Lucky break DURING the sexual revolution of the 1960s, a lethal sexually transmitted virus spread among British women. The culprit was human papilloma virus (HPV), now known to cause cervical cancer. Researchers now believe that but for a simple historical accident this would have led to a public health disaster. In the 1980s, just when the cancer … News
Humans Westminster Diary EARLIER this year I suggested that if all medical products tested on animals had to carry a label saying so, people who oppose animal testing would be able to decide whether they wanted to use them (New Scientist, 18 March, p 51) . I am amazed at how many people seem to think they can … Opinion
Left right and wrong CHECKED your insides recently? They could be the wrong way round. No kidding. The chances are that at least 75 New Scientist readers are the mirror image of the rest of us, and they're probably none the wiser. Most of us don't give our internal body plans a second thought. You've probably been taught that … Features
Technology Taking flight How do objects as massive as planes support themselves so high above the ground? A GLANCE up at a low-flying Boeing 747 jumbo jet invites the question: how can anything so vast support itself in mid-air? Just what is it that keeps these 300-tonne aluminium monsters in the sky? It's the same thing that keeps … Inside Science
Feedback FROM time to time this column has mentioned claims that magnets have mysterious yet useful properties. Sales catalogues advertise devices you put in your car's fuel tank to help boost economy, others that allow you to run your washing machine without detergent and, the best known, magnetic water softeners that promise to banish lime-scaled kettles … Regulars