Technology Will the revamped LHC make or break physics? With CERN’s Large Hadron Collider about to reopen after a two-year upgrade, any failure to uncover new physics would be a huge roadblock to progress Opinion
Life Memory lapse draws bumblebees to untried flowers Generally sharp but prone to occasional woolliness Ever remembered something wrongly? Sworn blind that something had happened, when in fact it hadn't? Bumblebees also appear to have the same problem. In their everyday lives, bumblebees have a lot to remember: the colours, patterns, scents and symmetries of flowers, the best ways to get food from … News
Migrants and asylum seekers are not a zero-sum game An unfounded fear of competition is what's driving anti-immigration sentiment in the West Opinion
Technology Why US law on guns and mental health needs to change Loopholes in US law allow people to buy guns without background checks Earlier this week, eight US professional organisations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Public Health Association collectively took a stand against a law that on the face of it, seems like plain common sense. For … News
Earth Kangaroo frozen in time by red dust storm (Image: Dean Sewell) THIS grey kangaroo probably died from starvation at the peak of Australia's recent 15-year drought, and then quickly became half-buried in the country's iconic red dirt, carried in scorching dry winds blowing across the desert. It was those winds that, in 2009, blanketed Australia's east coast in an eerie red cloud – … Regulars
Technology It's the faster, stronger, better Large Hadron Collider Still basking in the glory of the Higgs discovery, CERN's celebrity particle smasher is aiming for even wilder particles – and the truth about supersymmetry Features
Life Where we're headed in the search for our minds Split brains taught us plenty, now super-imaging is imminent, but Michael Gazzaniga, Gary Marcus and Jeremy Freeman show the mystery of mind still eludes us for now CultureLab
Feedback: Occam's razor blunted a bit Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Occam's razor blunted a bit IDLY reading a random back issue of New Scientist in the bathroom, we came across a letter from David Marjot reminding readers of Hickam's dictum (19 October 2013, p 30) . We feel this exception … Regulars