Issue 2966 | Magazine cover date: 26 April 2014

26 April 2014

Issue 2966

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On the cover

Features

Weird thought-generator: How society's fears shape OCD

News

<i>T. rex</i> didn't need proper arms thanks to its neck

Opinion

Maths spying: The quandary of working for the spooks

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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.

Cosmic inflation seen? Don't get hopes up too quickly

Opinion

Health

Weird thought-generator: How society's fears shape OCD

Features

Earth

Aliens versus predators: The toxic toad invasion

Features

Life

One rule of life: Are we poised on the border of order?

Features

Space

Big bang breakthrough: The dark side of inflation

Features

Leaders

Tech breakthroughs mean all can be differently abled

Science won’t just fix impaired senses – it can give us new ones, too

Opinion

Cosmic inflation seen? Don't get hopes up too quickly

Opinion

News

<i>T. rex</i> didn't need proper arms thanks to its neck

Life

T. rex didn't need proper arms thanks to its neck

T. Rex – rubbish at arm-wrestling Tyrannosaurus rex was the most terrifying animal that ever lived, apart from its silly little arms, which were no use for anything. Now it seems this giant predator did not need proper arms, because its head and neck were so powerful. Tyrannosaurs , the family of big predatory dinosaurs …

News

Health

Scans can be vital in judging severity of brain damage

News

Space

Star dust casts doubt on recent big bang wave result

News

Earth

Slow-motion tremors make Tokyo megaquake more likely

News

Health

Will an antiviral drug put paid to measles?

News

Earth

The story of climate change gets star treatment

News

Life

Zoologger: Gender-bending cave insects found in Brazil

News

Health

Threatwatch: Is the MERS virus spreading its wings?

News

Earth

Mississippi dams aren't to blame for flood risks

News

Space

Space shuttle carrier plane heads out on Texas convoy

News

Physics

Longest experiment sees pitch drop after 84-year wait

News

Technology

Make graphene in your kitchen with soap and a blender

News

Space

Smallest life-friendly exoplanet may be lit by auroras

News

Technology

Mini robot doctors that could swim in your bloodstream

News

Earth

Virtual Earth plays out fate of life on the planet

News

Gas attack alleged in Syria as refugees starve

News

GM mozzies get go-ahead in fight against dengue fever

News

Tournament of primes is too difficult to continue

News

60 Seconds

News

Deaf people get gene tweak to restore natural hearing

News

How ailing bodies hasten the progress of Alzheimer's

News

How to build a stable wormhole with dark alien allies

News

Why we get autism but our Neanderthal cousins didn't

News

Earth

Congo's fragile forests watched over with online map

News

Technology

One Per Cent

News

Technology

Armed Russian robocops to defend missile bases

News

Health

Protein that shrinks depressed brains identified

News

Life

Zoologger: Sailfish is lethal d'Artagnan of the deep

News

Technology

Second Life 2.0: Virtual world recreates the real you

News

Opinion

Physics

Maths spying: The quandary of working for the spooks

Intelligence agencies hire lots of mathematicians, but would-be employees must realise that their work is misused to snoop on everyone, says Tom Leinster

Opinion

Technology

Automatic, for the people: Welcome the robot workforce

Opinion

Life

Rhino horn isn't a hangover cure or a cancer treatment

Opinion

Aperture

Nested interests: A bespoke farm for edible bird nests

(Image: Ian Teh/Panos) A BOWL of soup made with animal saliva? Yours for $100. What's that, you want some of the raw ingredients so that you can make your own? That'll be $2000 per kilogram, please. Bird's nest soup is one of the most expensive foods in the world . Its production is a mega-industry, …

Regulars

Features

Health

Weird thought-generator: How society's fears shape OCD

Caught up in your own thoughts (Image: Daniel Stolle) From ideas of murder to irrational fears, intrusive thoughts afflict most people. But when David Adam 's fear of catching HIV persisted, he developed OCD FOR Winston Churchill, it was an urge to leap from balconies and into the path of oncoming trains. For 20th-century mathematician …

Features

Earth

Aliens versus predators: The toxic toad invasion

Features

Life

One rule of life: Are we poised on the border of order?

Features

Space

Big bang breakthrough: The dark side of inflation

Features

Culturelab

Synthetic biology gets reborn as an aesthetic dream

Grand designs: xylem cells could help us make stronger buildings (Image: Dr David Furness, Keele University/SPL/Getty Images) In Synthetic Aesthetics , researchers and designers team up to present an exciting way of learning from nature SYNTHETIC biology is not like other sciences. At its first big conference, held just 10 years ago at the Massachusetts …

CultureLab

Regulars

Feedback: Fossils battle evolution

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Fossils battle evolution THE STRUGGLE to teach science wins a few rounds, sometimes it loses for a while – and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, at least in South Carolina. As we went to press the state's new …

Regulars

This week's magazine

26 April 2014

On the cover

Cosmic inflation seen? Don't get hopes up too quickly

Health

Weird thought-generator: How society's fears shape OCD

Earth

Aliens versus predators: The toxic toad invasion

Life

One rule of life: Are we poised on the border of order?

Space

Big bang breakthrough: The dark side of inflation

Table of contents

Leaders

Tech breakthroughs mean all can be differently abled

Cosmic inflation seen? Don't get hopes up too quickly

News

Life

T. rex didn't need proper arms thanks to its neck

Health

Scans can be vital in judging severity of brain damage

Space

Star dust casts doubt on recent big bang wave result

Earth

Slow-motion tremors make Tokyo megaquake more likely

Health

Will an antiviral drug put paid to measles?

Earth

The story of climate change gets star treatment

Life

Zoologger: Gender-bending cave insects found in Brazil

Health

Threatwatch: Is the MERS virus spreading its wings?

Earth

Mississippi dams aren't to blame for flood risks

Space

Space shuttle carrier plane heads out on Texas convoy

Physics

Longest experiment sees pitch drop after 84-year wait

Technology

Make graphene in your kitchen with soap and a blender

Space

Smallest life-friendly exoplanet may be lit by auroras

Technology

Mini robot doctors that could swim in your bloodstream

Earth

Virtual Earth plays out fate of life on the planet

Gas attack alleged in Syria as refugees starve

GM mozzies get go-ahead in fight against dengue fever

Tournament of primes is too difficult to continue

60 Seconds

Deaf people get gene tweak to restore natural hearing

How ailing bodies hasten the progress of Alzheimer's

How to build a stable wormhole with dark alien allies

Why we get autism but our Neanderthal cousins didn't

Earth

Congo's fragile forests watched over with online map

Technology

One Per Cent

Technology

Armed Russian robocops to defend missile bases

Health

Protein that shrinks depressed brains identified

Life

Zoologger: Sailfish is lethal d'Artagnan of the deep

Technology

Second Life 2.0: Virtual world recreates the real you

Opinion

Physics

Maths spying: The quandary of working for the spooks

Technology

Automatic, for the people: Welcome the robot workforce

Life

Rhino horn isn't a hangover cure or a cancer treatment

Aperture

Nested interests: A bespoke farm for edible bird nests

Features

Health

Weird thought-generator: How society's fears shape OCD

Earth