New Scientist - Online News

Power from cellphone towers keeps vaccines cool

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:58:00 GMT

Surplus electricity from cellphone towers can run fridges to chill vital drugs in parts of the world where the main power supply is unreliable

Men and women: Different brains, same aims

Thu, 31 May 2012 09:32:00 GMT

The sexes may be more alike than we thought. A startling new theory says that some of the disparities between our brains may be there to make us act the same (full text available to subscribers)

Autism study strengthens idea that we read God's mind

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:01:00 GMT

People with autism are less likely to believe in God - possibly because they have difficulty reading other's intentions

Today on New Scientist: 30 May 2012

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:52:00 GMT

All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: rappers get teeth bling that sings and extra heatwaves could kill 150,000 Americans by 2099

Vast hydrogen bridge connects two galaxies

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:21:00 GMT

A 780,000-light-year-long link between Andromeda and Triangulum is the clearest evidence yet of the elusive final third of the universe's normal matter (full text available to subscribers)

DNA origami: synthetic tiles can make over 100 shapes

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:11:00 GMT

Harvard nanotechnologists have designed synthetic DNA tiles that can be linked together to build letters of the alphabet

Archive photos show glaciers in retreat in the 1930s

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:01:00 GMT

The discovery of photographs of Greenland taken in the early 1930s has allowed glaciologists to compare glacial melting from then and the 21st century

Nuclear transmutation is a cool idea for a hot problem

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:48:00 GMT

Using particle accelerators to break down long-lived nuclear waste isn't a perfect solution, but it is the best we have

Rappers get teeth bling that sings

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:24:00 GMT

Artist Aisen Chacin has created Play-A-Grill, a bone-conducting MP3 player embedded within a rapper's grill jewellery

Can you train yourself to be an optimist?

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:03:01 GMT

Cognitive psychologist Elaine Fox is investigating ways that people can retrain their brains to see the sunny side of life.

Extra heatwaves could kill 150,000 Americans by 2099

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:35:00 GMT

By the end of the century, global warming could cause eight times as many days of extreme heat per year in US cities

Shape-shifting wings make stealthy Batbot more agile

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:18:00 GMT

A drone that mimics the way a flying bat changes its wing shape could make small uncrewed vehicles more manoeuvrable than their fixed-wing counterparts

Four smart scientific social circles

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:56:13 GMT

Without their friends' support and disagreements, many scientists' breakthroughs may never have happened. Meet some groups to whom we are all indebted

Nuclear alchemy: Thorium promises power from waste

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Reactors driven by particle accelerators could eat nuclear waste – and generate power at the same time. Does this mean thorium's time has come at last? (full text available to subscribers)

Innocent blushes share same pattern as sexual flushes

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:01:00 GMT

Non-sexual physical interactions can make our faces glow subtly in the same pattern as when we are aroused

Today on New Scientist: 29 May 2012

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: bird-flu test identifies 10 strains of virus and why planets can only orbit in 3D

First look at the face of a woman dead for 2000 years

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:40:23 GMT

CT scans have revealed a wealth of information about the Egyptian Rhind mummy, discovered in a tomb dating to 10 BC in the ancient city of Thebes

Violent anti-science anarchists vow to strike again

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:56:00 GMT

Anarchist federation claims responsibility for shooting nuclear engineering boss and blames science for subjecting humans to slavery

Bird-flu test identifies 10 strains of virus

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:45:00 GMT

The test can quickly and accurately identify seven more strains of H5N1 virus than the current gold standard

Needle-free device could deliver powdered drugs

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:17:00 GMT

A system to inject drugs without needles could work with powders instead of liquids, improving drug availability in countries with poor refrigeration

Let the creative juices flow through social networks

Tue, 29 May 2012 14:47:00 GMT

The internet is more than a mash-up of ideas – its social networks can spark the creative process

One-Minute Physics: Why planets can only orbit in 3D

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:33:00 GMT

Watch an animation that explains how planets in our solar system are able to maintain stable orbits

Genius networks: Link to a more creative social circle

Tue, 29 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The greatest artists and scientists have been inspired by brilliant peers. Now technology can help you maximise creativity by fine-tuning your social circles (full text available to subscribers)

Newton saved the UK economy £10 million

Tue, 29 May 2012 10:22:00 GMT

Isaac Newton may be famed for his theory of gravity, but his later career at the UK's Royal Mint was impressive too

Digital danger: Is our online activity damaging us?

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:57:00 GMT

Two new books make the case that online living harms our psychological health and security – but there are still great rewards to reap, says Jacob Aron