Space Dust devils around stars may help planets grow A dust trap helps nurse young planets along A dusty tornado around a young star could help solve a lingering conundrum: how do massive planets grow from tiny grains of debris? Planets abound across the galaxy , and astronomers have seen young stars ringed by dusty discs from which planets are assumed to form. But … News
We should praise Hawking's boycott of Israeli meeting Stephen Hawking's considered decision to support an academic boycott of Israeli institutions should not be derided, says a supporter of Palestinian universities Opinion
Artworks highlight legal debate over 'abandoned' DNA IT HAS been described as both "creepy" and "cool" . But amid the publicity surrounding a provocative art project that creates "facial reconstruction" sculptures based on the analysis of DNA on cigarette butts, chewing gum and other detritus collected from the streets of New York City, one question has remained unasked: is it legal? According … News
Earth Beautiful freak in Ecuador's life raft of the frogs (Image: Peter Lipton) FROGS struggle to capture the public's imagination. Perhaps conservationists should make this their poster child: the gloriously freakish fringe tree frog ( Cruziohyla craspedopus ). It looks like it belongs in Pan's Labyrinth or a Hayao Miyazaki fantasy . In fact, this individual lives in something almost as magical: Balsa de los … Regulars
Space Space vs time: One has to go – but which? If we want to progress towards a theory of everything, we need to understand how space and time fit together – if they do at all Features
Enigma Number 1753 Divisible in reverse You have two problems to solve. Neither of your answers may have a leading zero. 1) What is the 5-digit positive integer divisible by 17 and 19 whose reverse is a larger integer also divisible by 17 and 19? 2) What is the 5-digit positive integer divisible by 7 and 23 whose … Regulars
Environment Feedback: Hamsters tackle energy crisis Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Regulars