ByDavidRobsonIfyouthinktheideaofgravitationalwavespropellinginterplanetaryspacecraftsoundslikesciencefiction
ByPaulMarks(Image:OLPC)(Image:OLPC)Theultra-cheapXOcomputerfromtheOneLaptopPerChildprojectisnowbeingusedby600
ByEwenCallawayFora22-year-oldwomanknownasAW
ByEwenCallawayBeingdumbhasitsbenefits.ScottishsoldierswhosurvivedthesecondworldwarwerelessintelligentthanmenwhogavetheirlivesdefeatingtheThirdReich
ByColinBarrasElectronicdeviceshavebeenshrinkingforyears
Thescoringsystemworksontheprincipleofswingsandroundabouts:youwinsome
ByMaggieMcKee(Image:NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/UofArizona/BrownU)(Image:NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/MSSS/BrownU)Carbonateminerals
ByColinBarrasAfterspendingninemonthscarefullybuildinga33.5-metre(110-foot)bridge
ByFredPearceSome80
ByEwenCallawayBacteriaareintocasualsex.Manyspecieswillgladlyindulgeinorgieswithjustaboutanyotherbugstheybumpinto
THEworldisstillignorantabouthowthemostfearedstrainofbirdfluisevolving.That’sbecauseameetingtopersuadeIndonesia–whichhashadthemostcasesofhumanH5N1flusince2005–toshareitsvirussamplesendedindisagreement.
ByJessicaGriggsThe“bigbangmachine”
ByNoraSchultzAreelephantsthebulliesofthenationalparks?Shouldtheybeculledtogiveothercreaturesalook-inatthewaterhole?Thesearequestionsthatwereaskedrecentlywhenfiguresshowedthat
ByRowanHooperReplicationofanotorious“torture”experiment–inwhichpeopleobedientlydeliveredpainfulshockstoothersifencouragedtodosobyauthorityfigures–hascometothesamedisturbingconclusion.Seventypercentofv
IftheprospectofChristmasshoppingincrowdedmallsfillsyouwithdread
ByDevinPowellThoughscientiststendtoagreethatsummericeattheNorthPolewilleventuallydisappear
ByNewScientistandReutersTheEarth’sprotectivemagnetosphereoftendevelopstwolargeholesthatletinthelargestleaksofsolarwind
ByIvanSemeniukReadablogaboutwhethertherearetoomanyphysicistsonObama’steamBarackObama’sgrowingall-starscienceteamispoisedtopickupanotherheavyhitter.AsfirstreportedintheblogScienceInsider
ByVijaysreeVenkatramanAcontactlensthatharvestsradiowavestopoweranLEDispavingthewayforanewkindofdisplay.Thelensisaprototypeofadevicethatcoulddisplayinformationbeamedfromamobiledevice.Realisingthatdispl
ByAnilAnanthaswamyIT’Stheworld’ssmallesttrampoline.Bouncingatomswithlaserscouldmakeultra-precisemeasurementsofgravity.Totesttheoriessuchasgeneralrelativity
ByRachelCourtlandLatelastmonth
CHAMPIONSofcarbonoffsettingmayhavebeenbarkingupthewrongtree.Itisgenerallyassumedthatthetropicsarethebestplacetoplantforestsinordertosequestercarbonandcooltheplanet
ByJustinMullinsInnovationisourregularcolumnthathighlightsemergingtechnologicalideasandwheretheymayleadWhenthesearchengineWolframAlphalaunchedearlierthisyear
ByMacGregorCampbellEarlierthisweek
ByEwenCallawayEvenatthetenderageof3
ByAnilAnanthaswamyAtelltalesignatureofconsciousnesshasbeendetectedthattakesusastepclosertodisentanglingthebrainactivityunderlyingconsciousandunconsciousbrainprocesses.Itturnsoutthatthereisasimilarpatt
IFYOUstruggletofollowtheconversationatnoisyparties
MIMICKINGtheenvironmentexperiencedbycellsinthewindpipeisenoughtotransformstemcellsintoarangeofdifferentlungcells.Such“physical”techniquescouldbeusedtocreatespecialisedtissueswhengrowthfactorsalonearen
ByEwenCallawayHOWloudistooloud?Soundsthoughttocauseonlytemporaryhearinglosshavedestroyednervecellsintheearsofmice.Ifthefindingtranslatestohumans
ByAndyCoghlanAnewstudyhascastfreshdoubtsonanAIDSvaccinethatwasabandonedin2007becauseoffearsthatitmadesomerecipientsmoresusceptibletoHIVinfection.Thenewresearchisatoddswithotherstudiesthatclearedthevac
ByMacGregorCampbellAnewgenerationoflead-freepiezoelectricmaterialscouldleadtogreeneractuators
ByAriaPearsonIfyoustruggletofollowtheconversationatnoisyparties
ByShantaBarleyRisingtemperaturesarecausingsomeoftheoldesttreesonEarthtogrowfaster
Thefirstmapofthebugslivingonthehumanbodyshowsthat
ByFredPearceOneoftheworld’sgreatpoisoningmysteriesmayhavebeensolved–thesourceofthearsenicthatturnsupinlethalquantitiesinhundredsofthousandsofwellsacrossBangladesh.Theanswerisponds.Bangladeshoccupiesth
ByMarcusChownSOMETHINGbigisouttherebeyondthevisibleedgeofouruniverse.That’stheconclusionofthelargestanalysistodateofover1000galaxyclustersstreaminginonedirectionatblisteringspeeds.Someresearcherssayth
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ByPaulMarksFindingoldversionsofwebpagescouldbecomefarsimplerthankstoa“time-travelling”webbrowsingtechnologybeingpioneeredattheLosAlamosNationalLaboratoryinNewMexico.Bookmarkingapagetakesyoutoitscurren
ByStephenBattersbyOxygenonaplanetmightbeasignoflife
ByColinBarrasTheworld’sfirstuniversalprogrammablequantumcomputerhasbeenputthroughitspaces.Butthetestprogramrevealedsignificanthurdlesthatmustbeovercomebeforethedeviceisreadyforrealwork.Earlierintheyea
ByJeffHechtSome2.5billionyearsago
ByRachelCourtlandWell-placedskywatcherscouldseehundredsofmeteorsanhouronTuesday
ByRachelCourtlandLunarmaterialkickedupbytheLCROSSmissioncontainedatleastafewbucketfulsofwater
Westend61/GettyONEofthegreatobstaclestolivingasustainablelifeisthatlivingunsustainablyisoftenmorecomfortable
ByHalHodson(Image:SenseFly)Video:Dronescreate3DmodelofMatterhornmountainTheMatterhorn
ByColinBarrasACOMETmayhavesenttemperaturessoaring55millionyearsago.TwogeologistsclaimtheyhaveevidencethatcarbondioxidelevelsinEarth’satmospheremorethandoubledinasingleyearattheendofthePalaeocene.Thein
ByJacobAronVideo:Mathrevealssecretsofmammalurination(Image:FrancisDean/REX)You’llneverlookatDumbointhesamewayagain.Elephants
ByMichaelMarshall(Image:TimIreland/PAWire/PressAssociation)ReadourSpecialReport:“HowUK’sfirstnuclearreactorfor25yearswillwork“TheUKistobuilditsfirstnewnuclearreactorsfor25years.Thegovernmentha
ByLaasyaSahmitainBangalore(Image:KeithBedford/Eyevine)“ForeigncompaniesaretreatingIndiaasaheavenforclinicaltrials
ByLisaGrossman(Image:NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell)Objects:TitanicwetlandsLikelysource:SubsurfacewellsofhydrocarbonsTheothermeteorsinthesolarsystemweresolucky.Theylandedonnice