Subscribe now

This week's magazine

29 November 2008

Issue 2684

New Scientist issue 2684 cover
Previous issue Next issue
arrow
Subscribe
Access our magazine content direct via our website, app or print magazine
arrow
View in the app
Check out this magazine in our easy-to-navigate mobile app
arrow
Find a previous edition online
Search through our digital archive of over 30 years of magazines

Editor's picks

The dizzying diversity of human sexual strategies

Life

The dizzying diversity of human sexual strategies

Features
Would eating heavy atoms lengthen our lives?

Health

Would eating heavy atoms lengthen our lives?

Features
Whatever happened to the hydrogen economy?

Earth

Whatever happened to the hydrogen economy?

Features
On the trail of Tahiti's elusive vanilla orchid

On the trail of Tahiti's elusive vanilla orchid

Features

Table of contents

News

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Earth

Quotas slashed to save fast-food fish

Heard of the walleye pollock? If you're partial to a McDonald's Filet-o-Fish, you've probably eaten it. The pollock is one of the main reasons why white fish is still on the menu despite the collapse of many cod fisheries. But now the pollock itself is in danger. Last week, a panel from the US National …

News

Earth

Hopes high for science-friendly approach in US politics

News

Health

'Test and treat everyone' to vanquish HIV

News

Earth

Planes, trains or automobiles? Climate villains revealed

News

Safer fetal test for genetic diseases on horizon

News

Cholera epidemic hits crumbling Zimbabwe

News

Space

NASA may struggle to afford new space missions

News

Acid surprise

News

Health

Pig organs: Ready for humans at last?

News

Health

Down's symptoms may be treatable in the womb

News

Earth

Frog-killing fungus to be tackled in the wild

News

"A bunny-hugging mentality that is far removed from the realities of rural life."

News

Health

Psychopaths have an eye for the underdog

News

Life

Memories may be stored on your DNA

News

Earth

Did lack of comet impacts help life evolve?

News

Earth

Heat we emit could warm the Earth

News

George Bush's parting swipe at the environment

News

Graffiti and litter lead to more street crime

News

Amoeba explains evolutionary mystery

News

Earth

Earth's crust was drifting 4 billion years ago

News

Martian ice found hiding from the Sun

News

Humans

Voice impersonators use brain to 'become' characters

News

Overworked protein may trigger ageing across life

News

Earth

Which virus will birds give us next?

News

Life

Dogs' amazing sense of smell down to a wet nose

News

Technology

Smart drug implant has batteries included

News

Technology

Scanners avoid destructive tests on ancient manuscripts

News

Technology

Robot uncovers secret of lizard press-ups

News

Technology

Gizmo

News

Earth

Robot gliders take the ocean's pulse

News

Life

Molecular fireworks could produce '30-minute genomes'

News

Technology

New tools predict web page popularity

News

Opinion

How to sell science to the Big Brother generation

Physics

How to sell science to the Big Brother generation

Symmetrical patterns like this one are one of Marcus du Sautoy's passions He plays the trumpet, loves football and has a well-known fondness for pink hoodies. Next week, University of Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy takes over from Richard Dawkins as Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science. Is he bothered by comparisons …

Opinion

The hard truth about animal research

Opinion

Can't wait for stem cells? Have a pig's liver

Opinion

New acceptance for Down's syndrome

Opinion

Drinking to a long life

Opinion

Earth

Time to run before the storm

Opinion

Features

The dizzying diversity of human sexual strategies

Life

The dizzying diversity of human sexual strategies

Some people sleep around, but others are proudly chaste. Why would evolution have thrown up such a wide range of strategies? SOME people revel in a reputation as a Casanova and others proudly proclaim their chastity. But most of us probably prefer not to advertise our sexual proclivities. Still, if you think your attitudes to …

Features

Health

Would eating heavy atoms lengthen our lives?

Features

Earth

Whatever happened to the hydrogen economy?

Features

On the trail of Tahiti's elusive vanilla orchid

Features

More

Review: <i>Outliers: The story of success</i> by Malcolm Gladwell

Review: Outliers: The story of success by Malcolm Gladwell

WHEN you are on board an aircraft, "This is the captain speaking" may well sound more reassuring than a message from the first officer. Yet crashes happen far more often when the captain, rather than the co-pilot, is flying the aircraft. This is counter-intuitive, since captains almost always have more flying experience than co-pilots. The …

Books & Arts

Review: The Numerati by Stephen Baker

Books & Arts

Review: Sun in a Bottle by Charles Seife

Books & Arts

Review: Eating the Sun by Oliver Morton

Books & Arts

Enigma No. 1522

Regulars

Regulars

Literate dogs and haemorrhoids for sale

Literate dogs and haemorrhoids for sale

Parisian wave-particle duality FEEDBACK's consideration of quantum instructions has, to date, focused on the spatial aspects – as with the UK Royal Mail's request to "Please Use Both Letterboxes" in Salisbury (12 July) and London Underground's exhortation to "use all doors" (16 June 2007) . France has – as one might expect – a different …

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

Browse past issues

View all
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop