LATEST
2009 review: In green tech we must trust
14:00 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
2010 preview: The polyglot web
NEWS PREVIEW 2010: 10:00 24 December 2009 | 46 comments
With web addresses authorised to use non-Latin characters such as Arabic, Chinese or Russian, the internet will be transformed
Video-stitched cellphone streams go widescreen
NEWS: 13:09 23 December 2009 | 13 comments
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
Chatbots add intelligence to Sherlock Holmes game
NEWS: 12:00 23 December 2009 | 6 comments
The online movie tie-in enables gamers posing as the great detective to question virtual suspects and witnesses in natural language
The shape of gifts to come
FEATURE: 08:00 23 December 2009 | 9 comments
The latest revolution in games consoles owes its existence to car airbags – so what hot gadgets of the future will today's technologies spawn?
Innovation: The sinister powers of crowdsourcing
12:42 22 December 2009 | 24 comments
Governments are turning to web users to help identify criminals and protestors – could they enlist people's help without revealing their true goals?
Single light wave flashes out from fibre laser
17:30 21 December 2009 | 30 comments
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
ATHLETICS
Biological passport to catch sports cheats
The composition of an athlete's blood can now be used as evidence of illegal doping, even if no substance is found
SPACEFLIGHT
Burt Rutan: Behind the scenes at SpaceShipTwo
The first private passenger-carrying spacecraft was unveiled recently. New Scientist shadowed its designer through a stormy evening of razzmatazz
FROM THE BLOG
Australian government plans internet censorship
11:22 21 December 2009
Anyone accessing the web in Australia could soon find their data passing through government filters first
Plastic plane takes to the skies
15:00 16 December 2009
A revolutionary new airliner with a plastic body and many other novel features took off for the first time yesterday
Double blow for 'hot rock' geothermal power
12:51 14 December 2009
Two major geothermal energy projects in California and Switzerland have been shelved over technical issues and safety fears
