New Scientist magazine - 11 April 2009

Issue number 2703

The effect is slight, but if true it would change our ideas about the source of dark energy

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• Is donated sperm just another product?

  Editorialp3

  A sperm bank is being sued on the premise that sperm can be guaranteed against defects

• We mustn't succumb to climate fatigue

  Editorialp3

  Bad news on global warming may seem boringly predictable – but that's the worst possible excuse for ignoring the problem

• Who watches the watchers?

  Editorialp3

  How can you be sure that people monitoring CCTV footage are doing their job? Monitor them with CCTV, of course

• What's hot on NewScientist.com

  Editorial > What's hot on NewScientist.comp3

• Ebola accident puts vaccine to the test

  News > Upfrontp4

  Injury from a needle contaminated with the deadly virus put a scientist at risk – but an experimental vaccine may have saved her

• 'Evolution proof' agents give mosquitoes a slow death

  News > Upfrontp4

  Insecticide resistance in malarial mosquitoes could be wiped out for good – paradoxically by using slow-acting insecticides

• Sperm bank sued under product liability law

  News > Upfrontp4

  A US judge gives a teenager with severe learning disabilities the go-ahead to sue the sperm bank that provided her with a biological father

• Russia to usher in new space technology

  News > Upfrontpp4-5

  The Russian space agency is planning to replace all its launch facilities, rockets and workhorse Soyuz spacecraft

• 60 Seconds

  News > 60 Secondsp5

  Quake foretold, Male pill hopes, and more...

• Airlines call for stricter rules on emissions

  News > Upfrontp5

  A group of airline companies wants a global cap-and-trade scheme to regulate aircraft emissions

• Ice-bridge collapse leaves Wilkins ice shelf exposed

  News > Upfrontp5

  An ice bridge connecting the ice shelf to the surrounding islands has collapsed – the rest of the shelf may follow

• Will Obama be able to deliver on his green promises?

  News > Upfrontp5

  The US will lead in cutting its carbon footprint, says the US president, but his plans need to get through Congress first

• Is dark energy getting weaker?

  News > This Weekpp6-7

  Blasts from the past sketch a picture of a universe whose runaway expansion may finally be slowing

• 'Why would small island states be happy with a level of ambition that is going to destroy their countries?'

  News > Soundbitesp8

  M. J. Mace, a legal adviser to the Federated States of Micronesia, explains why it and 42 other island states requested that developed countries aim to cut their emissions far beyond current goals

• Will climate change spread disease?

  News > This Weekp8

  Disputes have broken out among ecologists over a study that suggests climate change might not increase the range of tropical diseases after all

• Chocolate eggs under threat from witches' broom

  News > This Weekp9

  Sales of chocolate products may be booming, but killer diseases are threatening the world's major cacao plantations

• Praying to God is like talking to a friend

  News > This Weekp9

  Brain scans of 20 devout Christians "found no evidence of anything mystical", says researcher

• Brain renews link to transplanted hands

  News > This Weekp10

  The brains of two right-handed people have fully accepted both transplanted hands – surprisingly, the left hands regained their brain territory more quickly

• Is Alzheimer's the result of a burnt-out brain?

  News > This Weekp10

  Healthy young adults carrying a gene variant that is a major risk factor for the disorder seem to have extra activity in brain regions related to memory

• Early land visitors borrowed shells for protection

  News > This Weekp11

  Some of the earliest creatures to crawl out of the ocean onto land half a billion years ago behaved like hermit crabs, tracks reveal

• Solar 'double vision' aids space weather warnings

  News > This Weekp11

  Imaging from a pair of satellites means space weather forecasters can predict dangerous solar plasma "burps" 24 hours before they hit Earth

• How see-through wings repel unwelcome water

  News > In Briefp12

  The mystery of how butterflies with translucent wings stay dry has been solved by new high-resolution images – and the trick is bounciness

• Hurricanes peak a day after lightning

  News > In Briefp12

  A comprehensive analysis of lightning activity during hurricanes suggests that the worst winds will come a day after bolts strike

• Lab-grown ear cells may help restore hearing

  News > In Briefp12

  The two types of cultivated cells will be used to devise ways to regenerate or repair ear cells and screen for chemicals that cause hearing loss

• Slave ants keep a taste for revenge

  News > In Briefp12

  Forget Spartacus – you need look no further than an ant colony for a slave mutiny

• Doctors tune in to the source of back pain

  News > In Briefp13

  A new list of questions and quick physical tests – one of which involves a tuning fork – can cheaply and quickly pinpoint the correct painkiller to prescribe for back pain

• Largest megaripples on Earth discovered

  News > In Briefp13

  On Argentina's Puna plateau, blistering winds have formed the largest known ripples on the planet, and they may even trump Mars

• Medieval warming study is blow to climate change deniers

  News > In Briefp13

  Climate change sceptics may have just lost one of their favourite arguments against man-made global warming

• Why a good scratch quells an itch

  News > In Briefp13

  It seems a scraping the skin suppresses "itch" signals emanating from the spinal cord that would otherwise be sent to the brain

• Airbus invents steer-by-fuel emergency system

  Technology > Newsp15

  A system to pump fuel around an aircraft could help pilots steer planes in an emergency by altering the plane's centre of gravity

• Driving beats violence for emotional gaming

  Technology > Newsp15

  Video games don't have to be shoot 'em ups to trigger a strong emotional response, brain scans reveal

• Land-speed record attempt builds up steam

  Technology > Newsp15

  Following final tests of its systems in the UK, the British Steam Car Challenge is preparing for a record attempt later this year

• Our ears may have built-in passwords

  Technology > Featurepp16-17

  Ears make their own distinctive noises, albeit quietly – they could have potential as proof of identity

• Robots take the drudgery out of science

  Technology > Featurep17

  A robot scientist able to generate its own hypotheses and confirm them with experiments has made real discoveries

• Batteries grown from 'armour-plated' viruses

  Technology > Featurep18

  Genetically engineered viruses that assemble into electrodes have been used to make miniature rechargeable batteries for the first time

• Eyeball spy turns the tables on Big Brother

  Technology > Featurep18

  A gaze-tracking camera system analyses the gaze of CCTV operators as they work to highlight any neglected screens

• The battle for Turkey's soul

  Comment and Analysispp20-21

  A Turkish science magazine's pulling of a cover story on Darwin could be a taste of struggles to come – but it may also be a good sign, says Debora MacKenzie

• Viewfinder

  Opinion > Viewfinderp21

• Astral experience

  Lettersp22

  We read your two-part series on out-of-body experiments with interest. We were surprised...

• Red List concerns

  Lettersp22

  Rachel Nowak's challenging article on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature raised a number of...

• Societal drinking

  Lettersp22

  Andy Coghlan is to be commended for bringing to our attention the dangers of "passive drinking" and its impact on our environment, economy and society...

• Enigma Number 1540

  Opinion > Enigmap22

• Specious selection

  Letterspp22-23

  I was pleased to read that the gene-centred view of evolution is increasingly being challenged, because for me it has...

• Essentials first

  Lettersp23

  Debora MacKenzie advises that "it is not a good idea to be sick in a poor country", and this is undoubtedly true...

• Evolving backwards?

  Lettersp23

  Though I much enjoyed the review of Jack Horner's new book, How To Build A Dinosaur, I have to say...

• For the record

  Lettersp23

• Injelititis

  Lettersp23

  Mark Buchanan's reference to Parkinson's law prompted me to read the entirety of C. Northcote Parkinson's treatise where...

• Significant figures

  Lettersp23

  Regarding your calculations on the salt content of Walkers crisps, how can the one significant figure in 0. 4 grams per pack lead to four...

• Skinny-dippers

  Lettersp23

  I was delighted to see that the aquatic ape theory got a small mention in the profile box of Elaine Morgan's article on the...

• Suicidology

  Lettersp23

  Robert Pool reports a "grand theory" of suicide, but his article rather misses the mark. A theory without any reference to...

• Inside the tangled world of string theory

  Interviewpp24-25

  Edward Witten, leading architect of string theory, tells New Scientist how it feels to work in an area so rarefied that it's a problem conveying to other people what he does

• Listening to the Earth's deepest secrets

  Features > Cover Storypp26-30

  We know more about outer space than the planet beneath our feet, but an ambitious plan to scan deep beneath the US will change all that

• Echo vision: The man who sees with sound

  Features > Featurepp31-33

  Daniel Kish lost his sight in infancy – but taught himself to echolocate with bat-like clicks. Here he tells New Scientist how to do it

• Driller thriller: Antarctica's tumultuous past revealed

  Features > Featurepp34-37

  The future of Antarctica's ice is written in stone from 19 million years ago. Douglas Fox meets the geologists drilling into history

• Quantum lasers: Half light, half matter

  Features > Featurepp38-41

  A new kind of laser could mean cheaper gadgets for all – if we can tame the weird cross-breed particles that power them, says Richard Webb

• Galileo: Around the sun and back

  Opinion > Books & Artsp42

  Two new exhibitions show Galileo's contribution to humanity using astronomical artefacts, stunning artwork and impressive technology

• Review: Invented Knowledge by Ronald Fritze

  Opinion > Books & Artsp43

  The lost island of Atlantis, the discovery of America by a Chinese fleet and the intelligent aliens who brought civilisation to Earth – the author reveals how these ideas entered public consciousness and turns his sharp gaze on false history

• Review: The End is Nigh by Henrik Svensen

  Opinion > Books & Artsp43

  Throughout history, natural disasters have shaped faith, architecture, politics, culture and much more – this book investigates how, with some striking examples

• Review: The Open Laboratory edited by Jennifer Rohn

  Opinion > Books & Artsp43

  Blogs bring a lively, personal feel to science, but they won't replace journalism just yet

• The snow monkeys of Hell's Valley

  Opinion > Books & Artsp44

  Humans aren't the only animals to enjoy bathing in hot water – wildlife photographer Heather Angel catches them in the act

• Self-belief can be measured in milliKans

  Feedbackp64

  This week's Feedback reveals a toxic detox treatment, how to measure your own self-worth, and how to become an amateur fatalist

• Clear waters

  The Last Word > Last Word Answerp65

• Down in one

  The Last Word > Last Word Answerp65

• Think hard

  The Last Word > Last Word Answerp65