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LCD screen can recognise what happens in front of it
15 December 2009
See users wave their hands in front of the prototype to manipulate objects displayed on the Minority Report-style gadget
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Trust firstborns to show their selfish side
15 December 2009
Firstborn children are more likely to achieve greatness, but when they play a game for money they are mistrustful and uncooperative
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Rise and fall of a dinosaur hunter
15 December 2009
Nate Murphy made his name as a talented amateur palaeontologist. Then he found the law was getting in his way
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Fake blood cells so agile they can carry drugs
14 December 2009
Copycat red blood cells can squeeze through the smallest spaces to deliver drugs and imaging agents anywhere in the body
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Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters
14 December 2009
Remarkable footage of veined octopuses collecting coconut halves for use when under threat could be the first example of tool use in invertebrates
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3D modelling recreates dinosaur running
14 December 2009
Hadrosaurs moved on four legs at slower speeds and reared up on two when running, according to 3D computer simulation
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Learning to love to hate robots
14 December 2009
Robots have begun to make their way into homes and workplaces, but they aren't always model friends or colleagues
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Deniergate: Turning the tables on climate sceptics
14 December 2009
The "climategate" emails have put climate scientists in the spotlight – in the interest of fairness, New Scientist examines those who disagree with them
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Pregnant women develop emotion-reading superpowers
14 December 2009
Being pregnant seems to make women better at reading threatening facial expressions – perhaps because it makes mothers-to-be hyper-vigilant
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Our atmosphere came from outer space
14 December 2009
Comets may have given birth to Earth's atmosphere, rather than volcanoes spewing gases from deep within the planet
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Earth's atmosphere arrived from outer space
14 December 2009
Comets may have given birth to Earth's atmosphere, rather than volcanoes spewing gases from deep within the planet
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Flexible solar cell implant could restore vision
14 December 2009
Some forms of blindness occur because photoreceptors in the retina degrade. The first flexible implant could help
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Anti-HIV vaginal gel fails
14 December 2009
A vaginal gel designed to block HIV infection during sex has failed in a trial of 9385 women
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Higgs in space: Orbiting telescope could beat the LHC
14 December 2009
The FERMI space telescope could beat the Large Hadron Collider to the first evidence of the Higgs boson, the particle thought to give others mass
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Psychiatry's civil war
14 December 2009
Rewriting the psychiatrists' bible has led to an ugly row between rival factions and claims that tens of millions will end up on unnecessary drugs
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Time's up for psychiatry's bible
14 December 2009
The push to rewrite the entire field by 2012 is unnecessary – and could be dangerous too
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Motion-sensing phones that predict your every move
13 December 2009
Phones that learn their user's patterns of behaviour can use this information to provide a cheaper, more reliable service
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Who is controlling the spy in your pocket?
13 December 2009
The data smartphones generate must remain under their owners' control, and not be hijacked by advertisers or other self-interested parties
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Cave 'breathing' regulates growth of stalactites
13 December 2009
The way caves "breathe" from season to season is the true controller of stalactite growth – so estimates of ancient rainfall may be wrong
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Wind farms don't affect property prices
12 December 2009
US government study of thousands of house sales across the country concludes that wind turbines take no toll on property values
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NASA to get budget boost for exploration, says analyst
11 December 2009
The agency is sure to get an injection of cash to rescue its faltering space programme, says a Washington insider – but probably not the $3 billion recommended
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How male bedbugs avoid getting shafted
11 December 2009
Males in danger of stab wounds from the penises of other males have evolved a way of telling their "mates" to back off
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Google demonstrates quantum computer image search
11 December 2009
Trials show that an algorithm running on a superconducting quantum chip can recognise cars in photos "faster than any Google data centre"
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BMJ criticisms of Tamiflu questioned
11 December 2009
The journal's new analysis fails to show drug is ineffective against seasonal flu, and the claims are irrelevant to pandemic flu anyway
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DNA's guardian gene found in placozoans
11 December 2009
Tiny amoeba-like animals have the same key protective gene as humans, shedding light on when it evolved
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Plastic bags recycled into nanotubes
11 December 2009
Waste polyethylene from shopping bags and other sources can easily be converted into carbon nanotubes suitable for use in batteries
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Biological passport to catch sports cheats
11 December 2009
The composition of an athlete's blood can now be used as evidence of illegal doping, even if no substance is found
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The perfect way to slice a pizza
11 December 2009
Ever concerned you're not getting your fair share? Mathematicians have finally found the answer
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Stem cell transplants treat 'incurable' blood disorder
10 December 2009
For the first time, adults with sickle-cell anaemia seem to have been cured
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Brain scan reveals who will keep their promises
10 December 2009
The finding raises the possibility of using brain scans to determine the true intentions of criminals who are up for early release on parole
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Battery lithium could come from geothermal waste water
10 December 2009
The hot waste water from a geothermal power plant on the San Andreas fault is a rich source of lithium – now the company is planning to extract it
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Unfolding the Earth
10 December 2009
A new way to unpeel and flatten out the Earth's skin without distorting it – dubbed myriahedral projection – provides a new perspective on our planet.
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Clever folds in a globe give new perspectives on Earth
10 December 2009
A new technique for translating the surface of the globe into flat maps provides many different ways to look at the world
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Ancient Amazon civilisation laid bare by felled forest
10 December 2009
Some 260 giant avenues, ditches and enclosures have been spotted from the air in a region straddling Brazil's border with Bolivia
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English libel law on trial
10 December 2009
Decisions in the English courts can stifle debate of scientific ideas anywhere in the world – it's time the law was reformed
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Mass poisoning to keep carp invaders from Great Lakes
10 December 2009
Tens of thousands of fish have been killed in a drastic attempt to safeguard the lakes' sports and commercial fishery from Asian carp
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Strange 'Norway spiral' was an out-of-control missile
10 December 2009
A huge, glowing whirlpool that appeared in the skies above Norway on Wednesday was most likely a failed Russian missile launch, says a Harvard astrophysicist
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Stephen Wolfram: 'I'm an information pack rat'
09 December 2009
The star physicist reckons he can model the entire universe using tiny computer programs – meanwhile he's trying to reinvent the search engine
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Mega-flood filled the Mediterranean in months
09 December 2009
At the flood's peak the sea's level was rising by over 10 metres per day, borehole and seismic data reveal
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Dogs vs cats: The great pet showdown
09 December 2009
Which makes the best furry friend? We set canine against feline in a scientific best in show – the winner is revealed here
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The research that might save us after Copenhagen
09 December 2009
Science has its work cut out for the next decade if we are to reach a low-carbon society. New Scientist finds the stepping stones
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Ice Bear Project 2009: Readers' photos
09 December 2009
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Diligent diabetes control increases crash risk
09 December 2009
Laws requiring diabetic drivers to keep their blood sugar low appear to increase their risk of having an accident
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Dirty babies get healthier hearts
09 December 2009
Affluent, modern babies live in a sanitised world, which might increase their risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease later in life
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Profit sharing helps crack DARPA's balloon challenge
09 December 2009
A pyramid incentive scheme enabled an MIT team to solve the military research agency's Network Challenge, finding 10 weather balloons across the US
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Pictures of the great alone: Scott and Shackleton's Antarctic
09 December 2009
Photographers accompanied Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their ill-fated expeditions to Antarctica – here are some of their best pictures
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Frog embryos listen for bad vibrations to avoid snakes
09 December 2009
The eggs of the Central American red-eyed tree frog decode vibrations to distinguish between hungry snakes and torrential rainfall
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How complexity rules our lives
09 December 2009
In his latest book, The Perfect Swarm, Len Fisher ranges far and wide to discover what tips the science of complexity has for us – with mixed results
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Naming a mind disease
09 December 2009
Who was Alzheimer or Parkinson or Asperger? Douwe Draaisma's Disturbances of the Mind tells the stories both of these conditions and of their namesakes
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Replicator for sale
09 December 2009
How not to print a pint, the real reason why Feedback is a bit frivolous, and the UK's heroic time-travelling lawyers…
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Sticky problem
09 December 2009
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Negative attitude
09 December 2009
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Avatar's gaze illuminates social brain
09 December 2009
From inside a brain scanner, an interactive avatar is helping to unravel the brain activity underlying complex social interactions
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Enigma Number 1575
09 December 2009
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Cellphones and cancer: Interphone can't end the debate
09 December 2009
The long-awaited study is about to come out – it won't convince sceptics, even though cellphones almost certainly can't cause cancer, says Michael Repacholi
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Triumph of reason
09 December 2009
Michael Bond's article discusses the disparity between high IQ scores and the ability to avoid cognitive bias in decision-making: the rationality quotient (RQ...
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Fabulous fossil
09 December 2009
As a plesiosaur palaeontologist, I was pleased to see marine reptiles featured in your editorial (31 October, p 5). But having been closely involved in...
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Myopia in focus
09 December 2009
In her article on short-sightedness (7 November, p 48), Nora Schultz suggests that a diet high in refined carbohydrates may be implicated in its...
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Missing bees
09 December 2009
In their article "The truth about the disappearing honeybees" Marcelo Aizen and Lawrence Harder make withering mention of the film Vanishing of the Bees, and...
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Utterly random
09 December 2009
I was delighted to see that my ground-breaking research into the effects of inebriation on the ability of a group of students to generate...
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Susy's six
09 December 2009
Anil Ananthaswamy's article on supersymmetry discusses in some detail the thoughts of Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg concerning possible results from the Large Hadron Collider...
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For the record
09 December 2009
• It's one mongoose, many mongooses - not mongeese (21 November, p 55...
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Thingies
09 December 2009
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What's hot on NewScientist.com
09 December 2009
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Physicists race to publish first results from LHC
09 December 2009
Researchers working on ALICE, one of six experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, have pipped their rivals to the post in writing up results from the accelerator's first proton collisions
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Frog embryos listen for bad vibrations to avoid snakes
09 December 2009
The eggs of the Central American red-eyed tree frog decode vibrations to distinguish between hungry snakes and torrential rainfall
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Gene absence makes the kid grow rounder
09 December 2009
"Holes" in the genomes of severely overweight children have revealed a long-sought new type of genetic variant that drives obesity
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Eat protein to heal a damaged brain
09 December 2009
A diet of chicken, fish and protein shakes might be just the thing for brain-injured patients, suggests a study in mice
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Large moon of Uranus may explain odd tilt
09 December 2009
A massive ancient moon that has since disappeared may be the reason Uranus now lies on its side
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Early birds may have dropped teeth to get airborne
09 December 2009
Fad dieting wasn't an option in the Cretaceous, so the earliest birds went to more extreme measures to address weight issues
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Why there's no sign of a climate conspiracy in hacked emails
09 December 2009
Nothing in the material leaked from key climate research centre undermines the overwhelming case for urgent action to prevent dangerous climate change
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The left-brain plot for world domination
09 December 2009
In The Master and his Emissary, Iain McGilchrist argues that struggle between brain hemispheres has shaped history – Owen Flanagan is not convinced
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Paper screens could provide depth to computer display
09 December 2009
A video projector, infrared camera and a special sheet of paper are all that's needed to explore graphical data in three dimensions
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Making a map for everyone, by everyone
09 December 2009
Crowdsourcing a map of the world is a supremely democratic project – now new smartphone and online apps will let anyone join in
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California gives green light to space solar power
09 December 2009
The state has approved a deal in which the Pacific Gas and Electric Company will buy power beamed down from satellites beginning in 2016
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SpaceShipTwo unveiled at glitzy ceremony
09 December 2009
The first privately built passenger-carrying spacecraft was unveiled in California this week, but test flights won't begin until next year
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Anthrax study on baboons axed by university president
09 December 2009
Did pressure from animal-rights extremists lead to the last-minute aborting of an approved project to test a vaccine on baboons?
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60 Seconds
09 December 2009
Moles that can see, DNA pawprint for HIV, plastic surgery to fake biometrics, and more
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Will you stand up against climate disaster?
09 December 2009
Civil resistance is the only way to meet the threat from climate change, says leading climate researcher James Hansen in Storms of My Grandchildren
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Mass poisoning to keep carp invaders from Great Lakes
09 December 2009
Tens of thousands of fish have been killed in a drastic attempt to keep invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan
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Want fresh air? Give your house a nose job…
09 December 2009
A heat-exchange system based on the temperature-regulating trick of the kangaroo rat could keep house air fresh without losing heat
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Second stalled wheel may doom Mars rover
08 December 2009
NASA's Spirit rover was already fighting an uphill battle to escape a sand trap; if a second wheel cannot be coaxed back into action, the rover may freeze to death
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Women on testosterone only think they're macho
08 December 2009
Women who receive a testosterone boost act more generously than women on a placebo – but only when they don't know what they've been given
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Norway could kill hundreds more minke whales next year
08 December 2009
Upping its quota by 45 per cent in 2010 is unjustified by demand for whale meat and could encourage Japan to kill more too, conservationists say
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Want fresh air? Give your house a nose job…
08 December 2009
A heat-exchange system based on the temperature-regulating trick of the kangaroo rat could keep house air fresh without losing heat
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Burt Rutan: Behind the scenes at SpaceShipTwo roll-out
08 December 2009
The first private passenger-carrying spacecraft was unveiled last night. New Scientist shadowed its designer through a stormy evening of razzmatazz
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Can't find the words? Google with a photo instead
08 December 2009
A smartphone app lets users snap the object of their web search instead of using words
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Anthrax study on baboons axed by university president
08 December 2009
Did pressure from animal-rights extremists lead to the last-minute aborting of an approved project to test a vaccine on baboons?
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Innovation: Making a map for everyone, by everyone
08 December 2009
Crowdsourcing a map of the world is a supremely democratic project – now new smartphone and online apps will let anyone join in
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Early birds may have dropped teeth to get airborne
08 December 2009
Fad dieting wasn't an option in the Cretaceous, so the earliest birds went to more extreme measures to address weight issues
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California gives green light to space solar power
08 December 2009
The state has approved a deal in which the Pacific Gas and Electric Company will buy power beamed down from satellites beginning in 2016
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Eat protein to heal a damaged brain
07 December 2009
A diet of chicken, fish and protein shakes might be just the thing for people with brain injuries, suggests a study in mice
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Dinosaur-killing impact set Earth to broil, not burn
07 December 2009
An asteroid impact 65 million years ago did not trigger global wildfires after all, new work suggests, leaving open the question of what killed off most of the world's species
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You'll buy more from web ads that know how you think
07 December 2009
"Ad morphing" aims to deliver more relevant adverts to users by discerning their personality type from the way they navigate around sites
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Climate control for your desk
07 December 2009
Individual air conditioning in offices could save energy and make workers more productive
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Gene absence makes the kid grow rounder
07 December 2009
"Holes" in the genomes of severely overweight children have revealed a long-sought new type of genetic variant that drives obesity
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Homosexuality in nature is no guide to morality
07 December 2009
We have no need for fallacious arguments to support basic human rights
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Watery niche may foster life on Mars
07 December 2009
Vast banks of snow and ice on Mars could harbour liquid water just centimetres below the surface, making them potential habitats for life
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Homosexual selection: The power of same-sex liaisons
07 December 2009
From penguins to fruit flies to people, nature bustles with same-sex sex. Is it an evolutionary puzzle or a force for change?
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Cheap catalyst can make and break hydrogen
07 December 2009
It could allow surplus energy from wind and solar farms to be stored as hydrogen and released it to the electricity grid when it's needed
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Personalised vaccines could protect all children
07 December 2009
Children whose genetic make-up means they may not be protected by the standard form of a vaccine could be given a personalised shot
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Five ways to revolutionise computer memory
07 December 2009
You can store all your music on a personal MP3 player – which technology will do the same for your high-definition movie collection?
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French immigrants founded first British farms
05 December 2009
Ancient Brits might have continued much longer as hunter-gatherers had it not been for innovations introduced by Gallic newcomers
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Physicists race to publish first results from LHC
04 December 2009
Researchers working on ALICE, one of six experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, have pipped their rivals to the post in writing up results from the accelerator's first proton collisions
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Large moon of Uranus may explain odd tilt
04 December 2009
A massive ancient moon that has since disappeared may be the reason Uranus now lies on its side
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Why there's no sign of a climate conspiracy in hacked emails
04 December 2009
Nothing in the material leaked from key climate research centre undermines the overwhelming case for urgent action to prevent dangerous climate change
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Avatar's gaze illuminates social brain
04 December 2009
From inside a brain scanner, an interactive avatar is helping to unravel the brain activity underlying complex social interactions
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The electronic fink that will squeal if you drink
04 December 2009
Misbehave while under the influence in the US, and you could be forced to wear a device that measures your alcohol level – but can it be trusted?
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The Pentagon invites you to play its red balloon game
04 December 2009
From tomorrow, $40,000 is waiting for the first person to locate 10 weather balloons in the US – the aim is to explore the spread of information online
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Climate warning system could be scuppered by pirates
04 December 2009
A South African research ship will brave pirate-infested waters to observe and predict seasonal risks of monsoon-induced floods and drought
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Solar-powered night-flying plane makes its first 'flea hop'
03 December 2009
The first ever piloted solar-powered plane that could fly all night has taken off – it is meant to circumnavigate the globe one day
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British bird-feeders may be splitting species
03 December 2009
During summer reunions in German forests, blackcaps that overwinter in the UK shun cousins who opt for Spain instead
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Paper screens could provide depth to computer display
03 December 2009
A video projector, infrared camera and a special sheet of paper are all that's needed to explore graphical data in three dimensions
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Why we shouldn't release all we know about the cosmos
03 December 2009
The Planck spacecraft promises a feast of data and profound insights into the origin of the universe – but we mustn't be gluttons, says Stuart Clark
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Antarctica was climate refuge during great extinction
03 December 2009
Animals fled to Antarctica to escape global warming, suggests a fossil study – with implications for how animals may adapt to future global warming
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Inside the world of steampunk
03 December 2009
Think modern technology seen through the eyes of Jules Verne and you've got steampunk. See our pick of the best from the world's first exhibition dedicated to the sci-fi genre
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Net piracy: The people vs the entertainment industry
03 December 2009
New laws to counter illegal downloading will be intrusive and ineffective, say internet service providers
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Do mice with two mothers spell the end for men?
02 December 2009
If you believe some reports, the future of humanity is a race of genetically engineered women who can reproduce without men. Read this before ditching your boyfriend/husband
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Transparent universe reveals hidden galaxies
02 December 2009
Detection of high-energy gamma rays from distant "blazars" are forcing a rethink of our ideas about the formation and evolution of galaxies
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How our brains build social worlds
02 December 2009
What does a meeting of minds really mean? To understand how people interact, we need to think of their brains as a single system, say Andreas Roepstorff, Chris Frith and Uta Frith
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Low-carbon future: We can afford to go green
02 December 2009
An exclusive study for New Scientist shows that westerners can radically cut carbon emissions and keep their lifestyles
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Plenty more oil, but use it wisely
02 December 2009
Our dependence on the black stuff has placed us squarely on the horns of a dilemma
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Death of rare giant star sheds light on cosmic past
02 December 2009
One of the most massive stars known exploded in 2007, creating an unusual type of supernova that was probably common in the early universe
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Death of rare giant star sheds light on cosmic past
02 December 2009
One of the most massive stars known exploded in 2007, creating an unusual type of supernova that was probably common in the early universe
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Computers top poll of modern discoveries
02 December 2009
The microprocessor has been voted the greatest innovation of the past 50 years. Rightly so, says Federico Faggin
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Extreme oil: Scraping the bottom of Earth's barrel
02 December 2009
The extraordinary lengths we'll have to go to if we want to keep the black stuff flowing
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WHO changes advice on HIV therapy
02 December 2009
The World Health Organization now advises giving antiretroviral therapy to people with HIV earlier on in the infection cycle
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US and China emissions pledges won't stop 2 °C warming
02 December 2009
Modelling suggests these cuts will not be enough to head off dangerous climate change – Europe may have to take up the slack
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Autism and schizophrenia could be genetic opposites
02 December 2009
The conditions may be two sides of the same coin, suggests a review of genetic data – the finding could help design complementary treatments
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Radiator roads too hot for ice to handle
02 December 2009
Roads made from concrete with a nanofibre layer that heats up when fed with electricity could stay ice-free without the corrosive effects of salt
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Cellphones and cancer: Interphone can't end the debate
02 December 2009
The long-awaited study is about to come out – it won't convince sceptics, even though cellphones almost certainly can't cause cancer, says Michael Repacholi
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Split-personality home routers can cut net energy use
02 December 2009
Home broadband routers could also store web data to be shared with other users, so cutting the energy demand of internet data centres
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Bertrand Russell framed in the investigation of proof
02 December 2009
How do you illustrate proof? Find out in Logicomix, a gripping graphic novel about the life and ideas of the philosopher and mathematician
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A box full of Einstein
02 December 2009
The superbly illustrated Einstein, with text by his biographer Walter Isaacson, contains rare facsimile documents
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The Large Hadron Collider pop-up book
02 December 2009
Paper engineer Anton Radevsky recreates not only the LHC but the universe itself in Voyage to the Heart of Matter, with co-author Emma Sanders
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Writing from science to fiction
02 December 2009
Scientists inspire writers in When It Changed, a collection of collaborative short stories that are thought-provoking at worst, stunning at best
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Hero of revolutions in science and the states
02 December 2009
Ostensibly the tale of Joseph Priestley, The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson is also a compelling inquiry into the nature of scientific discovery
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Hard truths distilled in verse
02 December 2009
In Song of Two Worlds, physicist and novelist Alan Lightman explores meaning and truth in science – in narrative poetry
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For the record
02 December 2009
• When discussing the effects of travelling at close to the speed of sound we said that this liquefies the ground beneath a vehicle's wheels...
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Crystal ball for star intellectuals
02 December 2009
High-profile writers answer John Brockman's single question in This Will Change Everything: what major scientific innovations will you live to see?
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Coffee tables have never looked so good
02 December 2009
The most stunning and informative picture books of the season
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Extrapolation nation
02 December 2009
Angela Saini's article about misunderstanding probability in courts makes me wonder how it's possible to verify assertions such as the probability of having...
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Belle de Jour: On science and prostitution
02 December 2009
She currently works at the Bristol Initiative for Research of Child Health and told her agent, "If New Scientist asks for an interview, I'll do it". We did ask
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What's hot on NewScientist.com
02 December 2009
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Enigma Number 1574
02 December 2009
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Nutt controversy
02 December 2009
Our guest editorial by David Nutt (7 November, p 5) elicited a great deal of response. A representative selection appears here, followed by a response...
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Godlessness for the good-humoured
02 December 2009
The Atheist's Guide to Christmas marshals non-believing comedians, philosophers and scientists to make sense of the season without its star turn
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Video games reheat the cold war
02 December 2009
What do this season's hottest games have in common? Clue: the bad guys are Russian, says Steven Poole – but there are gentler pleasures out there too
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E-readers round-up
02 December 2009
Five ways to read a book without paper
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Dear God, please confirm what I already believe
02 December 2009
Experiments on people who believe in God suggest they endow the deity with their own views on controversial issues such as abortion
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Energetic gamma rays spotted from 'microquasar'
02 December 2009
After decades of searching, astronomers using two different telescopes have found high-energy gamma rays emanating from a disc around a dense stellar remnant
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Rainbow trapped for first time
02 December 2009
An ingeniously simple device, made with just a magnifying lens and a plate of glass, has been used to trap a rainbow of visible light
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Autism and schizophrenia could be genetic opposites
02 December 2009
The conditions may be two sides of the same coin, suggests a review of genetic data – the finding could help design complementary treatments
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Why the hammerhead shark got its hammer
02 December 2009
Its widely separated eyes give it super-vision that can judge distance and so track prey better than other sharks
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Solar plane ready for its first hop
02 December 2009
No solar-powered plane has yet taken off with a pilot aboard – Solar Impulse is undergoing tests to prove it can be the first
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Proper use of English could get a virus past security
02 December 2009
Malicious computer code can be hidden in plain English text to fool antivirus programs
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'Fat fingers' can become dainty for touch screens
02 December 2009
Touch-screen devices could be smaller if they could read how you use your fingers
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First osmosis power plant goes on stream in Norway
02 December 2009
Sited on the banks of the Oslo fjord, it generates electricity using the natural process that keeps plants standing upright and our body cells rigid
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Soundbites
02 December 2009
On leaked emails, Iranian nuclear plans, "bo-tax" and more
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'Simple' bacterium shows surprising complexity
02 December 2009
First "blueprint" of a minimalist bacterium show it is not so simple after all – challenging textbook accounts of the way genes work together
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Knox murder trial evidence 'flawed', say DNA experts
02 December 2009
As the verdict on their murder charges looms, DNA evidence allegedly implicating Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito is being called into question
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Entities hidden by philosophical carpet
02 December 2009
How to sweep up with Ockham's broom, where to ski on liquid snow, and the mystery of the moon rabbit…
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Swallow your pride
02 December 2009
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Goggle wobble
02 December 2009
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60 Seconds
02 December 2009
Black hole spied at work, how Jane Austen died, giant pandas get jiggy and more
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What would you do with a terabyte memory chip?
02 December 2009
Even MP3 addicts might struggle to fill a chip that has room for hundreds of thousands of songs
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Climate warning system could be scuppered by pirates
02 December 2009
A research ship will brave the pirate-infested waters of the Indian Ocean to observe and predict seasonal risks of monsoon-induced floods and drought
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WHO changes advice on HIV therapy
02 December 2009
The World Health Organization now advises giving antiretroviral therapy to people with HIV earlier on in the infection cycle
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Treating toddlers for autism boosts IQ later
02 December 2009
The first randomised controlled trial in such young children should settle the question of whether early screening and treatment are worthwhile
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LHC becomes most energetic accelerator of all time
02 December 2009
The rebooted Large Hadron Collider has given a beam of protons the most energy of any particle accelerator ever
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Both of NASA's Mars orbiters are down for the count
01 December 2009
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been offline since August – now, the Odyssey probe is down as well, spelling delays for the twin rovers, which use the orbiters to communicate with Earth
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Long-lived Titan lakes are boon to life
01 December 2009
A new study suggests that lakes on the Saturn moon may not be just a "flash in the pan", giving potential life longer to develop
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Treating toddlers for autism boosts IQ later
01 December 2009
The first randomised controlled trial in very young children seems to settle the question of whether early screening and treatment are worthwhile
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Calendar competition: the winners
01 December 2009
How have science and technology affected your world? See the answer here, in the best photos readers entered for the 2010 New Scientist calendar
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Optical pressure sensors give robots the human touch
01 December 2009
Sensors that work with light rather than mechanical signals could distinguish more subtle variations in pressure
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Safety flaws in US next-gen nuclear reactors
01 December 2009
The next-generation nuclear reactors being planned for the US and China have flaws in their design, according to safety watchdogs
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Seas could rise 1.4m, warns Antarctic climate review
01 December 2009
A review of Antarctic climate change forecasts that by 2100 the world's seas will have risen to levels previously thought too extreme to be realistic
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Lotus leaf solar cells soak up more power
01 December 2009
Peppering the cells' surface with nanoscale domes could cut reflections and improve efficiency by as much as 25 per cent
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Five eco-crimes we commit every day
01 December 2009
If you really want to save the planet, you should rethink how you clean your clothes – and your bottom
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Cellphones team up to make Wi-Fi where you want it
01 December 2009
Microsoft software allows cellphones to pool connections and create a mobile wireless hotspot for nearby computers