October - 2001 Articles
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Martian rover could make its own fuel
31 October 2001
Successful ground tests on a novel rocket motor show it could make fuel from the Martian atmosphere
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"Global" HIV vaccine a step closer
31 October 2001
An antibody-based vaccine that protects against more than one type of the virus passes initial tests in monkeys
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Magnetic fields signal refuelling stops for migrating birds
31 October 2001
Birds increase their eating when "moved magnetically" from Sweden to northern Egypt – the equivalent of a major migratory stopover
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Footballer's favoured foot all in the mind
31 October 2001
Top players need not waste time getting the ball onto their "stronger" foot, an analysis of the last World Cup shows
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Coders claim a crack in Windows XP
31 October 2001
But Microsoft says its advanced product activation system will still prevent "casual copying" of its new operating system
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Double door protection for Virgin aircraft
31 October 2001
The UK airline will implement air-lock style access to the cockpit, but pilots say the measures are "ill-conceived"
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Kursk torpedo mishandling likely, says expert
31 October 2001
A former nuclear submarine commanding officer says this is a more probable cause of the catastrophic explosions than a mine or collision
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Beery diet for lugworms may boost fish farming
30 October 2001
Worms imbibing brewery waste could be a fast-growing and nutritious food source for fish farms, replacing the wild fish used now
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Aibo custom code pulled from website
30 October 2001
Programs that teach the robot dog new tricks are removed after a letter from Sony – enthusiasts are not pleased
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Biocidal gas could kill anthrax in infected buildings
30 October 2001
Chlorine dioxide could be safely used to fumigate a US Senate office building, says the US Environmental Protection Agency
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Australian scramjet test launches
30 October 2001
After a few hiccups, the HyShot project was launched on Tuesday, but flight data remains to be analysed
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Kursk investigator points to collision
29 October 2001
As the investigation into the sinking begins, its leader says marks on the exterior of the submarine imply the submarine suffered an impact
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Caffeine key to curing a headache
29 October 2001
Caffeine provides faster relief from a tension headache than ibuprofen – but both together is the most effective, say US researchers
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Anthrax preparation indicates home-grown origin
29 October 2001
The anthrax killing people by post in the US seems to have been prepared using the secret US "weaponisation" recipe
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Joint Strike Fighter faces future competition
29 October 2001
Lockheed Martin may have won the largest ever military contract, but Boeing's uncrewed fighters will be a challenge if development is slow
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Toxic chemicals released from World Trade Center wreckage
29 October 2001
High levels of benzene, dioxins and other toxins are being released from the still-smouldering remains
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Climate talks restart to finalise Kyoto Protocol
29 October 2001
The 180 nations will attempt to translate the final terms of the protocol, agreed in Bonn in July, into legally watertight language
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Microwave beam weapon to disperse crowds
29 October 2001
The US Air Force finishes tests of the weapon, but critics are not convinced it is safe
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Self-parking car just around the corner
29 October 2001
A "parking assistant" combining radar sensors and miniature cameras will allow cars to park themselves, say UK researchers
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. . . . .
27 October 2001
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Nuclear nightmare
27 October 2001
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The last word
27 October 2001
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Who's your sponsor?
27 October 2001
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Feedback
27 October 2001
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Correction
27 October 2001
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Rock no more
27 October 2001
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. . . . .
27 October 2001
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Crying wolf
27 October 2001
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NASA in need
27 October 2001
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. . . . .
27 October 2001
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Dangerous habit
27 October 2001
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The human context
27 October 2001
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People must learn to take care of their own safety
27 October 2001
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Washington diary
27 October 2001
Andreas Frew reports
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Know your enemy
27 October 2001
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Scott's mistake
27 October 2001
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Musical cables
27 October 2001
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120 per cent meat
27 October 2001
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One BSE fiasco that can't be buried
27 October 2001
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Trail of terror
27 October 2001
Who sent the anthrax letters and are there more on the way?
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Countdown to crisis
27 October 2001
A "conflict index" warns when a nation faces civil war
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Bioterror catches hospitals napping
27 October 2001
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Vital moments
27 October 2001
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Out of the blue
27 October 2001
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Cancer row
27 October 2001
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Worst-case scenario
27 October 2001
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TB boost
27 October 2001
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Stormy stars
27 October 2001
Flickering X-rays could reveal Earth-like weather systems
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Stinky drinkies
27 October 2001
Ever wondered why your bottled beer smells like skunk spray?
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Red-hot legacy
27 October 2001
Leaks from a Soviet plutonium factory may still be causing cancer
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Here we go again
27 October 2001
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The great brain blunder
27 October 2001
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Best not to know
27 October 2001
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Tired of troubleshooting? You need a computer with an immune system
27 October 2001
Genetically modified computers are the next big thing, as computing is copying biology's best tricks, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.
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Educating Charles
27 October 2001
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Lazy does it
27 October 2001
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Mental gymnastics
27 October 2001
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Perfect tee for newbie golfers
27 October 2001
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The heat is on
27 October 2001
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Play to win
27 October 2001
Computer games could put stroke victims back in control
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Home base
27 October 2001
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Foam'll fix it
27 October 2001
What's good for jets turns out to be good for bones
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Perfect points
27 October 2001
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Hold it right there
27 October 2001
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Head in the clouds
27 October 2001
National parks may not save the mountain forests
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Back to basics
27 October 2001
Louise Halestrap has set herself a tough mission: to wean people off the traditional WC in favour of something more environmentally friendly. As organic waste expert at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth, Wales, she
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A giant leap for lemurs
27 October 2001
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Evolve or die
27 October 2001
Genetically modified computers are the next big thing, as computing is copying biology's best tricks, reports Duncan Graham-Rowe.
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Safely tucked up
27 October 2001
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Full circle
27 October 2001
Now we know: BSE began as scrapie
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Other Earths
27 October 2001
There could be half a million in the Milky Way alone
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Frying the flag
27 October 2001
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Thought that counts
27 October 2001
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Confusion reigns
27 October 2001
While politicians spin, people are bound to panic
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Corpse: Nature, forensics and the struggle to pinpoint time of death by Jessica Snyder Sachs
27 October 2001
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John Casti
27 October 2001
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The Fred and Chandra show
27 October 2001
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Indiana Jones he wasn't
27 October 2001
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Respect the stones
27 October 2001
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Finger of suspicion
27 October 2001
A police constable investigating a burglary at a crockery warehouse in the Clerkenwell district of London one September night in 1909 made a gruesome discovery. The warehouse yard was protected by a high wooden gate with a row of iron spike
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Speaker for the dead
27 October 2001
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Carl Djerassi
27 October 2001
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Desert harvest
27 October 2001
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Did the Egyptians build pyramids with kites?
27 October 2001
No one knows exactly how the pyramids or Stonehenge were built. Marcus Chown reckons the answer could be hanging in the air
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The writing's on the screen
27 October 2001
The inexorable rise of the e-book is finally putting the printed word in its place, says Karlin Lillington. It's text Jim, but not as we know it
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Surf's up and up and up
27 October 2001
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Nipplecam
27 October 2001
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. . . . .
27 October 2001
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Escape the death star
27 October 2001
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Can a Grand Unified Theory come out of quantum mechanics alone?
26 October 2001
But a possible breakthrough towards the great prize of physics is flawed, according to a Nobel Laureate
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"Conflict index" warns when a nation faces civil war
26 October 2001
The conflict barometer, which analyses thousands of news stories every day, could help the US decide how long to fight Operation Enduring Freedom, say its developers
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Counting the World Trade Center dead may be impossible
26 October 2001
Large discrepancies in the estimated death toll may be unavoidable – technology is only of limited help
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Common virus linked to male infertility
26 October 2001
There is no current cure, but screening sperm samples for adeno-associated virus might improve fertility treatment, say German researchers
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Puffer fish's lean genome is sequenced
26 October 2001
Comparison with the "clean" DNA of the poisonous fish will help researchers pick out human genes from the background "junk"
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vCJD epidemic may be less severe than feared
26 October 2001
New work suggests the human form of BSE is likely to kill a few thousand people at most, far fewer than previous estimates
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Sea level rise estimate halved by tide gauge study
26 October 2001
The location of tide gauges leads to overestimates, but satellite data suggest seas are now rising faster than ever
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Tunnel blaze questions transport of combustible loads
25 October 2001
A tyre-fuelled blaze in the world's second-longest road tunnel should prompt a rethink about how burnable cargoes are moved, say experts
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US starts high-speed smallpox vaccine programme
25 October 2001
The US government asks drug companies to produce and speed-test new vaccines, compressing years of trials into months
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Devastating attacks on the net "imminent", says report
25 October 2001
"Denial of service" attacks could switch their targets to internet routers – what's more, there is currently little chance of preventing it
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Subliminal study shows subconscious learning is possible
25 October 2001
The new experiments also suggest subconscious learning may affect our conscious decisions – without our realising it
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Tee almost guarantees a perfect hit
25 October 2001
A golfing tee that helps a ball fly straight and true, no matter now awkwardly it is hit, is developed by a St Andrews caddie
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New clue in BSE fiasco
24 October 2001
A flawed UK study to investigate whether sheep catch BSE may have been ruined by the muddling of samples stored in Edinbur
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Mummy-making complexity revealed
24 October 2001
The first systematic chemical investigation of a series of mummies of known dates and origins reveals evidence of a sophisticated mix of preservatives
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Anthrax bacteria likely to be US military strain
24 October 2001
The bacteria used for the anthrax attacks in the US is either the strain the US itself used to make anthrax weapons in the 1960s, or close to it
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Electron beams could be used to irradiate post
24 October 2001
Anthrax is found at a sorting office serving the White House – but postal irradiation could quickly destroy spores
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Mars Odyssey successfully enters orbit
24 October 2001
NASA's first Mars mission since the loss of two spacecraft arrives at the Red Planet
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Astronomers glimpse energy exiting a black hole
24 October 2001
For the first time, researchers may have spotted energy coming out of a black hole – previously nothing was thought to escape
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New Indian satellite could provide military surveillance
23 October 2001
The launch of a high resolution imaging satellite significantly accelerates India's space programme – monitoring Kashmir may be the motive
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BSE experiment farce deepens
23 October 2001
No cover up, says minister, while lab admits it tested the wrong samples in 2000 – giving researchers a false sense of security
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Wreck of Kursk submarine surfaces
23 October 2001
The Russian Navy submarine emerges for the first time in 14 months, as the salvage operation ends and the investigation begins
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Germline gene therapy boosted by modified sperm
23 October 2001
A tenfold increase in the success rate for genetically modifying sperm stem cells means preventing disease in future generations is a step closer
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King Midas's meaty diet destroyed his tomb
23 October 2001
Despite anti-fungal features, his tomb was ruined by a fungus feasting on his nitrogen-rich corpse and barbecued funereal offerings
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Vacuum-packed cells stay alive for days
22 October 2001
The discovery could slash the cost of cell implants designed to treat diseases such as diabetes
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Mission to replace space station escape pod underway
22 October 2001
A Russian-French mission to replace the International Space Station's "lifeboat" is due to dock early on Tuesday
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Ambidextrous tendencies may mean better memory
22 October 2001
Having a close left-handed relative makes right-handers better at remembering events, but they may be less good at recalling facts
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Reversed broadcasts key to underwater secrecy
22 October 2001
Playing sound waves backwards could help the US Navy set up secure communication links with submarines
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Healthy outlook
20 October 2001
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Fatal missile mistake
20 October 2001
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Seahenge saved
20 October 2001
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A risk too far
20 October 2001
Dumping CO
2 in the oceans could be a disaster, yet it's still legal -
What's hot, flexible and has magnetic appeal?
20 October 2001
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Clever monkey
20 October 2001
Baboons prove they've got a grip on abstract thought
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Memory sandwiches
20 October 2001
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Big Uncle says chill out. . .
20 October 2001
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Ads are gonna get you
20 October 2001
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Every breath you make
20 October 2001
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Hold the front flake
20 October 2001
A sprinkling of liquid crystals adds a colourful twist to e-paper
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Academics revolt
20 October 2001
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Canaletto paints a picture of Venice's watery fate
20 October 2001
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Psycho killer
20 October 2001
If a little anthrax strikes terror, think what smallpox could do
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Ozone unfriendly
20 October 2001
A quartet of "green" chemicals now face a total ban
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Bestsellers
20 October 2001
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Forbidden fronds
20 October 2001
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Anatomy of terror
20 October 2001
How a few letters sparked a nationwide panic
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Career guidance
20 October 2001
Now we can persuade cell implants to grow into the right tissues
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Holocaust archive
20 October 2001
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Shoot the messenger
20 October 2001
Stopping immune cells sounding the attack may keep MS at bay
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On the rocks
20 October 2001
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Thinking the unthinkable
20 October 2001
If vCJD is not the human form of mad cow disease, what is it?
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Outa my way!
20 October 2001
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Eco-flop
20 October 2001
Green farming holds no attraction for Dutch birds
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Twinkle, twinkle, little phone
20 October 2001
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Dead giveaway
20 October 2001
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Gospel truth?
20 October 2001
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. . . . .
20 October 2001
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. . . . .
20 October 2001
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Wrong font
20 October 2001
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Pass the milk
20 October 2001
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Opening the door on animal experimentation
20 October 2001
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Westminster Diary
20 October 2001
Comment from Tam Dalyell
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Divided life
20 October 2001
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Bubbles sink boats
20 October 2001
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Space giant
20 October 2001
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Case for Casimir?
20 October 2001
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. . . . .
20 October 2001
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What Surrounds Us
20 October 2001
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Rational Reflections
20 October 2001
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Point of no return
20 October 2001
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Sunken cities of the Nile
20 October 2001
What could swallow a city so fast that its inhabitants don't even have time to flee? Stephanie Pain investigates
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And then there was one
20 October 2001
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Health for who?
20 October 2001
In striving to free the world from disease, the World Health Organization has attracted many critics. Not least among them is Timothy Stamps, Zimbabwe's minister of health. He accuses the organisation of ignoring the needs of developing cou
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Space Invaders
20 October 2001
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Wings of desire
20 October 2001
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Radio babies
20 October 2001
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Not much left
20 October 2001
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A Better Baby
20 October 2001
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Steal this Book
20 October 2001
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Cut it out
20 October 2001
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Trials on trial
20 October 2001
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Howling to order
20 October 2001
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There are more ways than one to get smashed
20 October 2001
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Spray-on strength
20 October 2001
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Go for the glow
20 October 2001
Discerning birds pick ultraviolet
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Bag 'em up
20 October 2001
Shipping cells just got easier
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Echoes of enigma
20 October 2001
Bouncing submarine signals around the ocean leaves code breakers twiddling their thumbs
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Castles in the air
20 October 2001
Conjure up a masterpiece with a wave of your hands
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Scream if you want to scroll faster
20 October 2001
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Look, a matching set
20 October 2001
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It's time for Africa to clean up its petrol
20 October 2001
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BECs win prizes
20 October 2001
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Why watch TV when a machine can do it for you?
20 October 2001
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Forget it
20 October 2001
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The last word
20 October 2001
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Complacency kills
20 October 2001
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Not-so-tough glass
20 October 2001
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Feedback
20 October 2001
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Corrections
20 October 2001
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Castrated, but...
20 October 2001
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Recursive Murphy
20 October 2001
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Smelly old us
20 October 2001
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Floral headaches
20 October 2001
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Storm warning
20 October 2001
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Sex in space
20 October 2001
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Sultans of spin
20 October 2001
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Shattering sparks
20 October 2001
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Fastest scramjet test set for launch
19 October 2001
The Australian craft is aiming for Mach 7.6, despite costing 150 times less than NASA's Hyper-X programme
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Further deaths prompt worldwide recall of dialysis filters
19 October 2001
US company Baxter issues a recall after 31 patient deaths in the US, Croatia and Spain – but the cause remains unknown
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Mars Odyssey approaches entry to orbit
19 October 2001
NASA scientists are confident the insertion will proceed flawlessly but the loss of two Mars-bound spacecraft in 1999 still lingers
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Bad weather could be forecast months ahead
19 October 2001
A connection between stratospheric winds and the subsequent weather below raises the chances of long term forecasts
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BSE experiments end in farce
19 October 2001
Scientists conducting a five year study to find whether BSE has infiltrated UK sheep were testing cattle samples all along
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Cloud forests threatened by lowland deforestation
19 October 2001
Patterns of farming – not global warming – may be causing the loss of Costa Rica's celebrated cloud forests
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Bioweapons alerts may cause lasting psychological harm
19 October 2001
US authorities could be causing long-lasting psychological damage by over-reacting to anthrax scares, say medical researchers
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NASA chief may be hard to replace
18 October 2001
Dan Goldin resigns as NASA administrator, leaving his successor with a budgetary mess
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Anthrax in Florida and New York "the same strain"
18 October 2001
The anthrax sent to media offices in New York and Florida was the same strain – but, contrary to reports, it may not have been technically challenging to produce
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Car that detects driver's emotions unveiled in Tokyo
18 October 2001
A car that gets to know its driver and can warn them to calm down is developed in Japan
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First anthrax attack outside the US confirmed
18 October 2001
Three people in Nairobi test positive after opening a letter posted from the US
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Canaletto's accuracy may help save Venice from watery fate
18 October 2001
Caneletto's "photographic" paintings record sea levels 150 years before sophisticated measuring began, providing invaluable data
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Coral reef missing link found hidden in crevices
17 October 2001
Endoscopes reveal concealed filter feeders accumulating nutrients – solving the paradox of how rich reef ecosystems can thrive in barren seas
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Non-metallic magnet could be dream computer memory
17 October 2001
A magnet made from an exotic form of carbon works at room temperature and could allow data recording at unprecedented densities
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Non-verbal sounds key to controlling computers
17 October 2001
Grunts, hums and tum-tee-tums could be the best way to interact with a personal computer and navigate through call-centre systems
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Wireless networks get translation tools
17 October 2001
A new software platform paves the way for mobile phones and computers to work seamlessly on foreign networks
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Cases of US anthrax infection rocket
17 October 2001
29 people test positive to anthrax exposure in Washington, raising fears of more full-blown cases of disease
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US government buys up rights to satellite pictures of Afghanistan
17 October 2001
Exclusive rights to images from Ikonos – the world's most advanced commercial imaging satellite – will stop pictures falling into the hands of the Taliban, the Pentagon says
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"Green" chemicals harming ozone layer
17 October 2001
Four chemicals marketed as harmless to the ozone layer may be nothing of the sort
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Genetic algorithms evolve optimum satellite orbits
16 October 2001
Software that simulates natural selection can improve the coverage provided by a network of low orbiting satellites
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Dozens of dialysis deaths across Europe
16 October 2001
US manufacturer recommends that use of its blood filters be suspended worldwide, but rejects suggestions that filter faults could be to blame
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Saintly identity of holy relic supported by DNA analysis
16 October 2001
Studies of two teeth taken from a skeleton in an Italian church suggest it could indeed be St Luke's, as traditionally believed
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Green farming can be an expensive failure
15 October 2001
A large "green farming" project in the Netherlands, designed to benefit wildlife, does not work
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Anthrax antibiotics stockpiled around the world
15 October 2001
The US plans to multiply stocks by six times, but concerns surface over raising antibiotic resistance in common bacteria
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Ukraine admits its missile downed plane
15 October 2001
It is the "most probable cause", says president, but how the fatal blunder occurred is not clear
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Baboons can learn basic skills of human reasoning
15 October 2001
The monkeys may be capable of abstract thought, researchers find – with painstaking coaching, they can be taught to make analogies
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Confirmed anthrax infections rise to 12
15 October 2001
At least three US offices have now received anthrax in the mail, with 12 people contaminated – hundreds of hoaxes are also occurring
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Wearable computer could rescue lost spacewalkers
15 October 2001
Astronauts could soon have heads-up video displays to help solve engineering problems – and point the way home in an emergency
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Check out the radiation
13 October 2001
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Seal the cockpit to foil the hijackers
13 October 2001
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. . . . .
13 October 2001
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. . . . .
13 October 2001
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Hunting the past
13 October 2001
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Not about us
13 October 2001
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At any cost
13 October 2001
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. . . . .
13 October 2001
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Ageing in captivity
13 October 2001
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Westminster diary
13 October 2001
Comment from Tam Dalyell
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Homeward bound
13 October 2001
Hijacked planes might find their own way to the nearest airport
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Their brains lit up across a crowded room
13 October 2001
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Viruses: The living dead
13 October 2001
Are viruses dead or alive? They are either the simplest life forms we know or the most complex, lifeless molecules on the planet. Regardless, their influence over life is mind-boggling
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The Last Word
13 October 2001
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Correction
13 October 2001
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Feedback
13 October 2001
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Perfect pill
13 October 2001
A drug to make sperm lose their oomph could work for both sexes
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Heart of art
13 October 2001
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Eazi spelings
13 October 2001
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Tune deaf
13 October 2001
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To the
n th degree13 October 2001
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Send in the robots
13 October 2001
Should we let machines without a conscience go to war?
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Jab warning
13 October 2001
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Mighty muscles help chameleons grab a quick bite
13 October 2001
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Brain-boosting bacon
13 October 2001
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Cosmic life form
13 October 2001
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Go clean with spliffs
13 October 2001
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Ancient sea cow
13 October 2001
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Family trauma
13 October 2001
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Why black holes put the squeeze on memory
13 October 2001
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Fish on the slide
13 October 2001
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Cornflake monsters
13 October 2001
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Up for grabs
13 October 2001
NASA is getting ready to sell off some of the family silver
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Salvation for rodents
13 October 2001
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Gender-bending ban
13 October 2001
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Enemy within
13 October 2001
Some corals may harbour an unwelcome guest
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The Blue Planet by Andrew Byatt, Alastair Fothergill and Martha Holmes
13 October 2001
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Going loco
13 October 2001
The key to greener driving may be to work up a good head of steam
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Lunar child's play
13 October 2001
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Hang on tight
13 October 2001
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Adventures in the Atomic Age by Glenn Seaborg
13 October 2001
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The big chill
13 October 2001
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Never the same again
13 October 2001
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In from the cold
13 October 2001
Captain Robert Scott has had a poor press. He is denounced by many as an incompetent whose poor planning led to the deaths of himself and his team in Antarctica in 1912. Susan Solomon disagrees. She believes he was undone by freak weather.
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Keep your hair on
13 October 2001
Bald men are used to having their hopes dashed, but researchers say they're finally getting to the roots of hair loss. Douglas Fox combs through the evidence
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One slot fits all
13 October 2001
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The end of the roadie?
13 October 2001
Soon rock stars could be blowing up their own stage gear
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Stretching a cancer cell gives a clearer picture
13 October 2001
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Back-breaking genes
13 October 2001
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Bill's bargains
13 October 2001
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Electric fog
13 October 2001
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Must do better
13 October 2001
Even geniuses can make schoolboy errors
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Flat packs are go
13 October 2001
Superconducting cables could help spacecraft spring into shape
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Telltale bones
13 October 2001
Were giants of the ice age laid low by a tiny bug?
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First division
13 October 2001
Trio share the Nobel for working out how our cells multiply
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Robot wars
13 October 2001
Armed and airborne automatons could change the face of war
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Painted ladies
13 October 2001
It all began when women set out to fool their men with a dab of make-up. Kate Douglas pictures the dawning of human culture
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Give it to us straight
13 October 2001
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The nightmare scenario
13 October 2001
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Anthrax attack
13 October 2001
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Locked out
13 October 2001
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Jurassic Park's flying circus
13 October 2001
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Broken vistas
13 October 2001
Russia's boreal forests have been hacked to bits
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Focus on early cosmos
13 October 2001
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Baby repair kit
13 October 2001
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Acid ripples
13 October 2001
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Anthrax case at TV station in New York
12 October 2001
A fourth US case is revealed after an employee opened a suspect letter, the first outside the Florida magazine office previously affected
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Rotavirus vaccine may have been prematurely withdrawn
12 October 2001
Health risks associated with the vaccine were overestimated – rotavirus still kills over half a million children a year
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Mars engulfed by global dust storm
12 October 2001
Images reveal the worst storm for decades, but researchers believe harnessing wind power could assist future missions
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Food convoys returning to Afghanistan
12 October 2001
Almost 100 trucks are currently ferrying in aid from neighbouring countries – but deliveries will still fall way short October's target
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Hopes for end to foot and mouth crisis
12 October 2001
There have been no cases of foot and mouth disease in the UK for 12 days – the first substantial period of time without new outbreaks
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BSE link to vCJD questioned
12 October 2001
A UK public health consultant argues the connection is unlikely, but other CJD researchers and government officials reject the work
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European disease surveillance network "inadequate"
12 October 2001
Urgent improvements are needed, say European experts, who point out a plan exists to deal with a pandemic of flu in animals, but not humans
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Bunker busters enter action in Afghanistan
11 October 2001
New weapons are deployed as attention turns from surface targets to fortified caves and bunkers, but the Soviet experience provides a warning
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Voice recognition software to search Holocaust recordings
11 October 2001
More sophisticated technology will be developed to allow historians to find keywords, despite strong accents and heavy emotion
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Anthrax in Florida attack is North American
11 October 2001
The bacteria could been acquired from a sick animal, a biological supply company or even a US veterinary school
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Amniotic fluid could heal newborn babies
11 October 2001
A common pre-birth test could provide an ideal source of cells for grafts babies may need after birth
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Inflatable loudspeakers could blow out roadies
10 October 2001
Loudspeakers light enough for anyone to shift are set to go on sale, meaning rock stars' roadies may have had their day
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Sperm slowing drug could be unisex contraceptive
10 October 2001
A drug that starved sperm of calcium, reducing them to an ineffectual crawl, could be effective for both men and women
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Beautiful people spark a brain reaction
10 October 2001
New research hints at why first impressions can leave a lasting impression
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Disposable dipper to detect "date rape" drug is launched
10 October 2001
A test strip that shows if a drink has been spiked with Rohypnol may help fight the rise in attacks
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Camera traps snap rare rhino calves
10 October 2001
New arrivals in an Indonesian national park suggest the population of the highly endangered species is growing
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Surveillance pictures show Afghan attack damage
10 October 2001
Images reveal some precision strikes by the US-led coalition, but UN workers are killed a stray cruise missile
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Australia's largest dinosaur fossil unearthed
10 October 2001
A sheep farmer has stumbled on a huge sauropod, and it could be one of a kind
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Separating molecular mirror images wins Nobel prize
10 October 2001
Pioneering techniques for producing precisely the correct forms of chemical compounds earn the 2001 prize in chemistry
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Psychological warfare waged in Afghanistan
10 October 2001
Leaflet drops and radio broadcasts aimed at winning over civilians and demoralising the Taliban are in use to try to shorten the conflict
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Protein shield protects embryos from attack
10 October 2001
Early embryos develop a protective "protein shield" to help prevent attack from the mother's immune system, new research shows
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Creation of new state of matter takes Nobel Physics Prize
09 October 2001
Ultra-cold experiments producing the atomic equivalent of laser light made 70 year old predictions a reality
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Wearable computer provides virtual signposts
09 October 2001
A video-based system could prevent people becoming lost inside large, unfamiliar buildings
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Florida cases likely to be first ever anthrax attack
09 October 2001
The death of a man on Friday now appears the result of the first deliberate and fatal anthrax attack – further victims are under observation
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Damage assessment critical to Afghanistan mission
09 October 2001
Despite sophisticated surveillance, determining if targets have been hit is difficult, especially if the opposition fake a direct hit
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Bullet hole causes huge Alaskan oil spill
09 October 2001
A pipeline punctured by a rifle shot leaks over one million litres of crude oil, highlighting its vulnerability to attack
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Creation of new state of matter gets Nobel Physics Prize
09 October 2001
Ultra-cold experiments producing the atomic equivalent of laser light made 70 year old predictions a reality
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Fundamental cell cycle research wins Nobel prize
08 October 2001
The medicine prize goes to research showing how living cells grow, divide and multiply, throwing new light on how cancers develop
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Kursk ready to be towed to shore
08 October 2001
The Russian navy's sunken submarine is set to begin its final journey to a naval base near Murmansk
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Wristwatch gives remote control of computer
08 October 2001
An unobtrusive prototype device that allows the wearer to run a computer with hand gestures is revealed in Switzerland
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Missile strikes begin "war on terrorism"
08 October 2001
Missile attacks and bombing hits Afghanistan – hitting targets accurately will be crucial to avoiding civilian casualties and preserving the political coalition
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UN suspends all Afghan food deliveries
08 October 2001
Sunday's missile strikes halt the aid program – and aid agencies say food drops by the military are not enough
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Cell division discoveries get Nobel prize
08 October 2001
The 2001 medicine prize goes to "fundamental discoveries that have a great impact on all aspects of cell growth" and may open new ways to treat cancer
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Sue postmortem reveals extensive injuries
08 October 2001
A postmortem of the most complete T. rex yet found reveals evidence of numerous injuries and infections
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Food poisoning monitor gives almost instant results
08 October 2001
A new portable gadget can rapidly predict food poisoning, potentially saving critical hours when investigating an outbreak
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God in science
06 October 2001
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Distant fossils
06 October 2001
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Sum of its parts
06 October 2001
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A lot of water out there
06 October 2001
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University challenge
06 October 2001
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Giant bowling pin knocks astronomers sideways
06 October 2001
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Leap of faith
06 October 2001
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Driven to extremes
06 October 2001
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Silver screen saver
06 October 2001
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One at a time, please
06 October 2001
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Alarm on the roads
06 October 2001
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Spying on your heart
06 October 2001
A sliver of silicon could one day save your life
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Plastic gives holey fibres a new lease of life
06 October 2001
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Small visions, grand designs
06 October 2001
A few billion years of evolution are not enough. Human ingenuity can improve on the molecular machinery that runs our bodies, according to a growing band of nano-engineers -and they're delivering the devices to prove it. Welcome to the world of nanomedici
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Secrets of the plague
06 October 2001
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Quantum leap
06 October 2001
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The pain of being a caffeine freak
06 October 2001
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Metal mouth
06 October 2001
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Perfect roast
06 October 2001
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Antibodies on the cob
06 October 2001
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Hell's kitchen
06 October 2001
How to tough it out in a black smoker
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Swim for it!
06 October 2001
It's back to school for fish that don't know their enemies
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Dolly helps the mouflons
06 October 2001
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Compensation for vCJD
06 October 2001
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Look for the cluster
06 October 2001
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Can't see the wood
06 October 2001
Rainforests just don't look the same through a digital camera
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Damage limitation
06 October 2001
Is killing quickly and ruthlessly the answer to foot and mouth?
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Don't bomb the roads
06 October 2001
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One month to save a nation
06 October 2001
People in Afghanistan fear death by starvation, not bombs
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Worse than useless
06 October 2001
If you're thinking of getting a gas mask, don't bother
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Letter from Quetta
06 October 2001
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Cause for alarm
06 October 2001
Too many warning signals can be as dangerous as none at all
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A hundred years of rubbish
06 October 2001
The great Antarctic clean-up has hit a few hefty snags
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A way forward
06 October 2001
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Baby titans
06 October 2001
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Total recall
06 October 2001
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How to snarf with the geeks
06 October 2001
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Not so super glue
06 October 2001
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Cancer catcher
06 October 2001
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Plankton power
06 October 2001
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Cooled by the Sun
06 October 2001
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Guardian angels
06 October 2001
Did dancing sprites protect the first stirrings of life on Earth?
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Enjoy your meal
06 October 2001
Find out if you'll get food poisoning, before you tuck in
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Carry on regardless
06 October 2001
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Hide and seek
06 October 2001
Stealthy antibodies can carry out special missions undetected
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Quantum computing takes a step in from the cold
06 October 2001
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Beating the ban
06 October 2001
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Invisible enemies
06 October 2001
Are chemical and biological attacks a serious possibility?
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Out there
06 October 2001
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Monkey puzzle
06 October 2001
How many species need saving?
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They may be small but they have a big charge
06 October 2001
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The last word
06 October 2001
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Feedback
06 October 2001
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Memory warning
06 October 2001
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Patently absurd
06 October 2001
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If this can go wrong. . .
06 October 2001
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Stand in the corner
06 October 2001
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No smoke without ire
06 October 2001
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I think it thinks
06 October 2001
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Shhhh . . .
06 October 2001
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Short sighted
06 October 2001
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Westminster diary
06 October 2001
Comment from Tam Dalyell
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Ditch the air
06 October 2001
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Parallel pasts
06 October 2001
What will future archaeologists study, asks Nick Saunders
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Of sausages and steaks
06 October 2001
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In my view
06 October 2001
Is scientific knowledge shaped by culture? Robert Matthews listens in on a clash of ideas
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Labs work overtime to find anthrax source
05 October 2001
Frantic laboratory work is underway in the US, as scientists try to find out how a man developed a rare form of anthrax
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Investigators struggle with Russian crash mystery
05 October 2001
Theories involving missile strikes, bombs, hijacking and mechanical failure are all candidate explanations for the tragedy
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Forest fires threaten Siberian tigers
05 October 2001
Expanding forest fires in Russia are endangering the last stronghold of the Siberian tiger, according to WWF
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Shipping pollutant banned at long last
05 October 2001
After years of pressure, the world's ship-owners are told to stop painting the hulls of their vessels with the anti-fouling agent tributyl tin
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Retinal photographs pinpoint people at high stroke risk
05 October 2001
GPs and opticians could mass-screen patients to identify those most likely to suffer a stroke, say US researchers
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Falling coconuts study scoops Ig Nobel medicine prize
05 October 2001
The spoof awards also honour the patenting of the wheel and air-tight underpants that trap flatulence
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Baby star cluster seen at Universe's edge
05 October 2001
Astronomers use a cosmic magnifying lens to spot an infant star system forming during the early evolution of the Universe
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Prayer doubles IVF success rate
05 October 2001
A double blind trial in which people prayed for pregnancy in South Korean women unaware of the study has surprised scientists
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Russian airliner in Black Sea crash mystery
04 October 2001
A flight from Israel to Siberia crashes with 77 people on board, but nothing certain is known about the cause
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Haemorrhagic fever outbreak on Afghan border
04 October 2001
Authorities fear it could spread quickly if more refugees attempt to cross the border in response to military action
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Satellites scan entire Afghan territory every week
04 October 2001
Every inch of the country is under surveillance, with computers picking up differences for human analysts to investigate
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Smoking marijuana could trigger relapses in drug addicts
04 October 2001
Recovering cocaine-addicted rats that are injected with a drug that blocks cannabinoid receptors are less likely to relapse
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Hatchery fish get survival training
04 October 2001
Fish raised in hatcheries should go on courses to help them cope with life in the wild, say UK researchers
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Antibodies could be grown in fields
03 October 2001
Fields of maize may soon be churning out antibodies for preventing sexually transmitted diseases
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Plankton power produces indefinite electricity
03 October 2001
A chemical gradient created by the tiny sea creatures is tapped to generate small amounts of power
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Slow culling doubled foot and mouth infections
03 October 2001
The UK government could have more than halved the number of farms infected if they had adopted the draconian culling policy more quickly
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'Super-cyclone' threat to Great Barrier Reef raised
03 October 2001
Devastating 'super-cyclones' hit the Australian coast 10 times more often than previously thought
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Bubonic plague genome is "unusually fluid"
03 October 2001
The bacterium, now a potential biological weapon, readily re-arranges its genes and picks up new ones
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Nuclear fuel plant gets go-ahead
03 October 2001
But the controversial new UK plant, making plutonium fuel, is already facing legal action from environmentalists
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Forest loss estimates were over-optimistic
03 October 2001
UN forestry bureaucrats bow to criticism and admit mistakes – a re-calculation shows an extra four million hectares was lost in the 1990s
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World's biggest elephant relocation begins
03 October 2001
The movement of 1000 elephants from the Kruger National Park to Mozambique is set to take three years
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Concrete problem set in New York
03 October 2001
Building and repair work needs concrete, but traffic chaos means that batches cannot arrive at sites before setting
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Engine changes capacity on the move
03 October 2001
Two radical but simple modifications could dramatically improve the performance of the combustion engine, claims a British company
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Intelligence analysis software could predict attacks
02 October 2001
A program that can spot suspicious patterns of behaviour in vast quantities of data may help prevent terrorist atrocities
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NSync CD is copy protection "experiment"
02 October 2001
The music industry is testing different copy protection systems on mass market chart CDs
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Domain name "cybertraps" face crackdown
02 October 2001
US watchdog plans to stop internet tricksters punishing keyboard typos with an avalanche of advertising
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Satellites use GPS system from above
02 October 2001
GPS could be used to determine the position of other satellites orbiting high above the network, a civilian demonstration shows
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High infection rate in organic chickens
01 October 2001
Organic chickens are three times more likely to be contaminated with a bacterium that causes food-poisoning, say Danish vets
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Coal-derived drug tested on HIV patients
01 October 2001
A South African "immune-boosting" compound, derived from coal, is being tested on HIV-infected soldiers in Tanzania
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Spinach protein implant could restore sight
01 October 2001
Light falling on the proteins creates an electrical voltage, which could stimulate healthy regions of the retina
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Distorted bolt holes may delay ISS mission
01 October 2001
The arrival of the International Space Station's next crew could be set back months
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High fat diet dramatically cuts severe epilepsy
01 October 2001
Children show improvements even years after the extreme diet, which is designed to simulate starvation