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This week's magazine

21 January 2012

Issue 2848

New Scientist issue 2848 cover
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Editor's picks

Impossible chemistry: Having entropy both ways

Impossible chemistry: Having entropy both ways

Features
Impossible chemistry: Crystal paradox

Physics

Impossible chemistry: Crystal paradox

Features
Impossible chemistry: Quantum escape tunnel

Physics

Impossible chemistry: Quantum escape tunnel

Features
Impossible chemistry: Forcing noble gases to work

Impossible chemistry: Forcing noble gases to work

Features
One-way evolution: The ladder of life makes a comeback

Life

One-way evolution: The ladder of life makes a comeback

Features
Driller killers: Turning bacteria's weapons on them

Life

Driller killers: Turning bacteria's weapons on them

Features
Learning without remembering: Brain lab goes to school

Humans

Learning without remembering: Brain lab goes to school

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.

Technology

Robot videojournalist uses cuteness to get vox pops

brightcove.createExperiences(); Video: Cute cardboard robot produces documentary Imagine a cardboard version of Pixar's Wall-e character , but with added über-cute human voice, and you've got a fair picture of Boxie, Alexander Reben's documentary-video-making robot. Designed to wander the streets shooting video, the diminutive droid trundles up to people and asks them to tell it an …

News

Life

Smallest exoplanet is the size of Mars

News

Technology

Costs of killing Iran's nuclear scientists

News

Earth

Wandering albatross gets boost from rising winds

News

Health

Totally drug-resistant TB at large in India

News

Technology

Smallest magnetic memory uses just 12 atoms

News

Space

Satellites help track pirate loot in Somalia

News

Space

Astrophile: Glimpse elusive matter in shattering star

News

Earth

China set to launch first caps on CO2 emissions

News

Space

Death by helium for cosmos-mapping Planck observatory

News

Life

Vegetarian orang-utans eat world's cutest animal

News

Cruise ships shouldn't capsize so fast, says union

News

Earth

US education advocates tackle climate change sceptics

News

Health

Condoms are slowing HIV spread in South Africa

News

Red wine researcher accused of fraud

News

60 Seconds

News

Space

Death-defying time crystal could outlast the universe

News

Technology

Neural network gets an idea of number without counting

News

Life

Grouse have signature drumming styles

News

Life

Cell recycling makes exercise good for you

News

Life

Compression garments reduce muscle fatigue

News

Life

New bug-fighter cell may force immune response rethink

News

Life

Why deep-sea dragonfish have such extraordinary jaws

News

Technology

Must-have robots come nearer with software explosion

News

Technology

Take tips from the arts to make robots come alive

News

Earth

Live updates from fishing boats could reduce waste

News

Opinion

Too many given no right to refuse in medical trials

Health

Too many given no right to refuse in medical trials

The Nuremberg Code, set up to protect the human subjects of research, is being routinely ignored

Opinion

Earth

Education campaigner wants to expel climate denial

Opinion

Life

'Human beings are learning machines,' says philosopher

Opinion

Chemists should effervesce about their science

Opinion

Technology

Time for robots to get real

Opinion

Aperture

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.

Portraits of snake charm worth elephant-killing bite

See more: To see the image this article refers to, keep checking Picture of the Day on our news blog Short Sharp Science TALK about taking risks in the name of art. In the course of his work photographing snakes, Mark Laita was recently bitten by a black mamba – one of the 10 most …

Regulars

Features

Impossible chemistry: Crystal paradox

Physics

Impossible chemistry: Crystal paradox

When Dan Shechtman said he had found "quasicrystalline" atomic symmetry, a Nobel laureate ridiculed him. Good thing he stuck to his guns

Features

Impossible chemistry: Having entropy both ways

Features

Physics

Impossible chemistry: Quantum escape tunnel

Features

Impossible chemistry: Forcing noble gases to work

Features

Life

One-way evolution: The ladder of life makes a comeback

Features

Life

Driller killers: Turning bacteria's weapons on them

Features

Humans

Learning without remembering: Brain lab goes to school

Features

Culturelab

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.

Go with the flow system

See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog In Design in Nature by Adrian Bejan and J. Peder Zane a new theory of nature is mooted, but is the idea stretched beyond its reach? NEW fundamental laws don't pop up …

CultureLab

Life's secrets lie in stars and Petri dishes

CultureLab

What will be will be, but what will we be?

CultureLab

More

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.

Enigma Number 1681

Twins divide My niece, Angela, has two younger twin siblings, Ann and Ian. To celebrate the twins' birthday, she asked me to compose a puzzle in which their names feature. Here it is: With different letters denoting different digits consistently throughout, and with no leading zeros appearing, the number denoted by GEMINI is exactly divisible …

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.

Feedback: Exhibiting quantum behaviour

Exhibiting quantum behaviour READERS continue to send examples of signs that they feel instruct them to exhibit quantum behaviour. Dermot Bradley, in a café in Edinburgh, UK, was instructed to "queue both sides". In contrast, Mark Manning, visiting the beach at the Welsh village of Llangennith, was abjured "Strictly no parking on both sides of …

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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