ByRachelCourtlandNothinginthemostfundamentallawsofphysicssaysthattimeshouldonlymoveinonedirection.Yetmanyeventsareirreversible–shatteredeggsdonotspontaneouslyreassembleandicecubesdonotformfrompoolsoft
ByShantaBarley(Image:NaturePictureLibrary/Rex)(Image:PaulCooper/Rex)Giantfrogfarmscouldsatisfywesterndiners’apparentlyinsatiableappetiteforfrogmeat
DEERmicehavepulledoffthesametrickasthefamouspepperedmoth
ByMacGregorCampbellMICROSCOPEScapableofrevealingtheastonishingbeautyofanatomcanhardlybecalledbluntinstruments.Buttodate
ByCatherineBrahicTHEback-upplanforsavingtheworldisnolongerajoke.Thisweek
ByDavidShigaTHEdiscoveryofextrasolarsuper-Earths–rockyplanetsaboutfivetotentimesthemassofEarth–hasraisedhopesthatsomemayharbourlife.Perhapsit’savainhopethough
ByTomSimonite(Image:Gartner)Innovationisourregularcolumnthathighlightsemergingtechnologicalideasandwheretheymaylead.Ifyouwanttoknowhowpeoplewillinteractwithmachinesinthefuture
ByTomSimoniteVideo:InsightfulbubblesSoapbubblesfilledwithheliumarehelpingtoimprovethefuelefficiencyoffuturecars.The3-millimetrebubblesswirlaroundcarsinawindtunnel.Engineersatautomotiveresearchconsu
ByMacGregorCampbell(Image:PaulTaylor/TheImageBank/Getty)Humansarecreaturesofhabit
ByRachelCourtlandWhenitcomestofindingwatericeonthemoon
ByEwenCallawayEditorial:Pain-freeanimalswouldnotbeguilt-freeWITH“hormone-free”
AMAN’Sspitmayindicatewhatkindoffatherandhusbandheis.Intestsonmeninapolygamoussociety
ByJeffHechtLaserbeamsareabouttogetawholelotmoreprecise.Independentteamshavefoundwaystoshrinklaserstonanoscaledimensionsintworadicallydifferentways;onecreatingasphericallaserdevice44nanometresindiamete
ByLisaGrossmanWithdoubtsbrewingaboutthefeasibilityofreturningtothemoonoraimingstraightforMars
ByEwenCallaway(Image:RobertoSchmidt/AFP/Getty)Femalegorillasusesexasatactictothwarttheirrivals
THEfirstadultmilkdrinkerscamefromcentralEurope
ByJeffHechtLASERbeamsareabouttogetawholelotmoreprecise.Independentteamshavefoundwaystoshrinklaserstonanoscaledimensionsintworadicallydifferentways;onecreatingasphericallaserdevice44nanometresindiamete
ByCatherineBrahic(Image:VictorHabbickVisions/SPL)Commentandanalysis:Domentionthe‘G’wordTakenote:theback-upplanforsavingtheworldisnojoke.Amajorscientificinstitutionhaspublishedacomprehensiv
Thisisadigestofthestoriespostedtonewscientist.comfrom6pmyesterdayuntil6pmtoday.We’rerunningitasanexperiment.Didyoufindituseful?Doyouhavesuggestionsabouthowwecanmakeitbetter?Letusknow.Thanksforyourc
AROGUE
ByKellyBeatty
ByRachelCourtlandIndia’sfirstlunarprobehaslostcontactwithEarth
Startrails,
ByGaiaVince(Image:LouiseDocker)Beingstronglyright-orleft-handedmightbeasignofintelligence–forbirdbrains
Nospacebabies?Badnewsforfuturespacecolonies:mammalsmaynotreproduceasefficientlyinspaceastheydoonEarth.Mouseeggsfertilisedina“clinostat”
ByAndyCoghlanForthefirsttime
ByStephenBattersbyClocksthatgainorlosenomorethanafractionofasecondoverthelifetimeoftheuniversecouldbeontheway
Frombiofuelledfighterjetstoroll-upsolarblankets
ByMichaelMarshallGoodnewsisrarewhenitcomestotheGreenlandicesheet.Yetamodelthataccuratelymimicsthewaytheicerespondstorisingtemperaturesbyslippingandslidingintotheseasuggeststheresultingriseinsealevelsm
RoomiermoontripsGoodnewsforclaustrophobicwould-bespacetourists:Virginia-basedfirmSpaceAdventuressaysitsplannedweek-long“circumlunar”trips
SATURN’smoonTitancouldbethesiteofthefirstextraterrestrialboatingexpedition.Lastweek
ByCianO'LuanaighAnabundantbutstand-offishcarbon-basedmoleculehasbeencoaxedintoplayingnice.Chemistshavedevisedawaytopersuademethanetoreactwithothermoleculesundergentleconditions
ByDavidShigaNEWparticlesthatmimicthelong-soughtHiggsbosonmaybamboozlephysicists
ByAndyCoghlanInadecisivebreakthroughagainstthespreadofHIV
ByCatherinedeLangeSmalltowns
ByRogerHighfieldNewScientistwouldliketoofferitsreadersthechancetowinarareandfabulousprize:agenuinescrapofMars.Enterthecompetitionnow.Therockisafragmentofalargerpiecethatwasblastedoffthesurfaceofther
ByCatherinedeLangeIt’sthenightmarescenario:peoplethinkyouareinavegetativestatewhenyouarenot.Whilesomepeoplewithseriousbraindamagearetotallyunawareoftheirsurroundings
ByMichaelMarshallOxygen-richmicrobialmatsmayhavetriggeredtheevolutionofanimalsthatcouldmove.Theoldestknownanimalburrowsarein600-million-year-oldrocksfromtheEdiacaranperiod.Theirdiscoverysurprisedgeolo
ByKaytSukel(Image:BarryKomisaruk)OurintrepidreporterperformsanintimateactinanfMRIscannertoexplorethepathwaysofpleasureandpainWITHaclickandawhirr
ByMichaelMarshallUpdate:At0856EasternStandardTimeon16May
ByJessicaGriggsAdvertisersbeware:wheneveryoushowcaseyourbrand
ByJacobAronPEOPLEhavebeensailingtheworldforcenturies
ByCatherinedeLangeUpdate:OnTuesday5JulyCaseyAnthonywasfoundnotguiltyofkillingherdaughter
ThephotographsinJonathanBalcombe’snewbookExultantArkareanexplorationofpleasureandjoyintheanimalkingdom.Seemoreinourgalleryhere.Moreonthesetopics:
ByMichaelMarshallHumanshaveabadreputationforoverhuntingsomeanimals
ByWendyZukermanIT’Sthelongestperiodofabstinenceonrecord.Vertebratesgainedthegenesusedtometaboliseethanol310millionyearsbeforefloweringplantsstartedproducingsignificantamountsoftheintoxicatingstuff.The
ByJessicaGriggsSomepeopleintheUSmayhavebeenwronglyexecutedbecauseofinaccuraciesintheIQtestsusedtoassessthem.Buttheinaccuraciesmayalsohaveseensomeescapeexecutioniftheyscoredlowerontheteststhantheirreal
ByAndyCoghlanEditorial:“Keepstemcelloptionsopen“Hopesthatpeoplemightonedaybegiventransplantsmadefromtheirowncellshavebeendashedbyexperimentstryingoutthesameprocedureinmice.Themicerejectedtransplantso
ByPeterAldhousShouldapropensitytocommitrapebeconsideredamentalillness?Debatehasbeenraging
SOMEpeopleintheUSmayhavebeenwronglyexecutedbecauseofinaccuraciesintheIQtestsusedtoassessthem.SimonWhitaker