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This week's magazine

6 December 2008

Issue 2685

New Scientist issue 2685 cover
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Editor's picks

How to unplug from the grid

Earth

How to unplug from the grid

Features
What happens when silicon can shrink no more?

Technology

What happens when silicon can shrink no more?

Features
The secret signals in human sweat

Life

The secret signals in human sweat

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.

Faroe islanders told to stop eating 'toxic' whales

Chief medical officers of the Faroe Islands have announced that pilot whales are no longer fit for human consumption, because they are toxic – as revealed by research on the islanders themselves. The remote Atlantic islands between Scotland and Iceland have been one of the last strongholds of traditional whaling, with thousands of small pilot …

News

Antarctic islands surpass Galapagos for biodiversity

News

Earth

Storm greets UN climate change conference

News

Earth

New Orleans 'should move to higher ground'

News

Health

Children go unvaccinated as insurers refuse to pay

News

Earth

Canadian tar plan threatens millions of birds

News

Health

Treatment for jet lag could take off

News

Gorilla welfare

News

Earth

Rich countries carry out '21st century land grab'

News

Zimbabwe health system faces meltdown

News

Technology

Large Hadron Collider gears up for July restart

News

Soundbites

News

Technology

Obama to usher in new era on arms controls

News

Bacteria turned assassin after leaving the oceans

News

Life

Universe's dark matter mix is 'just right' for life

News

Life

First 'placebo gene' discovered

News

Earth

Arctic tundra releases annual methane 'burp'

News

Earth

Hot landslides may have set off mystery wildfires

News

Neanderthals couldn't stand the heat

News

Life

Deadly fungus gets sexy in heat

News

Earth

Frogspawn learns the smell of death

News

Life

Bug genes are the key to human digestion

News

Health

Hormone-free contraceptive pill on the horizon

News

Perfect athlete's 100m sprint time calculated

News

Technology

Butterfly wings used to print self-cleaning windows

News

Technology

Funding boost for Mars rover mission

News

Earth

Crystals turn roads into power stations

News

Technology

Energy from fish waste

News

Space

Hunting new Earths and the edge of the universe

News

Technology

Rescue robots are put through their paces

News

Technology

Tiny 'paddleboat' could ship drugs around the body

News

Technology

First superconducting transistor promises PC revolution

News

Opinion

Are climate scientists overselling their models?

Earth

Are climate scientists overselling their models?

Physicist Lenny Smith thinks that climate modellers are overselling their results At the UN climate negotiations under way in Poland this week, politicians will be poring over forecasts of climate change. It's an opportune moment for physicist Lenny Smith to challenge the climate modellers who he believes are overselling their results. Human activity really is …

Opinion

Space

The glass universe: Where astronomy meets art

Opinion

Why it's not as simple as God vs the multiverse

Opinion

Editorial: Uncertainty must be met by climate action

Opinion

Editorial: International land grab sparks food war fears

Opinion

Editorial: Throw away your deodorants

Opinion

Earth

Yes you can change the climate, Mr Obama

Opinion

Features

How to unplug from the grid

Earth

How to unplug from the grid

Using solar power for ironing while camping "I HAVEN'T paid an electricity bill since 1970," says Richard Perez with noticeable glee. He can afford to be smug. While most of us fretted over soaring utility bills this year, he barely noticed. Nor is he particularly concerned about forecast price hikes of 30 to 50 per …

Features

Technology

What happens when silicon can shrink no more?

Features

Life

The secret signals in human sweat

Features

More

Review: <i>The Superorganism</i> by Bert Holldobler and E O Wilson

Review: The Superorganism by Bert Holldobler and E O Wilson

HUMANS rightly regard the invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago as one of the crowning achievements of our species. The ants beat us to it by at least 50 million years, however, with their cultivated fungus gardens. Ants are no dummies when it comes to decision-making, either, responding to environmental conditions and building intricate …

Books & Arts

Review: The Cosmic Connection by Jeff Kanipe

Books & Arts

Review: Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom

Books & Arts

Review: Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes by Daniel Everett

Books & Arts

Enigma No. 1523

Regulars

Regulars

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.

Water washes whitish

Water washes whitish SHARING Feedback's fascination with laundry balls – those variously shaped objects that are promoted with all sorts of sciency-sounding gibberish about how they will supersede detergent, but which may work despite their flaky reputation – Ruth Turner had a look around. What she discovered was a discussion on a blog called "bean-sprouts" …

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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