October - 2003 Articles

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• Living plasma

  01 November 2003

• Bond's best friends

  01 November 2003

• Deep stuff

  01 November 2003

• Burning rings of fire

  01 November 2003

• Bugs and bliss

  01 November 2003

• Feedback

  01 November 2003

• The last word

  01 November 2003

• Toxic turnaround

  01 November 2003

• Did life get off to a silicon start?

  01 November 2003

• A merging of minds

  01 November 2003

  The brain is the most complex organ we know and is proving too big for any single research approach. To tackle dementia, Alzheimer's and other brain diseases a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers is needed. Helen Phillips looks at initi

• The word Umbraphile

  01 November 2003

• Set to simmer

  01 November 2003

• Too easy to tap

  01 November 2003

• Software police

  01 November 2003

• God of infinity

  01 November 2003

• A universe like no other

  01 November 2003

  Is there some fundamental formula that explains the nature of the cosmos? When Leonard Susskind devised string theory, he certainly thought so. The theory was meant to reveal why the laws and constants of physics are what they are. Now he realises

• Genetic screening for sperm?

  01 November 2003

• The speed of life

  01 November 2003

  Are your membranes gunky or runny? Douglas Fox discovers it could be the key to long life

• Freedom fighter

  01 November 2003

  Harold Varmus, former head of the National Institutes of Health, believes journal publishers should make research papers freely available

• Westminster diary

  01 November 2003

  Tam Dalyell on the difficulties of listing commercial fish as endangered, and radioactivity in the courts

• Pterosaurs had a head for aerobatics

  01 November 2003

• DNA profiles in double-quick time

  01 November 2003

• US develops lethal new viruses

  01 November 2003

  The genetically engineered viruses should kill only mice. But critics say the work is risky and unnecessary

• 60 Seconds

  01 November 2003

• Scare tactic

  01 November 2003

• Bird found – then habitat destroyed

  01 November 2003

• BSE accusations

  01 November 2003

• Would you boldly go?

  01 November 2003

• Hey, red spender

  01 November 2003

• Cloning palaver

  01 November 2003

• Is making new strain of smallpox worth the risk?

  01 November 2003

• Gloves off

  01 November 2003

  If we're going to use science to hit sport's drug cheats, let's do it properly

• Play it like it was

  01 November 2003

• Antihydrogen atoms may have been drifters

  01 November 2003

• Longer summers shrink Arctic ice cap

  01 November 2003

• We hear that…

  01 November 2003

• Soundbites

  01 November 2003

• Marine census reveals depth of ignorance

  01 November 2003

• Ex-employee claims firm ignored drug's problems

  01 November 2003

• Hyperactive sun comes out in spots

  01 November 2003

• Forget the big bang, tune into the big hum

  01 November 2003

• Planet goes up in flames

  01 November 2003

• Igs on display

  01 November 2003

• Robo-scopes bring heavens to earth

  01 November 2003

  Cheap point-on-command telescopes, clever software and digital cameras now offer the chance for budding amateur astronomers to compete with the professionals

• No one understands me as well as my PC

  01 November 2003

  Soon machines could be better than people at interpreting human chatter. And they'll never get bored. Michael Brooks reports

• Hole in a spin

  01 November 2003

• Ear cells grown in lab might restore hearing

  01 November 2003

• An unholy alliance

  01 November 2003

  Muslims have diverse views on scientific ethics, yet only the conservatives are heard. And a Muslim-Vatican deal is not helping, warns Ehsan Masood

• Mother's slipstream helps young dolphins keep pace with the pod

  01 November 2003

• Cutting edge

  01 November 2003

• Ultra-thin films beat evaporation

  01 November 2003

• Robots launch domestic coup

  01 November 2003

  Autonomous machines that vacuum your carpets and mow the lawn are marching into homes and gardens

• Time passes

  01 November 2003

• Cellphones by proxy

  01 November 2003

• Computers make tracks

  01 November 2003

• Carbon storage

  01 November 2003

• We won't get older

  01 November 2003

• .....

  01 November 2003

• .....

  01 November 2003

• Snooker in time

  01 November 2003

• Losing your life

  01 November 2003

• Nine-eyed robots are go

  01 November 2003

• Simple space telescope could find other Earths

  01 November 2003

• .....

  01 November 2003

• Stretched rails bridge gaps

  01 November 2003

• Race on to clean up athletics

  01 November 2003

• US says food from cloned animals is safe

  31 October 2003

  Meat and milk originating from cloned animals is likely to be safe for human consumption, says a preliminary report

• Plan to make human cloning safe set out

  31 October 2003

  The ambitious program is not aimed at cloning babies, but ensuring the safety of genetically-matched tissue transplants

• Designer drug halts organ rejection

  31 October 2003

  A new drug targeting only the immune system could make organ transplants safer, after showing promise in tests on monkeys

• Unique double solar punch strikes Earth

  31 October 2003

  Two massive solar flares in just two days have lit up night skies with spectacular aurora and hampered satellites, planes and power grids

• Plankton may protect Earth from icy fate

  31 October 2003

  The evolution of the tiny shelled creatures ended an era of extreme ice ages and has prevented any repeat ever since, argue scientists

• Nine eyes help robots to navigate

  30 October 2003

  Having eyes at the back of their heads vastly improves robot motion sensing, US scientists find

• New processor computes at light speed

  30 October 2003

  A superfast processor that uses light, not electrons, to perform calculations goes on sale for the first time

• Dramatic rescue snatches back Mayan altar

  30 October 2003

  The precious altar was stolen by looters and fought over by drug lords until villagers, archaeologists and undercover agents tracked it down

• Big Bang sounded like a deep hum

  30 October 2003

  The birth of the Universe resonated like the hum from a bass instrument rather than an explosion, suggests a new analysis

• US develops lethal new viruses

  29 October 2003

  An extremely deadly form of mousepox is created by a government-funded scientist – critics say the work is risky and unnecessary

• X-rays reveal pterosaurs' aerial expertise

  29 October 2003

  Scans of fossil skulls show the extinct flying reptiles had an extraordinary ability to process balance information

• Cats can catch SARS – and pass it on

  29 October 2003

  Researchers say it is "absolutely not" a reason to kill cats, but suggest they might be quarantined with their owners during outbreaks

• Europe launches chemical safety crackdown

  29 October 2003

  Thousands of potentially toxic chemicals in everyday use will be tested for the first time, but environmentalists are still furious

• Giant solar flare slams into Earth

  29 October 2003

  The cloud of charged particles arrives at exceptional speed and causes a severe geomagnetic storm – but it also subsides quickly

• West Nile cases doubled in 2003 US outbreak

  29 October 2003

  Better monitoring of human cases of the potentially deadly infection is one explanation, but it is clear the virus is now endemic

• Enormous solar flare heads for Earth

  29 October 2003

  The latest eruption in a turbulent week on the Sun has satellite and power grid operators preparing for Wednesday's impact

• NASA asked to postpone shuttle replacement

  28 October 2003

  The US House Science Committee cites escalating costs and uncertainties about the future of the US human space flight programme

• Satellite images show massive Californian fires

  28 October 2003

  The dramatic images, provided in real time, can help fire-fighting authorities to allocate their resources

• Full-featured PC fits in pocket

  28 October 2003

  Its makers call it the world's first modular computer – the tiny machine can perform as both a desktop PC and a PDA

• Biggest map of Universe clinches dark energy

  28 October 2003

  The largest, most detailed map to date shows beyond doubt that the most of the cosmos is composed of mysterious energy

• Red wine chemical may soothe lung disease

  28 October 2003

  The antioxidant chemical quells inflammation in tissue taken from sufferers of a severe and incurable lung disease

• Sound-detecting hair cells grown in lab

  27 October 2003

  Exposing embryonic stem cells to chemical growth factors produces the cells, which could one day be used to treat deafness

• Giant sunspots continue to erupt

  27 October 2003

  A second massive sunspot in less than a week could leave communication systems vulnerable – spectacular aurora are also forecast

• Cellphone 'radar' tracks traffic flow

  27 October 2003

  Radio waves from phone masts can be exploited to keep tabs on cars and aircraft – but what about people?

• Facial tumours kill off Tasmanian devils

  25 October 2003

  A mysterious disease has wiped out 90 per cent of some groups of the animals in the past three years – a retrovirus is the prime suspect

• Rogue refraction

  25 October 2003

• Memory affected by single gene

  25 October 2003

• Obesity harms men's fertility

  25 October 2003

• Bees simply turn tail to find their way back home

  25 October 2003

• Ancient birds legged it to take wing

  25 October 2003

  Did Archaeopteryx have feathered legs to help it fly?

• Veggie monsters

  25 October 2003

  An atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide was ideal for herbivorous dinosaurs

• Facial tumours kill a third of all Tasmanian devils

  25 October 2003

• Why destroying antibiotics makes them work better

  25 October 2003

• Microwave cooking zaps nutrients

  25 October 2003

• The sweet way to make cells do what you want

  25 October 2003

• The power to pick the best embryo

  25 October 2003

• 'Cellphone radar' tracks traffic flow

  25 October 2003

  Radio waves from phone masts can be exploited to keep tabs on cars and aircraft. How about people?

• Cyber-astronomer scours the skies

  25 October 2003

• Cutting edge

  25 October 2003

• Agile amphibians

  25 October 2003

• Confident China joins space elite

  25 October 2003

  What does China's successful manned mission mean for the balance of power in space?

• .....

  25 October 2003

• Forests plundered

  25 October 2003

• The final countdown

  25 October 2003

• Crop violations

  25 October 2003

• Fish farm danger

  25 October 2003

• Setback for Europe's nuclear safety plan

  25 October 2003

• The next great superpower

  25 October 2003

• A victory for reason

  25 October 2003

  An astonishing ecology experiment has blown the lid off farming practices

• Designer steroid

  25 October 2003

• Tabs on teens

  25 October 2003

  Parents there may soon be able to track their children's movements via their mobile phones

• 60 Seconds

  25 October 2003

• Why do the Chinese want to conquer space?

  25 October 2003

• Soundbites

  25 October 2003

• Fast foods trick the body

  25 October 2003

• Farming 1, wildlife 0

  25 October 2003

  The UK's modified crop trials say far more about the impact of crops in general than they do about whether GM strains are safe. Andy Coghlan reports

• Carbon conundrum cracked at last

  25 October 2003

• Power up with squeezed water

  25 October 2003

• Feedback

  25 October 2003

• Tricky tracker

  25 October 2003

• The animation game

  25 October 2003

  Could movies made from video games soon have Hollywood on the run?

• Highway to hell

  25 October 2003

  From the moment they are born, they are falling to their death. Life is nasty, brutish and short for the universe's most unfortunate stars, says Marcus Chown

• Will jamming be the new texting?

  25 October 2003

• Last chance for Kyoto

  25 October 2003

  The most ambitious international effort to avert global environmental disaster is in danger of collapse. The cause, as Paul Webster reports, is the bizarre antics of Russia's economy

• What doesn't kill you

  25 October 2003

  Dishing out drugs that make your symptoms worse seems like a rash, even dangerous way to treat patients. But it's already common practice for some diseases, and one man argues that doctors should do it all the time. Diane Martindale reports

• Taking the long view

  25 October 2003

  For Les Firbank, it was like playing in a cup final. As head of the world's largest trial on the effects of genetically modified crops on biodiversity, he was presenting his controversial results at London's top science venue. New Scientist

• Roman family values

  25 October 2003

• Henry's little pot of gold

  25 October 2003

• May the first be with you

  25 October 2003

• Rita Colwell

  25 October 2003

• Carol Greider

  25 October 2003

• Dual purpose

  25 October 2003

• The Smithsonian Atlas of the Amazon by Michael Goulding, Ronaldo Barthem and Efrem Ferreira

  25 October 2003

• Entertaining Mr Chicken

  25 October 2003

• Tea at the speed of espresso

  25 October 2003

• Chamber of secrets

  25 October 2003

• More Stonehenge carvings come to light

  25 October 2003

• Dead could help the living see

  25 October 2003

• Robot skin stretches to the task

  25 October 2003

• Long-lived micelles

  25 October 2003

• .....

  25 October 2003

• Time flows

  25 October 2003

• Women and maths

  25 October 2003

• Software patents

  25 October 2003

• .....

  25 October 2003

• Life without lions

  25 October 2003

• Athletes on drugs

  25 October 2003

• The last word

  25 October 2003

• Plant mimicry

  25 October 2003

• Mad about Barking

  25 October 2003

• .....

  25 October 2003

• Trouble and strife in wireless homes

  25 October 2003

  Consumers may be eager to network their homes using Wi-Fi, but the technology is still highly temperamental

• Washington diary

  25 October 2003

  Andreas Frew on the nastiness of nuclear proliferation, and roadmaps to finding future cures

• We hear that…

  25 October 2003

• Legal ivory did not help black market

  25 October 2003

• Cellphone software allows a musical jam

  24 October 2003

  The Java applet enables a group of users to work together to improvise tunes on a daisy-like control panel

• Satellite data reveals rapid Arctic warming

  24 October 2003

  The overall trend over the past 20 years is eight times higher than that recorded by ground measurements over the past century

• Stem cell mobility linked to cancer's spread

  24 October 2003

  A molecule produced by tumours also makes the primitive cells migrate, reveal scientists – new therapies are already being developed

• Clay's matchmaking could have sparked life

  23 October 2003

  Two of life's original components – genetic material and cell membranes – could have been introduced to one another by a lump of clay

• NASA safety experts opposed latest ISS mission

  23 October 2003

  Two experts refused to authorise the flight because of concerns over equipment at the International Space Station

• New weapon against superbugs destroys antibiotics

  23 October 2003

  By inactivating antibiotics where they are not needed in the body, the enzyme could increase their effectiveness and reduce side effects

• Boost for gene screening of embryos

  22 October 2003

  A single cell from a mouse embryo can be grown into hundreds, researchers find – if the same applies to humans, screening would much easier

• Robot skin stretches to the task

  22 October 2003

  The corrugated gold film in an elastic covering can stretch and contract while still maintaining electrical contact

• Homeopathy reduces arsenic poisoning in mice

  22 October 2003

  A peer-reviewed study reports cuts in the toxic effects of arsenic in mice – but the underlying principle remains controversial

• Bomb-proof flight simulator developed

  22 October 2003

  The giant chamber mimics the air pressure, temperature and noise inside a airplane's cargo hold to trigger any hidden explosives

• Iran defuses crisis over nuclear programme

  21 October 2003

  The country's acceptance of more intrusive inspections is welcomed – but it need not halt any bomb making effort, say experts

• 'Designer' steroid doping scandal widens

  21 October 2003

  The drug first detected in the urine of US athletes is now to be searched for in samples from August's World Championships

• Microsoft offers expiring documents and emails

  21 October 2003

  The most eye-catching feature of the new version of Microsoft's Office software is its ability to give files an expiry date

• AIDS may have peaked in South Africa

  21 October 2003

  The deadly epidemic in one of the world's worst hit countries may have reached its maximum in 2002, say researchers

• New flu drug calms the 'storm'

  20 October 2003

  Tests in mice show it dampens the overzealous and damaging immune response caused by flu and other diseases

• Computer games can treat phobias

  20 October 2003

  Customised versions of the popular PC games Half-Life and Unreal Tournament are a cheap and effective therapy

• Tiny tubes squeeze electricity from water

  20 October 2003

  An entirely new, and surprisingly simple, way to generate electricity is discovered – forcing water through fine pipelines

• Astronomers find first 'dark galaxy'

  20 October 2003

  The black cloud of hydrogen gas and exotic particles is devoid of stars, which could explain why there seem to be so few dwarf galaxies

• Gene linked to poorer memory

  20 October 2003

  One form of a common brain protein makes us worse at remembering things – it is a first step towards finding the genes for intelligence

• Cellphone positioning finds its place

  19 October 2003

  Mobile phone networks across Europe and the US will soon have to give your location to the emergency services – businesses see opportunities too

• Air aces show fame is not fair

  18 October 2003

  Fame appears to be exponentially related to achievement, suggests a statistical analysis of the renown of World War I fighter pilots

• The last word

  18 October 2003

• Did warming seas suck Africa dry?

  18 October 2003

• Souped-up genes pulled humans into fast lane

  18 October 2003

• Passing stop sign cures gene disease

  18 October 2003

• Banning modified crops is not enough to save wildlife

  18 October 2003

  This week the UK's attention will focus on whether or not transgenic crops will be approved. But non-GM herbicide-resistant crops might pose just as great a threat

• Crossing borders

  18 October 2003

  Euromobile people are in demand. And there is bewildering range of options to help you explore what Europe has to offer, from undergraduate to postdoc level. Nadya Anscombe investigates

• 60 Seconds

  18 October 2003

• Anti-copy blunder

  18 October 2003

• Pollen furore

  18 October 2003

• Nobel in defeat

  18 October 2003

  Somone always feels left out by the prizes, but that's just the way it has to be

• Patent sting

  18 October 2003

• What'll we do when the animals answer back?

  18 October 2003

• Feedback

  18 October 2003

• Westminster diary

  18 October 2003

  Tam Dalyell on the need for sensible health advice, and why drivers must be alert for slippery roads

• Obscene botany

  18 October 2003

• Nanotechnology and Homeland Security by Mark Ratner and Dan Ratner

  18 October 2003

• Last seen heading east

  18 October 2003

• IVF creates fetuses with three parents

  18 October 2003

• Fortifying Food crops

  18 October 2003

• Bestsellers - Portland, Oregon

  18 October 2003

• Teens will rule the world

  18 October 2003

• Cloning claims

  18 October 2003

• True love, virtual sex

  18 October 2003

• Puny medical budget

  18 October 2003

• Knotty conversations

  18 October 2003

• Tough assignment

  18 October 2003

• A way to film the past

  18 October 2003

• Pot shot

  18 October 2003

• Lost without a mobile phone

  18 October 2003

  Cellphone networks across Europe and the US will soon be able to find you, wherever you are

• Fine features of the peacock's tail reveal their colourful secrets

  18 October 2003

• Starless galaxy hides in the dark

  18 October 2003

• Market model predicts crashes

  18 October 2003

• For the record

  18 October 2003

• Resisting the Nazis

  18 October 2003

• Cellphone damage

  18 October 2003

• War No More by Robert Hinde and Joseph Rotblat

  18 October 2003

• Calm after the cataclysm

  18 October 2003

• 3D TV as you've never seen it

  18 October 2003

  At long last we have the screens and the software to make three-dimensional television a reality – and there's no need for gawky specs or special cameras. Jonathan Fildes reports

• I want to live forever

  18 October 2003

  Biochemist Cynthia Kenyon thinks we can live a very, very long life

• Speed freaks

  18 October 2003

  Can information travel faster than the speed of light? That all depends on how you measure it, says Valerie Jamieson

• On the trail of a killer

  18 October 2003

  Solving the mystery of a bizarre neurological illness that swept the globe in the years after the first world war, killing over 100,000 people

• Too close for comfort

  18 October 2003

  The effects of inbreeding are more insidious than anyone expected, and are not confined to the offspring of near relatives

• Metaphors sell

  18 October 2003

• Whaling culture

  18 October 2003

• Freud's fantasies

  18 October 2003

• Hot, helpless bug

  18 October 2003

• Why three cloned embyros are better than one

  18 October 2003

• Are protected areas failing us?

  18 October 2003

  We've never had so many protected areas, so how come we're still losing species?

• Success at last, even after Viagra failed

  18 October 2003

• Rejection really does hurt

  18 October 2003

• Digital double act

  18 October 2003

• Singular secret of flight unveiled

  18 October 2003

• Universe stepped on the gas 5 billion years ago

  18 October 2003

• World war aces shoot celebrity down in flames

  18 October 2003

• Bioterror code

  18 October 2003

• Cutting edge

  18 October 2003

• Enzymes scan DNA using electric pulse

  18 October 2003

• Shrinking ions help conductors beat the heat

  18 October 2003

• Dignity in life and death

  18 October 2003

• The whole shooting match

  18 October 2003

• No need to shut down, just pull the plug…

  18 October 2003

  Computers that are built to crash may prove to be more robust

• Super-efficient fuel hits the road

  18 October 2003

• Indian frog shares ancient origins with islands' living fossil

  18 October 2003

• Soundbites

  18 October 2003

• Obesity breaks up sperm DNA

  17 October 2003

  Heavily overweight men have high rates of 'DNA fragmentation' in their sperm, which lowers fertility and can lead to their partners miscarrying

• iTunes for Windows may face new piracy threat

  17 October 2003

  A combination of relatively light copy protection and a big increase in potential users could attract hackers, say experts

• Lasers reveal invisible Stonehenge carvings

  17 October 2003

  A full survey could provide compelling evidence that the monument was a memorial for the dead, say archaeologists

• Dedicated fibre delivers net speed record

  17 October 2003

  A DVD's worth of data crosses the world in seconds – physicists will soon share massive amounts of research data this way

• Popping a pill could fix gene defect

  17 October 2003

  An experimental drug produces a working protein even though the gene remains defective – the approach could be an alternative to gene therapy

• Long-lost near-Earth asteroid spotted

  16 October 2003

  A large asteroid that was lost after whizzing close to the Earth almost 66 years ago is re-discovered as it makes another approach

• Gorilla's glare takes top wildlife image award

  16 October 2003

  Other winners include a dead lynx slung over the shoulder of a hunter and a vole's eye view of a barn owl

• GM crops can be worse for environment

  16 October 2003

  The world's largest ever trial finds two of the three crops tested had a greater impact on farmland wildlife than conventional crops

• Testosterone patch boosts women's sex lives

  16 October 2003

  The skin patch markedly improves the level of desire and sexual activity of women suffering from a sexual desire disorder

• China's first astronaut lands safely

  16 October 2003

  Yang Liwei touched down on the grassy plains of Inner Mongolia, after completing 14 orbits of the Earth – a journey of 600,000 km

• Banning GM crops not enough to save wildlife

  15 October 2003

  Results from the UK's environmental tests of transgenic crops are set for release, but non-GM herbicide-resistant crops might pose just as great a threat

• Nano fuel additive enters efficiency trials

  15 October 2003

  The additive consists of tiny particles of cerium oxide, which catalyse the combustion reactions between diesel and air

• Magic number revealed for flying and swimming

  15 October 2003

  The single number describes the locomotion of animals from moths to dolphins and could be used to design better military spy drones

• Big Mac to storm supercomputer list

  15 October 2003

  A supercomputer built from 1100 Apple G5 computers is set to zoom to second spot in the list of the fastest machines on the planet

• Frozen IVF embryos linked to ectopic pregnancy

  15 October 2003

  The use of frozen embryos is rising, but a new study suggests they have a 17 times greater risk than unfrozen embryos

• China's man in space gets mixed reaction

  15 October 2003

  For China, it's an honour for the motherland; for existing space powers, the start of a new era; for others, a military threat or technological throw back

• First Chinese astronaut blasts off

  15 October 2003

  The nation becomes only the third on Earth to send a man into space – "I feel good" Yang Liwei told mission control after launch

• Coffee makes sperm speed up

  14 October 2003

  Caffeine improves sperm speed and could help with infertility, suggests new research, but cannabis causes 'burn-out'

• New chip gives PCs supercomputing muscle

  14 October 2003

  The chip, optimised for arithmetically intensive scientific applications, can be simply plugged into a desktop computer

• Controversial three-parent pregnancy revealed

  14 October 2003

  The method, which also uses a step needed for cloning, aims to treat infertility – but criticism forces the researchers to defend their work

• First primate born after ovarian transplant

  14 October 2003

  The success suggests women with cancer could one day preserve their ability to have children by "banking" ovarian tissue

• Astronomers date Universe's 'cosmic jerk'

  13 October 2003

  The point when the repulsive force of dark energy overwhelmed gravity and started the accelerating expansion seen today is revealed

• Martial arts robots hit Asian tech fair

  13 October 2003

  Robots capable of somersaults, karate moves and sumo stamping go through their paces in Tokyo

• Monkey's brain signals control 'third arm'

  13 October 2003

  The control of the robot arm is as good as the monkey's control of its own arms, a pioneering experiment shows

• Citizens strike back in intelligence war

  13 October 2003

  A new US website will allow people to post information about the activities of government organisations, officials and the judiciary

• Global warming to put gardens in bloom

  12 October 2003

  Plant growth across Europe and North America is set to dramatically accelerate, but weeds and insects could benefit more

• Free markets can hit economic growth

  11 October 2003

  If developing countries join the global economy too soon, they risk becoming trapped in a cycle of poverty and corruption, a new analysis suggests

• Can't beat a good night's sleep

  11 October 2003

• Back to the Nile

  11 October 2003

• A scientist's scientist

  11 October 2003

  It's been a rollercoaster year for the Medical Research Council, with successes matched by criticisms. Alison George asks its new boss, Colin Blakemore, where he goes from here

• Booker contender

  11 October 2003

• The last word

  11 October 2003

• 'Stiff' fluid could soon put the brakes on cars

  11 October 2003

• Cutting edge

  11 October 2003

• Citizens strike back in intelligence war

  11 October 2003

• Feedback

  11 October 2003

• 'Subversive' code could kill off software piracy

  11 October 2003

  Computer games makers are turning illegal copying to their advantage

• Feet in the air

  11 October 2003

• Franz, meet Albert…

  11 October 2003

• Mighty reads

  11 October 2003

• Solar cost

  11 October 2003

• Your own fault

  11 October 2003

• Copyright copies

  11 October 2003

• Factor five

  11 October 2003

• .....

  11 October 2003

• Tired phones

  11 October 2003

• Many lasers

  11 October 2003

• For the record

  11 October 2003

• .....

  11 October 2003

• The pleasure seekers

  11 October 2003

  Hedonism makes our world go round, but it goes a lot deeper than our obsession with sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and chocolate. Neuroscientists are completely rethinking how our brains give us pleasure, and as a result are starting to believe that the quest

• Five key questions about pleasure

  11 October 2003

• Cutting 'edge

  11 October 2003

• Beauty and the bench

  11 October 2003

• Pick of the bunch

  11 October 2003

• School of hard knocks

  11 October 2003

• Reintroducing Ratty

  11 October 2003

  Tom Moorhouse, winner of this year's New Scientist/Wellcome Trust New Millennial Science Essay Competition, on the private lives of water voles

• They all laughed...

  11 October 2003

• Westminster diary

  11 October 2003

  Tam Dalyell on drinkable water for poor countries and realising the clean green hydrogen dream

• Adventures with rats

  11 October 2003

  For a man whose inspiration is the study of rodents, Jim Patton has lived a pretty exciting life. In pursuit of small mammals, he has travelled in some of the most inaccessible parts of Latin America, had five boats sink under him, and has had to

• How the species became

  11 October 2003

  Did the phenomenon responsible for sand dunes and magnets also help create everything from earwigs to elephants? Just so, says Ian Stewart

• Hemp can help car makers keep off the glass

  11 October 2003

• Phone sees double

  11 October 2003

• Glowing bacteria take on all comers

  11 October 2003

• Hidden tree rings rescue priceless violin from allegations of fakery

  11 October 2003

• Reflections from Titan point to seas of liquid hydrocarbons

  11 October 2003

• Does the universe go on forever?

  11 October 2003

  Tantalising evidence is stoking the age-old debate about whether the universe is infinite

• 60 Seconds

  11 October 2003

• Dam it

  11 October 2003

• Free markets hit growth

  11 October 2003

• Battles spurred termite evolution

  11 October 2003

• Sonar kills whales

  11 October 2003

• Soundbites

  11 October 2003

• SARS lives on

  11 October 2003

• Ozone hopes holed

  11 October 2003

• Meteor frenzy

  11 October 2003

• Rabies in the UK?

  11 October 2003

• North Korea's WAR of Words

  11 October 2003

• Beating software pirates at their own game

  11 October 2003

• Poverty and corruption

  11 October 2003

  For many developing nations, sleaze is more than just a passing phase

• Catholic church claims condoms do not stop HIV

  11 October 2003

  The Catholic church is spreading the claim that condoms have holes in them that allow HIV through

• Gardening goes all hot and steamy

  11 October 2003

• How laser light helps cells repair themselves

  11 October 2003

• Packing a long-range punch

  11 October 2003

• Sunburn off the chart

  11 October 2003

• Save a packet with internet telephony

  11 October 2003

  If calls across the internet cost next to nothing, phone companies may find their profits evaporating

• Rebel network

  11 October 2003

  Why pay a fortune to get wired up to broadband when you could join an anarchic wireless network that does the job

• Climate control

  11 October 2003

• Just in time

  11 October 2003

• Water came early to Earth

  11 October 2003

• Tuatara's relative lived in Argentina

  11 October 2003

• Can gays become straight?

  11 October 2003

  A study claiming a person's sexual orientation can be altered by therapy has created a storm. Anyone keen to switch should take heed, says Simon LeVay

• US court case challenges climate change warning

  11 October 2003

• Genes may be key to poor health in Aborigines

  11 October 2003

• .....

  11 October 2003

• Fast way to find out what's in a tab of E

  11 October 2003

• Too many twins

  11 October 2003

• Mapping genes' on-off switches

  11 October 2003

• A perfect home for alien life

  11 October 2003

• Scared to share

  11 October 2003

• Gene mix makes quitting smoking easier

  10 October 2003

  A combination of two specific gene variants mean some people find it easier than others to go without a cigarette

• Laser-powered aircraft shines in tests

  10 October 2003

  The prototype plane converts energy from a ground-based laser beam into electricity to power a propeller

• European heatwave caused 35,000 deaths

  10 October 2003

  August broke records for both temperature and heat-related fatalities – and worse may be to come, warn environmentalists

• 'Subversive' code could kill off software piracy

  10 October 2003

  Illegally copied games protected by the new system work properly at first, but start to fall apart after the player has had just enough time to get hooked

• Rejection really hurts finds brain study

  09 October 2003

  Brain regions activated by physical pain are also triggered by social exclusion – it shows social connectiveness is a basic need, say researchers

• Microsoft plans new PC fortifications

  09 October 2003

  The initiative will see changes to the software giant's strategy for releasing patches for code vulnerabilities and better firewalls

• Weird rock carvings puzzle archaeologists

  09 October 2003

  The etchings, found in England, are like nothing archaeologists have seen before – one resembles a heart, another a footprint

• File-sharing group proposes crypto pay plan

  09 October 2003

  A group backed by the largest music file-sharing network says it could turn free networks into lucrative businesses for record companies

• Search for habitable planets narrows

  09 October 2003

  A future NASA space telescope will look for Earth-like planets – now an astrobiologist has drawn up a shortlist of likely targets

• Tantalising evidence hints Universe is finite

  08 October 2003

  The data suggest the Universe is relatively small but other work seems to contradict the idea – scientists are now busy trying to resolve the conundrum

• Military sonar may give whales the bends

  08 October 2003

  A study of whales that died after a major naval exercise in the Atlantic show classic signs of decompression

• Teenage generation is biggest ever

  08 October 2003

  The youthfulness of the world's population carries health dangers, says a UN report, but also great economic opportunities

• Date for China's first human spaceflight revealed

  08 October 2003

  The nation's first astronaut will attempt to blast off on 15 October, according to several different unofficial sources

• Electronic underwear monitors vitals signs

  08 October 2003

  The bra or underpants have sensors woven into them that monitor the heartbeat of people with existing heart conditions

• Music to download via GPRS mobile phones

  08 October 2003

  The service will deliver high quality digital music files, which can be transferred to a PC and even burned to a compact disc

• Chemistry Nobel rewards crucial cell membrane work

  08 October 2003

  Getting water and salts in and out of cells is essential for life – solving the mystery of how wins two Americans the Nobel Prize

• Forty-second ecstasy tablet test developed

  08 October 2003

  The technique could provide an early warning system for rogue pills and also police help trace illicit manufacturers

• Human gene on/off switches to be mapped

  07 October 2003

  The Human Epigenome Project launches – the endeavour could provide a crucial link between genetics and health

• Super-phenomena scoop physics Nobel

  07 October 2003

  Superconductivity and superfluidity research, now harnessed in power cables and magnetic devices, are rewarded

• Laptops incorporate drop-protection 'airbags'

  07 October 2003

  The first laptops designed to protect themselves against the damage caused by a drop are launched by IBM

• Leaked game code raises cheating fears

  06 October 2003

  Code posted online from an eagerly awaited new computer game could be used to make online players unbeatable, experts say

• Male contraceptive trial has 100% success

  06 October 2003

  The combination injection-implant produced no pregnancies, no undesirable side-effects and was fully reversible

• Controlled bushfires damage – not protect – wildlife

  06 October 2003

  The planned burning of vast swathes of northern Australia every year is meant to safeguard animals – not so, say researchers

• Scanning pioneers take medicine Nobel

  06 October 2003

  The $1.3m prize rewards two researchers who made the MRI scanner a routine part of modern healthcare

• Advanced chip opens door to software choice

  06 October 2003

  A computer chip designed to run more than one operating system at a time could break Microsoft's stranglehold on PC software

• Clever motor leads to talking vacuum cleaners

  05 October 2003

  The appliances will warble down the phone to report faults – the talent is a spin-off from new cheap-but-ultrafast motors

• 'Too little' oil for global warming

  05 October 2003

  Oil and gas will run out too fast for doomsday global warming scenarios to materialise, according to a controversial new analysis

• Protein locks out prion diseases

  04 October 2003

  A chance discovery could lead to the development of a drug that blocks deadly prion diseases such as variant CJD

• A perfect storm

  04 October 2003

• How not to stop the cheats

  04 October 2003

  The world's first standardised rules on doping in sport will come into play from next year. Robert Dawson believes they will do more harm than good

• The slow road to the moon

  04 October 2003

• 'Too little' oil for global warming

  04 October 2003

• T'ai chi helps keep shingles virus at bay

  04 October 2003

• Solar power will put Arctic oil in the shade

  04 October 2003

• History of the world's tallest mountain range revealed

  04 October 2003

• Local body time

  04 October 2003

• Huntington's clogs the pipes

  04 October 2003

• Earth's bugs too feeble for Mars

  04 October 2003

• Cutting edge

  04 October 2003

• Neural nets learn better with waves

  04 October 2003

• Wait and see

  04 October 2003

• Enjoy it while you can

  04 October 2003

  Are the latest mobile phones too smart for their own good? Once the viruses get to work, intelligence could be their undoing, says Duncan Graham-Rowe

• The story of your life…on a laptop

  04 October 2003

  Will managing the memories of a lifetime become effortless when we can fit them onto a hard drive?

• Invention

  04 October 2003

• Advanced chip opens door to free choice of software

  04 October 2003

  Intel's processor could upset close relationship with mighty Microsoft

• Mineral sieve filters out carbon from flue gases

  04 October 2003

• Handed down from distant generations

  04 October 2003

• .....

  04 October 2003

• Earliest shark upsets family tree

  04 October 2003

• Iraqis reclaim their ancient wetlands

  04 October 2003

  While plans are being drawn up to restore Iraq's great wetlands, the Marsh Arabs are going it alone. But will their efforts to restore a traditional way of life succeed?

• Has dark matter been found at last?

  04 October 2003

• No smokescreen

  04 October 2003

  If a drug can save lives, we shouldn't withhold it without good reason

• Antibiotics for babies linked to asthma

  04 October 2003

• Genome of man's best friend is still riddled with gaps

  04 October 2003

• Eels slide towards extinction

  04 October 2003

• Cool reception for drug to limit smoking damage

  04 October 2003

• Faster healing with fewer scars

  04 October 2003

• 60 Seconds

  04 October 2003

• Satellite gamble

  04 October 2003

• The good, the bad and the brilliant

  04 October 2003

• How best to kill a Fox

  04 October 2003

• Safety vacuum

  04 October 2003

• Soundbites

  04 October 2003

• Chemical alert

  04 October 2003

• Italy felled by lone tree

  04 October 2003

• Brazil's U-turn

  04 October 2003

• Patently absurd

  04 October 2003

• Protein locks out prion disease

  04 October 2003

• Shortage of males

  04 October 2003

• Physical infinity

  04 October 2003

• A national institution

  04 October 2003

  It started as a one-room lab, but now has a budget larger than the GDP of many small countries. Sylvia Pagán Westphal takes a look inside the world's hotbed of medical discovery

• The word hindcasting

  04 October 2003

• Monkey business

  04 October 2003

• Make medicines count

  04 October 2003

• All around the Earth

  04 October 2003

• Winning pictures at an exhibition

  04 October 2003

• Westminster diary

  04 October 2003

  Tam Dalyell on the promise of surveillance software and the pitfalls of diagnosing child abuse

• Feedback

  04 October 2003

• The last word

  04 October 2003

• Climate: Into the 21st century edited by William Burroughs

  04 October 2003

• Playing God?

  04 October 2003

  Doctor Philip Nitschke on why he advocates euthanasia

• The pursuit of happiness

  04 October 2003

  It is the subject of countless treatises and self-help books. In the US, the quest for it is an inalienable right enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Now investigating it has become an academic discipline. Michael Bond looks at the new sc

• For the record

  04 October 2003

• .....

  04 October 2003

• .....

  04 October 2003

• Slippery roads

  04 October 2003

• Real time

  04 October 2003

  Are past, present and future just a figment of the human imagination? Not according to physicist Fay Dowker, who reckons we can go beyond relativity to restore the flow of time to its rightful place

• Possessed by demons?

  04 October 2003

• No conflict

  04 October 2003

• Reasons to be cheerful

  04 October 2003

  Science is beginning to identify the keys to a happy life. Here we take an in-depth look at 10 of them. The scores, which are assigned by us but verified by experts, reflect very approximately the importance of each to personal happiness

• Happy to pay

  04 October 2003

• Messaging worms could infect at lightning speed

  03 October 2003

  A viruses transmitted via instant messaging could infect half a million computers in just 30 seconds, suggest new simulations

• Copter-plane flies through tests

  03 October 2003

  An aircraft that hovers like a helicopter but flies like a plane successfully passes initial tests

• Global warming 'will hurt Russia'

  03 October 2003

  A failure to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol would risk unleashing dangerous climatic changes at home, top Russian scientists warn

• Murphy's Law honoured – 50 years late

  03 October 2003

  The Ig Nobel awards also rewarded a study of sheep dragging, a report of unspeakable duck behaviour and a dead man who is alive

• Iraq search finds no WMD stockpiles

  03 October 2003

  But the CIA-led team did find "substantial evidence of intent" and one vial of botulinum toxin

• Radar reveals Titan's methane lakes

  02 October 2003

  The lakes could cover three-quarters of Saturn's moon, meaning the Huygens spaceprobe could be heading for a splashdown in 2005

• Closest asteroid yet flies past Earth

  02 October 2003

  The asteroid, about the size of a small house, missed Earth by only 88,000 kilometers – the closest approach ever recorded

• Gene for SARS susceptibility found

  02 October 2003

  A gene variant that appears to make people more vulnerable to the deadly virus could explain why southeast Asia was hit so badly

• 3G base stations may cause headaches

  02 October 2003

  Experiments simulating signals from next generation cellphone transmitters result in sore heads and nausea, but other experts are sceptical

• Drug produces faster healing and fewer scars

  02 October 2003

  If clinical trials are successful, the drug could routinely be used to prevent scarring after surgery or following serious accidents

• Astronomers claim dark matter breakthrough

  01 October 2003

  The identity of the Universe's mysterious dark matter may be revealed in gamma rays coming from the centre of our galaxy

• Enjoy it while you can

  01 October 2003

  Are the latest mobile phones too smart for their own good? Once the viruses get to work, intelligence could be their undoing, says Duncan Graham-Rowe

• Iraqis reclaim their ancient wetlands

  01 October 2003

  The Marsh Arabs are trying to restore wetlands drained by Saddam Hussein's regime for themselves – but experts warn this could backfire

• Wide-roaming carnivores suffer most in zoos

  01 October 2003

  Researchers conclude animals such as polar bears should not be caged – zoos argue they simply present more of a welfare challenge

• Global warming 'kills 160,000 a year'

  01 October 2003

  Thousands are dying because of the 'side-effects' of climate change, such as malaria and malnutrition, suggests a WHO study

• Innocent file-sharers could appear guilty

  01 October 2003

  Security weaknesses in file-sharing networks could lead to false accusations of illegal music sharing, according to a new analysis

• Cattle ownership makes it a man's world

  01 October 2003

  Early female-dominated societies lost their power to men when they started herding cattle, a new study demonstrates

• Supercomputer climate model whips up a storm

  01 October 2003

  The initial modelling results from the world's fastest supercomputer reveal virtual hurricanes for the first time