Health Man controls new prosthetic leg using thought alone Video: Man controls robotic leg using thoughts alone This leg was made for walking A man missing his lower leg has gained precise control over a prosthetic limb, just by thinking about moving it – all because his unused nerves were preserved during the amputation and rerouted to his thigh where they can be used … News
Technology Don't let fear of bioweapons kill off science Overzealous suppression of disease research because of a fear of bioweapons makes the world less safe, not more Opinion
Technology Five ways to rob a bank using the internet This year a bank robber stole £1.3 million without touching a penny. Today's master criminals are swapping shotguns for software – here's how they do it News
Space Historic shots of Io revealed a world on fire (Image: UCL/NASA) WE THOUGHT we knew the solar system. Apart from Earth, all the worlds out there were dead lumps freezing in the blackness of space. But when Voyager I started beaming back images as it flew by Jupiter's moon Io in 1979, something wasn't right. For one thing, its surface was too young – … Regulars
Space Big bang, no boom: Did Planck pop inflation's bubble? Inflation handily explains how the universe expanded after the big bang. But results from the Planck space telescope suggest it may all be a bit too convenient Features
Life Is happiness found in our minds or in our wallets? "Increased wealth in the US accrues almost entirely to the rich" (Image: George Steinmetz/Corbis) Three new books explore the origins of inequality, what scarcity does to our minds and how to teach your brain to be happy HAPPINESS is a minefield. Many believe it is what we are here for, that a life is well-lived … CultureLab
Enigma Number 1769 Crossing lines I have drawn a number of straight lines across a large sheet of paper, each extending from edge to edge on the paper, so that each line crosses all the other lines. One of the intersections is between three lines, all the others are between just two lines, and none of them are … Regulars
Feedback: Guns for the blind Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Guns for the blind AMERICAN fondness for guns never ceases to amaze. Barry Cash alerts us to a report in USA Today at bit.ly/gunsfortheblind stating that blind people in the state of Iowa are being granted permits that allow them … Regulars