Is Earth one of a kind? ALTHOUGH many more planets are being discovered outside the solar system, none of them looks anything like our own planets. And it is possible that they formed in a completely different way, making our planetary system rather unique. In the traditional model of planet formation, the dust in a disc of gas around a star … News
The fewer the better "WE LIVE in fear." That is how Ian Gibson MP, chair of the UK's House of Commons select committee on science, describes life as a target of animal rights extremists. Because of his backing for animal experiments, Gibson and his wife have received death threats and routinely check under their car for bombs. For countries … Opinion
Life Marathon madness When Thomas Hicks won the marathon at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis, he was lucky to reach the finishing line. As he broke the tape, he fell to the ground. Incapable of collecting the winner's trophy, Hicks was carried off and examined by four doctors. His vital signs were poor and it took them … Features
Your roots are showing Love, Sex & Tragedy: How the ancient world shapes our lives by Simon Goldhill, John Murray, £18.99, ISBN 0719555493 Reviewed by Nick Saunders WHY don't you have a bell pull shaped like a phallus? When would it have seemed seemly to have one? And why aren't the city squares of Rome, London and Athens scattered … Books & Arts
Feedback FEEDBACK was there to hear Stephen Hawking concede his bet with fellow physicists Kip Thorne and John Preskill over whether information can escape from a black hole (17 July, p 11) . This problem of the "black hole information paradox" had troubled him for 30 years. We asked at the end of the lecture what … Regulars