Health Abdominal porthole reveals how tumours come together Did it need double glazing? A window into the soul is poetic, but a window into the abdominal cavity may be more useful. A glass porthole implanted into the abdomen of mice has allowed researchers to observe the spread of cancer in intimate detail. Tumour metastasis occurs when cancer cells spread from a primary tumour … News
Health Beta blockers are busted – what happens next? They have treated heart disease for 40 years, but it now seems that beta blockers don’t work. What went wrong? Opinion
Technology India's thorium-based nuclear dream inches closer Don't mistake for earplugs SINCE India began its nuclear programme in the 1950s, it has aimed to tap the ample thorium reserves that lie within its borders. Construction is finally set to begin on a reactor that will produce electricity from India's most convenient fuel for the first time. But with a checkered past on … News
Environment Weirdly human armadillo in samurai armour See more: To see the image this article refers to, keep checking Picture of the Day on our news blog Short Sharp Science I SEE this armadillo, in its close-fitting samurai armour, and think: cool animal. Then I see that it is raised on its front claws and think: furtive, scrabbling beast. Then I take … Regulars
Technology Particle headache: Why the Higgs could spell disaster If the particle discovered at CERN this July is all we think it is, there are good reasons to want it to be something else Features
Humans Will we ever understand how our brains work? See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog CultureLab
Enigma Number 1723 Four lots of dots The picture shows 16 dots drawn in an evenly spaced 4-by-4 square array. How many squares can be made using four of the dots as the vertices? In fact there are 20, including the one shown. I have now drawn another square array of the same type but with a larger … Regulars
Feedback: 'Treated' chocolate makes you happier "Treated" chocolate makes you happier CHOCOLATE has wonderful powers – witness our report last week on the correlation between per-capita chocolate consumption and a nation's haul of Nobel prizes (3 November) . Now Tony Burton points us to the apparently very serious paper "Effects of Intentionally Enhanced Chocolate on Mood", published in Explore : The … Regulars