July - 2004 Articles
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Captive rhinos killed by overdose of iron
31 July 2004
Black rhinos often die prematurely in captivity – now a study suggests too much iron in their zoo diets may to blame
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Whacked
31 July 2004
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Home-grown, old bean
31 July 2004
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We don't need Higgs
31 July 2004
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60 Seconds
31 July 2004
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Behind the mask
31 July 2004
IF YOU THINK mind reading is outside the realms of science, think again. In the past decade a revolution in brain-imaging technology has made it possible to see your private mental world in real time. These days no self-respecting university or teaching h
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Why we do what we do
31 July 2004
Wouldn't it be useful if you could predict the choices people were going to make? Laura Spinney finds out how close we are to a science of decision making
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Power tower
31 July 2004
A folly in the Australian outback or a source of cheap green electricity for generations to come? Rachel Nowak investigates plans to build the world's tallest tower
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Riddle of the bones
31 July 2004
She says she is not morbid but she lives in a world of ancient bones, fleas, rats, plague, politics and death. She is also a best-selling crime writer and political campaigner who has published three books this year. So who is Fred Vargas – a
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Private thoughts, public property
31 July 2004
Brain imaging can already see so deep into our private lives that we need to think long and hard about who has access to our personal secrets, says Helen Phillips
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.....
31 July 2004
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Cartridge con
31 July 2004
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For the record
31 July 2004
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Why the taboo?
31 July 2004
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Tune in to the net's untapped power
31 July 2004
Tinker with the internet's phone book and you can create a radio station or track down long-lost friends
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Sandpit for viruses
31 July 2004
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Games get more touchy-feely
31 July 2004
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Paradox that unmasks rabbi's literary lie
31 July 2004
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Shape-shifting aerial gets the best reception
31 July 2004
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Cutting edge
31 July 2004
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Grit-blasting threatens aircraft
31 July 2004
Boeing 737 aircraft may be susceptible to critical damage caused by incorrect maintenance procedures
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Strings with a twist
31 July 2004
Do we really need half-a-dozen hidden dimensions? Not any more, says physicist Roger Penrose
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They know what you want
31 July 2004
If neuromarketers can find the key to our consumer desires, will they be able to manipulate what we buy?
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Two of our icebergs are missing
31 July 2004
William Hodges was frustrated. The young artist had been hired to accompany James Cook on his second voyage of discovery. Cook's task was to find the elusive great southern continent – if it existed. And if it didn't, the admiralty was confident tha
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Washington diary
31 July 2004
Andreas Frew on a radioactive issue that won't die down, and cowmen with staggering new problems
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Teens on sex
31 July 2004
Why not train teens to teach their peers about the dangers of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy?
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To whale, or not to whale?
31 July 2004
Whalers claim, once again, it is safe to resume the commercial hunt. But science tells a different story
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Captive rhinos killed by overdose of iron
31 July 2004
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Renegade gene can aid and abet spread of cancer
31 July 2004
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Soundbites
31 July 2004
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Twin tower fallout an all-time high
31 July 2004
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Space station gets lift with promise of extra crew
31 July 2004
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Mercury space probe raring to go
31 July 2004
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Dual asteroid strike hits comet theory
31 July 2004
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Noah's freezer
31 July 2004
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Open minds
31 July 2004
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The last word
31 July 2004
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Once we were alchemists
31 July 2004
Simon Ings on Boyle and Bacon's real roots
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Feedback
31 July 2004
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The word coprophagy
31 July 2004
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Arsenic plan fails
31 July 2004
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Spiritual bird
31 July 2004
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Bright eyes
31 July 2004
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Tangled wormholes
31 July 2004
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Masters of space-time
31 July 2004
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Forest dwellers are its best protectors
31 July 2004
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Class lines
31 July 2004
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Earth's gravity affected by Amazon water level
31 July 2004
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Acoustic bulges make solar spikes
31 July 2004
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Lawsuit could force limits on US carbon emissions
31 July 2004
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Primitive fish hit dry land to bask in the sun
31 July 2004
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Why athletes get injured
31 July 2004
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It's the brain not the body that hits the wall
31 July 2004
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Return of the Iraqi wetlands
31 July 2004
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Divorce in space
31 July 2004
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No-brainer
31 July 2004
Misplaced faith in "mind-reading" scans is a sure route to injustice
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Rip-off kalashnikov clash
31 July 2004
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Holey let-down
31 July 2004
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Two sides, same coin
31 July 2004
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A pump to get the heart racing
31 July 2004
Strokes and blood clots could be a thing of the past for patients who need an implant to stay alive
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Reality bites
31 July 2004
Do participants in reality TV shows really know what they are getting into? Cynthia McVey argues that informed consent isn't all it's cracked up to be
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Keep them calm
31 July 2004
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.....
31 July 2004
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Nuclear's true cost
31 July 2004
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Sorry, no change
31 July 2004
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Civilised old age
31 July 2004
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Home-made phones
31 July 2004
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Better bug killer
31 July 2004
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High cry of a ground squirrel
31 July 2004
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Acupuncture points to post-op comfort
31 July 2004
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Cancer survival time unaffected by state of mind
31 July 2004
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Sunburnt to extinction
31 July 2004
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A yawning ape is a perceptive ape
31 July 2004
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US to halt nuclear fusion project
30 July 2004
Despite a stalemate over where to build an international nuclear fusion facility, the US is stopping work on a homegrown project
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Francis Crick, DNA pioneer, dies
30 July 2004
Scientists salute a giant of modern biology - "Francis Crick was the Charles Darwin of the 20th century", says one
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Swollen chest may indicate anthrax attack
30 July 2004
A new list of unusual symptoms linked to anthrax inhalation could make diagnosis quicker and enable a faster response
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Acupuncture points to post-op comfort
30 July 2004
Stimulating the right acupuncture point cuts sickness and nausea by almost a third in people who have just had an operation
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Battered Moon rock reveals travel history
29 July 2004
A lunar rock, blasted by several meteor impacts, has yielded its space adventures to scientists
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Synthesis marks prion disease breakthrough
29 July 2004
After 20 years of trying, the infectious prions that trigger diseases such as BSE and vCJD, are created in the laboratory
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Acne bug's nasty secrets spotted
29 July 2004
The genome sequence of the acne bacterium reveals a surprising arsenal, as well as potential weak spots
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Most nanotech poses 'no new risks'
29 July 2004
But new regulations are needed to ensure nanoparticles do not damage public health, urges a UK government study
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Brain not body makes athletes feel tired
29 July 2004
The exhaustion athletes feel is not caused by over-worked muscles but by a molecule in the mind, reveals a new study
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Simpler pump boosts failing hearts
28 July 2004
The implant drives a continuous stream of blood, reducing the risk of strokes and blood clots – but also leaving people with no pulse
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Mystery of solar jets solved
28 July 2004
The jets, called solar spicules, are ubiquitous, with 100,000 active at any one time – but until now no theory had explained their behaviour
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Ground squirrels ultrasonic squeals revealed
28 July 2004
Researchers were alerted after seeing the animals open their mouths only to producing a faint whisper of rushing air
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P2P network connects phones globally
28 July 2004
A new service mimics the method used by file sharing networks and could challenge traditional telecommunications
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Theory links dark energy and neutrinos
28 July 2004
Unlike other theories of dark energy, researchers say, this one relates it to known particles that can be detected in experiments
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Private race to space sets start date
28 July 2004
The first attempt at the $10 million X-Prize will start on 29 September – and a second team is only just behind
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Space images show relentless Bangladeshi floods
27 July 2004
The worst flooding in 15 years has displaced 20 million people in the low-lying country
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Stray star may have jolted Sedna
27 July 2004
A passing star may have kicked the planetoid into its strange orbit, which takes it to the Solar System's edges
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3D audio system developed by MP3 pioneer
27 July 2004
The technology uses a principle known as 'wave field synthesis' to create complex audio illusions for everyone in a room
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Email harvesting virus crashes Google
27 July 2004
MyDoom.o also slowed or stopped traffic on three other major search engines – Lycos, Yahoo and Altavista
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Strange movements may signal autism
26 July 2004
A mild form of autism could be spotted early by watching kids for abnormal body movements, suggest researchers
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Fighter pilots could command drone 'swarms'
26 July 2004
Up to five unmanned planes operated by software 'agents' could be sent out to 'search and destroy'
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Family words came first for early humans
26 July 2004
A trawl of a thousand languages suggests that common family words may have come from the Neanderthals
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US nuclear clean-up carries major risks
25 July 2004
There is a 50% chance of a major accident during the rehabilitation of the nation's dirtiest nuclear site, concludes a new study
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Warning of bigger burn for sunbathers
24 July 2004
Higher levels of harmful ultraviolet rays hit people outdoors than previously thought, reveals a new study
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Baltimore blasters
24 July 2004
How do you make a building dance down the street? Or walk sideways? It's the kind of control that only a master of blasting and demolition like Mark Loizeaux could pull off. He's head of Controlled Demolition Incorporated, the company known to ever
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The concepts are there even if the words aren't
24 July 2004
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Portrait of a Neanderthal
24 July 2004
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Europe tamed the aurochs too
24 July 2004
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Inherited virus blamed for koalas' poor health
24 July 2004
Emma Young covers the International Conference on Ancient DNA and Associated Biomolecules in Brisbane
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Family words came first for early humans
24 July 2004
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Signalling right from the womb
24 July 2004
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Did doctors do for Boney?
24 July 2004
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Mothers' blow to hygiene theory
24 July 2004
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Music studies instrumental in raising children's IQ
24 July 2004
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Small, hot and very far away
24 July 2004
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Comment: HIV's Attitude problem
24 July 2004
Discrimination against HIV-positive people in Asia is undermining efforts to prevent AIDS devastating the region, warns Shaoni Bhattacharya
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We've given oceans acid indigestion
24 July 2004
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Creative spark can come from schizophrenia
24 July 2004
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Telltale signs of a broken heart
24 July 2004
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Soundbites
24 July 2004
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Mars had water long enough to develop life
24 July 2004
Opportunity discovered that surface water existed on early Mars not just for years but for aeons, making it more likely that life had enough time to get a foothold
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Rare parrot beats killer bug
24 July 2004
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Prize dummies?
24 July 2004
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Nuclear lab in further disarray
24 July 2004
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Tug-of-war over gulf illness
24 July 2004
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Babies made to order?
24 July 2004
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The certainty principle
24 July 2004
Get back to basics and we may yet make sense of the quantum world
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Flush with success
24 July 2004
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Olympic impact
24 July 2004
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Raising angels
24 July 2004
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60 Seconds
24 July 2004
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Mountains face meltdown
24 July 2004
If the ice that glues rocks together is thawing, rock faces will disintegrate
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Is a new era dawning for embryo screening?
24 July 2004
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'If the dogs were children, they'd be wearing specs'
24 July 2004
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Warning of bigger burn for sunbathers
24 July 2004
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Nanotubes offer solution to one of life's mysteries
24 July 2004
Squeezing water through carbon nanotubes could shed light on how it moves with ease across cell membranes
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Forest fires set up record raindrops
24 July 2004
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Spotting spyware
24 July 2004
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We're animal-like
24 July 2004
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The Parkinson's fix
24 July 2004
Implanting electrodes in the brain can work wonders. But could it be causing mood changes and even suicides? Anil Ananthaswamy investigates
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Plumbing the depths
24 July 2004
Venice is sinking, and is now under water so often that many people believe the city's expensive flood barrier scheme will make little difference. But one team has a truly uplifting idea
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Harbingers of doom?
24 July 2004
Clouds have emerged as the real wild card in global warming predictions. Add them to climate models and some frightening possibilities fall out
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Hungry? Then just add filthy water…or worse
24 July 2004
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The sheep that launched 1000 ships
24 July 2004
In 1990, two researchers probing the roof of a 12th-century stone church in northern Norway made a remarkable find: stuffed into a gap between the roof and walls were the tattered remains of a 650-year-old woollen sail. Although maritime archaeologists ha
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Westminster diary
24 July 2004
Tam Dalyell on concerns for Atlantic seamounts and wind turbines that interfere with radar systems
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Rocks of ages
24 July 2004
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In his own world
24 July 2004
We're all ethologists now, says Bernd Heinrich
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The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology edited by G. W. Gibbons and others
24 July 2004
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The real Cannery Row
24 July 2004
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Mind-boggling feats
24 July 2004
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Take notes right now
24 July 2004
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Bestsellers - Online
24 July 2004
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Telecoms, not cars
24 July 2004
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Cool energy
24 July 2004
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Sir, it's snowing
24 July 2004
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Lethal gene
24 July 2004
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Oz origins for perching birds
24 July 2004
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Twinkling eyes animate movies
24 July 2004
To make computer generated images look like the real thing look no further than reflections from actors' eyes
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ET first contact 'within 20 years'
24 July 2004
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Pesticide suicides
24 July 2004
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Cutting edge
24 July 2004
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Greenhouse action
24 July 2004
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.....
24 July 2004
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Africa's agony
24 July 2004
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A cellphone full of dollars
24 July 2004
From credit cards to train tickets, the new breed of cellphone crams it all in
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Sour grapes clean up
24 July 2004
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Coloured with tinny music
24 July 2004
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No playing away from home
24 July 2004
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Software to identify your mother tongue
24 July 2004
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Quantum rebel
24 July 2004
Has a simple experiment unravelled our most cherished notions of reality?
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Eco soundings
24 July 2004
Environmental issues are now ingrained in the national psyche. But what are hot areas for the future, and who will be in demand? James Kingsland looks at prospects for the environmental sector
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The last word
24 July 2004
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Feedback
24 July 2004
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ET first contact 'within 20 years'
23 July 2004
If aliens exist, humans will know about them within 20 years, based on our advancing technology predicts a senior astronomer
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Bid to lift whaling ban blocked
23 July 2004
The commercial ban on whaling remains, despite coming close to being lifted by the International Whaling Commission
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Doctors may have killed Napoleon
23 July 2004
The emperor may not have been murdered, but killed by overenthusiastic doctors, suggests a new theory
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Evidence revealed for creation of elusive matter
22 July 2004
The creation of an exotic matter – hotly pursued by physicists around the world – is shown by experimental evidence
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Russian internet extortion gang cracked
22 July 2004
National agencies tracked the group down using server records after threatened attacks on betting sites
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'Saviour sibling' babies get green light
22 July 2004
Families who want to pre-select an embryo to create a child to save a sick sibling are given the official go-ahead in the UK
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US states sue over global warming
22 July 2004
Eight states and New York City bring a lawsuit against power companies in a bid to cut their carbon dioxide emissions
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Handedness develops in the womb
22 July 2004
The hand humans favour as a ten-week-old fetus is the hand they favour for the rest of their lives, suggests a new study
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Hawking concedes black hole bet
21 July 2004
The physicist Stephen Hawking reveals details of his U-turn on his own theory and surrenders his wager
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Army rations rehydrated by urine
21 July 2004
Filthy water – even urine – can be used to rehydrate a dried food ration developed by food scientists for the US army
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Trillions more internet addresses may emerge
21 July 2004
Key steps to change internet infrastructure to prevent internet addresses running out may also boost online security
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Tsunamis of gas hot up galaxy clusters
21 July 2004
The centres of galaxy clusters might be stormy places – with turbulent gases heating them up, suggests a new study
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Yawning is catching in chimps
21 July 2004
Chimps show "contagious yawning" like humans – bolstering the notion they can empathise with others
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Speaker system lets flowers sing
20 July 2004
A device vibrates flowers at high frequency to generate sound, but some experts are sceptical about audio quality
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Handheld PC virus holds ominous promise
20 July 2004
The first handheld PC virus is relatively harmless but could be a harbinger of more serious threats to come
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Extremists scupper another UK animal lab
20 July 2004
Animal rights extremists have intimidated a building company into stopping work, say scientists, jeopardising medical research
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Good mothers stop monkeys going bad
19 July 2004
Proper parenting can abolish the effects of a "bad" gene for aggression and stop young monkeys going off the rails, suggests a new study
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Mars rover finds that water persisted
19 July 2004
Surface water on Mars could have flowed for eons, allowing enough time for life to evolve, suggests new data
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Astronomers pinpoint date of first marathon
19 July 2004
Moon analysis may explain why the first runner collapsed and died upon reaching the finish line 2500 years ago
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Exploding eggshells could reduce space junk risk
19 July 2004
This improbable link is based on the idea that eggshells and discarded space rockets break up in a similar way
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Plutonium cancer risk may be higher than thought
18 July 2004
The danger is highlighted in a report written by radiation experts for the UK government, which has been leaked to New Scientist
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Polite computers win users' hearts and minds
17 July 2004
Computer glitches are less annoying if PCs are programmed to acknowledge errors gracefully, finds a researcher
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Tell us about Beagle
17 July 2004
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.....
17 July 2004
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Odds on flukes
17 July 2004
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Who made God?
17 July 2004
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Micro motor
17 July 2004
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Always on, always under attack
17 July 2004
One in three PCs is now infected with a virus, spyware or a covert dialler
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Running on ethanol
17 July 2004
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Factor in the oil
17 July 2004
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Taming the fourth dimension
17 July 2004
Almost 100 years ago Henri Poincaré encapsulated the way we think about space in a famous mathematical conjecture – now there's a possible proof
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Don't call me clever
17 July 2004
If you think it's smart to be brainy there are two things you should know: a limited intellect is usually better, and creativity is often the last resort for losers. Behavioural biologist Simon M. Reader reveals the pros and cons of intelligence
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Bush 'science'
17 July 2004
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Ex nihilo
17 July 2004
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Stellar art
17 July 2004
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Handy knowledge
17 July 2004
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Westminster diary
17 July 2004
Tam Dalyell considers the impact of air traffic on climate change, and prospects for artificial blood
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Return of the Black Death: The world's greatest serial killer by Susan Scott and Christopher Duncan
17 July 2004
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From kit to cat
17 July 2004
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Hungry for change
17 July 2004
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Mass hysteria
17 July 2004
Thousands of people are on the trail of the Higgs particle. Yet for almost 20 years, nature has played a game of peek-a-boo with particle physicists
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The shapeshifters
17 July 2004
Prions cause havoc when things go wrong. But a controversial theory suggests that behind the scenes, prion-like proteins are keeping our bodies ticking over
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Time to think smart
17 July 2004
It's a country of great physical contrasts, with a big reputation for resourcefulness and making a little go a long way. So how is New Zealand doing in science, asks Emma Young
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For the record
17 July 2004
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The superfast way to find cures
17 July 2004
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Soundbites
17 July 2004
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Babies get hands-on with language
17 July 2004
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Cold waters leave whales washed up
17 July 2004
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Hawking cracks the paradox
17 July 2004
After nearly 30 years of arguing that a black hole destroys everything that falls into it, Stephen Hawking is saying he was wrong
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Rotavirus vaccines will save millions of poor children
17 July 2004
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Give carbon a decent burial
17 July 2004
Most green groups are against it, but burying carbon dioxide under the sea is vital if we are to halt global warming, argue Frederic Hauge and Marius Holm
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Red faces for red fish gourmets
17 July 2004
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Amazing talent of the bird that doesn't sleep
17 July 2004
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Broken promises
17 July 2004
What hope is there of stopping AIDS if rich nations won't pay up?
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AIDS furore
17 July 2004
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BSE downer
17 July 2004
In a surprise move, the US has postponed long-awaited plans to ban material from animal feed that might be infected with BSE
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Attitude corrected
17 July 2004
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60 Seconds
17 July 2004
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Is the green dream doomed to fail?
17 July 2004
Without real commitment and substantial subsidies renewable energy sources will never replace fossil fuels
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Computer gambit
17 July 2004
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Tangled in a mobile safety net
17 July 2004
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The Prince and the particles
17 July 2004
Prince Charles now denies that he ever believed that the world would be reduced to an amorphous mess by an army of self-replicating nanobots
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A cool technique for copying DNA
17 July 2004
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Neurons line up to detect edges
17 July 2004
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Cutting edge
17 July 2004
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Polite computers win their users' hearts and minds
17 July 2004
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Let the PC entertain you
17 July 2004
Computer companies want to oust the TV and the hi-fi from your living room. Will they succeed?
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TV from a vending machine
17 July 2004
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Diodes at nine o'clock
17 July 2004
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Smarter sim cards cut waste
17 July 2004
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Make your own
17 July 2004
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Heavy lifting
17 July 2004
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Satellites deliver the global disaster forecast
17 July 2004
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Looking for space junk? Then blow up an egg…
17 July 2004
Rocket scientists have found the key to tracking space debris…with a little help from a chicken
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Plutonium cancer risk questioned
17 July 2004
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Stem cells get to the heart of it
17 July 2004
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Trace chemical sows seeds of plant resurrection
17 July 2004
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Surgery beyond the keyhole
17 July 2004
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Belated peer review shows Ptolemy cheated
17 July 2004
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Seismic answer to golden riddle
17 July 2004
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Spider baits its web with whiff
17 July 2004
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Third HIV front
17 July 2004
A NEW class of drugs could soon be available for treating people infected with HIV
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Wild birds caught in flu flap
17 July 2004
A fresh outbreak of bird flu in Asia is being blamed on wild birds
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Stephen Baxter, science fiction writer
17 July 2004
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Hans Kruuk, zoologist
17 July 2004
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The last word
17 July 2004
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Feedback
17 July 2004
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Cold waters leave whales washed up
16 July 2004
Whale strandings are no longer quite such a mystery – on the beaches of south-east Australia at least
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In-flight cellphone network passes test
16 July 2004
Passengers make calls via a satellite link, but concerns remain over possible interference with on-board electronics
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Spacecraft set to probe Mercury's mysteries
16 July 2004
Messenger will endure extreme temperatures to determine how the innermost planet formed and whether its craters could hold water
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Movie tests Asimov's moral code for robots
16 July 2004
The laws were invented to protect humans from rogue bots, but experts say we are still a long way from needing them
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Seas absorb half of carbon dioxide pollution
15 July 2004
The world's oceans have soaked up half the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities – but this may harm marine life and ocean chemistry
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Fractal patterns of early life revealed
15 July 2004
Newly uncovered fossils reveal in extraordinary clarity the strangeness of the Earth's earliest complex life
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Babies babble in sign language too
15 July 2004
The finding, even in hearing babies, supports the idea that human infants have an innate sensitivity to the rhythm of language
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TB must be tackled in fight against AIDS
15 July 2004
One in three people with HIV also have TB, which is the biggest killer of AIDS patients – Nelson Mandela leads the call for action
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Hawking cracks black hole paradox
14 July 2004
After nearly 30 years of arguing that a black hole destroys everything that falls into it, Stephen Hawking says he was wrong
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Asteroid impact debris can speed to Earth
14 July 2004
Collisions that occur in some parts of the Solar System are propelled to Earth by the gravity of Jupiter or Saturn
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MRI used to detect lone electron
14 July 2004
The technique could one day reveal the 3-D shape of molecules and atomic-scale features inside transistors
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Gulf war veterans have fertility problems
14 July 2004
The effect is small but significant – however claims that there is no unique Gulf War Syndrome continue
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Astronauts could save Hubble, says panel
14 July 2004
NASA must not rule out a shuttle mission to repair the telescope, says a top-level panel – a robotic mission would be "experimental"
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SARS spurs China to act on AIDS
13 July 2004
Lessons learned during the SARS epidemic are driving the country's response to AIDS, reveals a Chinese health minister
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Dust worms hold the key to planet formation
13 July 2004
A six-minute experiment aboard an unmanned rocket suggests that dust orbiting a young star coalesces to form tiny elongated "worms"
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'Tidal wave' of AIDS orphans rising
13 July 2004
In the "cruellest pandemic" of the AIDS crisis, 50 million children are predicted to be orphaned due to the HIV virus in sub-Saharan Africa
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New world computer chess champ crowned
13 July 2004
The winner is an aggressive and daring software program called Junior, which is also prone to the odd human-like error
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AIDS vaccine years away, researchers warn
12 July 2004
The lack of scientific, political and economic interest is "a global disgrace", says the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
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Movie and software file sharing overtakes music
12 July 2004
Film studios say this costs billions in lost revenue, while the software industry says a third of all installed programs are pirated
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Movie and software file sharing overtakes music
12 July 2004
Film studios say this costs billions in lost revenue, while the software industry says a third of all installed programs are pirated
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World falling short on condom provision
12 July 2004
Condoms, the main scientifically proven way of preventing HIV transmission, are in woefully short supply in key regions
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Asian nations urged to quell HIV epidemic
12 July 2004
The epidemic is growing, but the pattern of spread means it could be contained and may not follow Africa's devastating path
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Handheld terahertz wand to unmask terrorists
12 July 2004
The device could reveal weapons under people's clothes without trespassing their privacy and stripping them naked on screen
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Hi-fi failure helps to brighten beer
11 July 2004
Failed music technology has been harnessed to make ultra-fine filters to produce super clear beer
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Orange banana to boost kids' eyes
10 July 2004
A natural orange banana, rich in precursors to vitamin A, is to be given to children on a Micronesian island to prevent blindness
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Sea change for drinking water
10 July 2004
As supplies of drinking water dwindle desalination technology is leaving the desert and coming to the city
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Shape memory passwords
10 July 2004
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Pushy people do quake tests
10 July 2004
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Hi-fi failure helps to brighten beer
10 July 2004
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A message from beyond the grave high-tech style
10 July 2004
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No night respite
10 July 2004
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Plankton fail to go with flow
10 July 2004
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Selenium helps protect baby
10 July 2004
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Deceitful primates have biggest brains
10 July 2004
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How to build a nanomachine
10 July 2004
You can create nanoscale machines by copying the way the immune system latches onto invading microbes
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All eyes on the orange banana
10 July 2004
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Radio sans frontières
10 July 2004
One frequency, one broadcaster: traditional radio and TV licensing leave vast tracts of precious bandwidth unused, yet there is a neat way to let signals roam the spectrum. Licence holders will object, but are they powerless to prevent the rise of softwar
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Nuclear double standards
10 July 2004
Why should some nations but not others be allowed nuclear weapons, asks Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency
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Cutting edge
10 July 2004
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Sofa and no further
10 July 2004
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Fido's feelings
10 July 2004
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Avian togetherness
10 July 2004
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Tiny engine, big noise
10 July 2004
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Radio daze
10 July 2004
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Natural born cannibals
10 July 2004
Startling new evidence suggests our not-too-distant ancestors routinely killed and ate one another
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Extreme surfing
10 July 2004
What's 1000 metres tall, icy cold and made of liquid metal? The solar system's biggest waves, that's what. Matt Genge reports
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Where doctors dare
10 July 2004
Can space travel or climbing Everest help doctors keep intensive care patients alive, or improve the lot of sick, elderly people? Yes, says Kevin Fong, who is exploring the puzzling links between the body's reaction to trauma or disease and to hostile environments
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Doctors' dilemma
10 July 2004
Finding safe, effective treatments for adult mental illness is thorny enough. But treating children with the same drugs could prove even riskier, as some may permanently alter the structure of the brain. Concluding a two-part series about mind medicines,
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Terahertz shines a light on terrorists
10 July 2004
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Cool combustion
10 July 2004
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Bursting balloons break sound barrier
10 July 2004
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Ancestor identity crisis
10 July 2004
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US privacy ruling
10 July 2004
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No time to act
10 July 2004
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Settlers in their midst
10 July 2004
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Cometh a plague
10 July 2004
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Super-fit bird flu
10 July 2004
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Bad blood
10 July 2004
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Vaccine scandal revives cancer fear
10 July 2004
Long after it was supposed to have been made safe, Soviet polio vaccine contained a virus linked to cancer
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Does SV40 contamination matter?
10 July 2004
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To truly see an animal, look it in the eye
10 July 2004
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China steps up text control
10 July 2004
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60 Seconds
10 July 2004
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Soundbites
10 July 2004
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Blame lifestyle for myopia, not genes
10 July 2004
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Lamprey evolved alternative immune system
10 July 2004
The lamprey, a primitive jawless fish, turns out to have an immune system found nowhere else in nature
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Passive smoking's true dangers
10 July 2004
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Neutrino blast heralds birth of a supernova
10 July 2004
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With grandparents came civilisation
10 July 2004
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Peat bogs harbour carbon time bomb
10 July 2004
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How plants evolved big broad leaves
10 July 2004
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First images of Saturn's rings bring surprises
10 July 2004
It has only been a few days, but Cassini's pictures of Saturn's rings have already revealed mysterious structures
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Maybe our ovaries do make eggs throughout life
10 July 2004
The textbooks say mammals are born with all the eggs we will ever have. But maybe not...
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Nothing to fear from the facts
10 July 2004
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A table-top test for dark energy?
10 July 2004
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Mission accomplished
10 July 2004
As Cassini shows, you have to spend big bucks to succeed in space
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Don't blame retardant
10 July 2004
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Bearing jewels
10 July 2004
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Feedback
10 July 2004
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If the facts fit…
10 July 2004
Robert Matthews likes a good explanation
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Silent running
10 July 2004
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Westminster diary
10 July 2004
Tam Dalyell on a momentous Chinese plan, and the need to protect diversity in food animals
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Forward thinking
10 July 2004
The biotechnology industry is coming of age and beginning to deliver the new therapies and devices it has always promised. So where will the industry be 10 years from now? Karen Schmidt spoke to five biotech pioneers
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The odd bunch
10 July 2004
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Machines Who Think by Pamela McCorduck
10 July 2004
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Carbon conundrum
10 July 2004
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Mission improbable
10 July 2004
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The last word
10 July 2004
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.....
10 July 2004
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Dubious detox
10 July 2004
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Barks in the forest
10 July 2004
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Stun gun doubts
10 July 2004
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Catch 'em on the rye
10 July 2004
For Roy and Neva Gordon, 10 August 1937 was a bad day. Six days earlier, they had been in a three-car pile-up in Marion county, Indiana. Now they were in court. Neva faced charges of being drunk, Roy of drunk driving. The couple had picked the wrong time
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So far so good
10 July 2004
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Dark arts
10 July 2004
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Brown dwarfs win star status
09 July 2004
An unusual pair may settle the debate over whether the objects grow like stars or form after violent ejection from gas clouds
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DNA duplication trick may lead to faster testing
09 July 2004
The breakthrough could let doctors test blood in the surgery and forensic teams identify a suspect's DNA at a crime scene
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Cassini returns dazzling images of Saturn's rings
09 July 2004
The ultraviolet pictures show that the rings become progressively less dusty and more icy towards their outer edges
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Sun storms reverberate to Solar System's edge
09 July 2004
The storms may also have blown off part of Mars's upper atmosphere – an effect that could help explain the planet's missing water
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New type of AIDS drug offers hope
09 July 2004
A drug which stops HIV stitching itself into a cell's genome shows promise in a monkey study
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Brain implants 'read' monkey minds
08 July 2004
Subtle, higher level thoughts have been captured by researchers – the step could lead to better devices for people with paralysis
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Lifestyle causes myopia, not genes
08 July 2004
Epidemics of short-sightedness in east Asia are due to children's lifestyles, not their genes, suggest researchers
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Controllable nano-diode created
08 July 2004
The tiny carbon nanotube diode is the most efficient yet – it could be a step forward in making minuscule electronic circuits
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High-tech messages from the grave
08 July 2004
Tombstones with flat screens and computer memory could broadcast last words in a parting video message
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Vaccine scandal revives cancer fear
07 July 2004
Long after it was supposed to have been made safe, Soviet polio vaccine contained a virus linked to cancer, reveal US scientists
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Super-fit bird flu evolved in China
07 July 2004
The genetic history of 2004's deadly avian flu suggests it evolved recently in China – meanwhile the flu is re-surfacing in southeast Asia
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Peat bogs harbour carbon time bomb
07 July 2004
The world's peat bogs are haemorrhaging carbon dioxide – accelerating global warming, warns a new study
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Life unlikely in asteroid-ridden star system
07 July 2004
A nearby system thought to possibly hold life, is laden with asteroids and comets – giving clues to the nature of how life evolved in our Solar System
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Milk may protect against bowel cancer
07 July 2004
Drinking at least one big glass of milk a day can cut the risk of colon cancer, suggests a large study
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Worst floods for 25 years hit Taiwan
06 July 2004
The record flooding caused by a typhoon, could herald the beginning of a bad storm season in the northwest Pacific
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World AIDS crisis deepens and spreads
06 July 2004
More people than ever contracted HIV in 2003, as the epidemic takes hold in new regions, warns a major UN report
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Elderly crucial to evolutionary success of humans
06 July 2004
An increasing proportion of older people may have spurred a massive population growth, suggests a fossil study
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Broad leaves evolved as carbon dioxide fell
05 July 2004
Falling levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide may have helped ancient plants spread their leaves, suggests a new study
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Evolution could speed net downloads
05 July 2004
Figuring out where to store data and for how long is a complex problem – but "evolved" algorithms could find solutions
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Cassini probes Titan's mysteries
05 July 2004
The clearest images of Titan yet are overturning planetary scientists' theories about Saturn's giant moon
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Robotic wheels that just keep rolling
05 July 2004
The robots, made from elastic polymer and shape memory alloys, propel themselves along by continuously altering their shape
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Gene silencing prevents hereditary brain disease in mice
04 July 2004
The technique could eventually be used to treat people with Huntington's, Alzheimer's and other diseases, researchers say
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Embryonic stem cells 'should be dead'
04 July 2004
The discovery of molecular signs of cell suicide in the vigorously growing cells astonished researchers
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Let software catch the game for you
03 July 2004
Software that identifies the significant events in live sports broadcasts will soon be able to compile highlights
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Narcotic khat gets sperm going
03 July 2004
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The plants that self-compost
03 July 2004
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Bird flu becoming more dangerous
03 July 2004
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It's time to plug into renewable power
03 July 2004
Fossil fuels not only wreck the climate, they also keep the poor world poor, says Andrew Simms
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Bad driving holds the secret to traffic forecasts
03 July 2004
Software that mimics the behaviour of drivers and their cars can predict congestion on the roads up to an hour ahead
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Keep eggs in the dark for friendlier chicks
03 July 2004
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High-protein diet, low fertility?
03 July 2004
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Soundbites
03 July 2004
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In theory, they should be dead…
03 July 2004
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Twin mysteries beneath the Antarctic ice
03 July 2004
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Let software catch the game for you
03 July 2004
Missed the big game on TV? Never mind, your video has compiled a package of all the highlights
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Welding breakthrough means stronger planes
03 July 2004
For the first time, an electron beam has been used to weld thick metal plates in air, rather than inside a vacuum chamber
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Cutting edge
03 July 2004
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Better by design
03 July 2004
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How penguin dads keep fish for chicks
03 July 2004
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Not too hot, not too cold
03 July 2004
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Make it strong, make it glassy
03 July 2004
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Cancer drugs tame rogue womb cells
03 July 2004
Reports from the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Berlin
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60 Seconds
03 July 2004
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Feeding Africa
03 July 2004
If a green revolution won't work, how can the continent solve its food crisis?
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Calling all would-be fathers
03 July 2004
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An audit of war and occupation
03 July 2004
At 10.26 am local time on 28 June, the US-led administration in Iraq handed over sovereignty to an Iraqi government, two days earlier than scheduled. New Scientist audits the legacy of the war against Saddam, and the subsequent occupation
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Nuclear future gets the thumbs-up
03 July 2004
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Puberty inducer?
03 July 2004
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First for fertility
03 July 2004
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Plan for plenty
03 July 2004
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Galileo fudged
03 July 2004
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Mad or unlucky?
03 July 2004
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The famous early bird strikes again
03 July 2004
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Releasing Nemo proves a disaster for native fish
03 July 2004
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How babies become addicted to their mothers
03 July 2004
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Gravity test for string theory
03 July 2004
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Air pollution damages DNA long before birth
03 July 2004
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If the speed of light can change…
03 July 2004
Nothing is sacred, not even Einstein. And a varying light speed would open the gateway to new physics
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Shaken, not stirred
03 July 2004
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Fill 'er up for bullet proofing
03 July 2004
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Fit to bear babies?
03 July 2004
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Stun the gun maker
03 July 2004
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The power of five
03 July 2004
Why does an enigmatic particle made of five quarks have physicists falling over each other to dream up new theories of matter
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Hit cancer where it hurts
03 July 2004
Could targeting the enzyme that keeps tumour cells alive beyond their natural lifespan be the route to a universal anti-cancer treatment? Garry Hamilton investigates
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The rise and fall of the wonder-drugs
03 July 2004
There is a crisis of confidence in many psychiatric drugs. In the first of a two-part series about mind medicines, James Kingsland looks at the Prozac class of antidepressants. Once thought to make you feel 'better than normal', now there are fears
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Nesperennub unwound
03 July 2004
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To calm troubled waters
03 July 2004
Geologist Arie Issar on the fight for water between Israelis and Palestinians
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Westminster diary
03 July 2004
Tam Dalyell on Argentina's soya scare and the changing use of animals in scientific research
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A Sheltered Life: The unexpected history of the giant tortoise by Paul Chambers and other books
03 July 2004
Douglas Palmer surveys the last great reptiles
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Feedback
03 July 2004
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The last word
03 July 2004
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Understanding dogs
03 July 2004
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Palestine's water
03 July 2004
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Fair cop
03 July 2004
eBay's hugely successful online auction site is pioneering new forms of law enforcement. But at what cost, asks Eugenie Samuel Reich
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Robotic wheels that just keep rolling along
03 July 2004
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Make them pay
03 July 2004
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Long way from space
03 July 2004
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Zero conduction
03 July 2004
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Why drugs kill
03 July 2004
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Parasite park
03 July 2004
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.....
03 July 2004
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Venus in reverse
03 July 2004
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How mass works
03 July 2004
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Mitochondria myth?
03 July 2004
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Bad driving the secret to traffic forecasts
02 July 2004
Software that mimics the behaviour of drivers and their cars can predict congestion on the roads up to an hour ahead
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Releasing Nemo a disaster for native fish
02 July 2004
Exotic predatory fish that could devastate local marine ecosystems are appearing off the US coast
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Cassini finds a mystery in Saturn's rippling rings
02 July 2004
The unique close-ups reveal a peculiar clumping within the rings – it could help scientists understand how the solar system formed
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Growth of African HIV epidemic slows
02 July 2004
But only eastern Africa has seen an actual decline, and new estimates put the cost of the WHO's anti-retroviral drug plan at over $5 billion
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Petite skull reopens human ancestry debate
01 July 2004
The skull, belonging to one of the first human ancestors to walk upright, was recovered from a valley littered with heavy stone tools
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Saturn's sharp-edged rings revealed by Cassini
01 July 2004
The most detailed images ever seen should help scientists explain the enormous complexity of the rings, and perhaps how they formed
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Drug boosts egg numbers in mice ovaries
01 July 2004
If the approach worked in women, it could protect the fertility of cancer patients or even delay the menopause in healthy women
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Space station gyro fixed after tricky spacewalk
01 July 2004
Using Russian spacesuits, the crew had to negotiate an obstacle course to reach a defunct gyroscope on the US module
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Cassini slips smoothly into Saturn orbit
01 July 2004
The spacecraft passed unscathed through a gap in the planet's rings and then entered a close-to-perfect orbit