New Scientist -28 August 2010

New Scientist -28 August 2010

New Scientist -28 August 2010

English | PDF | 68 pages | 18.7Mb

 



New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine and website covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. New Scientist has maintained a website since 1996, publishing daily news. As well as covering current events and news from the scientific community, the magazine often features speculative articles, ranging from the technical to the philosophical.



Liability for climate change

As the effects of climate change become more severe - and costly - will they open the door to wide-scale litigation?

NASA should pay more attention to astronauts' health

Before going to Mars and beyond, we must find ways to combat the health problems caused by microgravity

Overturn stem cell injunction

A ruling that appears to freeze all federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells is deeply flawed

Gulf spill: Is the oil lurking underwater?

What has happened to the 4.9 million barrels of oil from the busted Macondo well? Some say it's all dispersed - others say it'll be around for months

Mathematics 'Nobel' rewards boundary-busting work

Four mathematicians have won the Fields medal for work that helps unify the traditionally disparate fields of pure and applied mathematics

Whooping cough outbreak could be worst in 50 years

California is bracing for the worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades - around 3000 cases have been reported so far this year

60 Seconds

Vitamin D and its 2776 sites on our genome, secrets of Sitting Bull, Frankenstein fix for satellite, and more

Half a billion eggs recalled in US salmonella outbreak

Thousands of cases of egg-related food poisoning have occurred in the US while investigators search out likely sources of the outbreak

Harvard confirms morality researcher's misconduct

Bowing to pressure from scientists in animal cognition, Harvard University confirms that it has found evidence of misconduct by Marc Hauser

To hear ET, tune in to alien intelligence

We are more likely to detect signals from artificial intelligences created by aliens than to hear from the aliens themselves

Infinite doppelgangers may explain quantum probabilities

Quantum probabilities have been tied to something concrete, if bizarre - the notorious possibility that multiple versions of you exist

How to survive the long haul in space

Medical records of space station astronauts reveal the gruelling physical costs of the missions – and suggest how to stay healthy on the way to Mars

Black holes + dark matter = light

Two of the darkest things in the universe may together be making light - or at least, gamma rays - detectable from Earth

Geoengineering won't undo sea level rises

None of the proposed technologies will stop sea levels rising this century and swamping low-lying lands, a modelling study finds

How to feel full without pigging out

Two ways in which dieters try to make themselves feel full without stuffing themselves with food have been backed up by separate research teams

Sunspots squeeze and stretch the day

These dark regions may somehow alter the rate of Earth's spin - an insight that could help steer spacecraft more accurately

Time to blame climate change for extreme weather?

Climate researchers are starting to put figures on how much climate change is to blame for weather events, opening the door to claims for compensation

Macabre details of suicide hangings revealed

The results of this grisly research could be significant in court cases where prison officers are accused of negligence or foul play

Anticipation of pain makes it hurt more, even days later

Being told that something will be painful can create a long-lasting nocebo effect, the placebo effect's evil twin

Mystery of the Atlantic's missing plastic flotsam

The amount of plastic floating in an ocean current system has been the same for decades, even though more and more plastic has probably been thrown away

Shrinking moon may explain lunar quakes

New images show the lunar surface is wrinkled like a raisin, suggesting the moon may still be cooling and contracting

Solar system slips back in time

New meteorite evidence has just pushed the age of the solar system back by hundreds of thousands of years

Cancer muscle loss might be reversible

One injection reversed muscle wasting in mice with cancer and improved survival rates – suggesting a possible future way of treating people

Success, not size 0, makes women want to eat less

Encouraging models to put on weight may not be enough to prevent the influence that media images have on rising rates of eating disorders

Wasps punish fake fighters

Paper wasps are more aggressive towards rivals who don't display their true physical prowess

Frog cells give artificial nose the power of super smell

The addition of biological smell sensors makes artificial noses more sensitive

Hand-held detector aims to diagnose disease

Instant diagnosis is the aim of a device that can detect the molecules produced by a range of illnesses

Shake to adjust your smartphone's privacy settings

Location services are gaining popularity on smartphones, so a new app offers a quick way to adjust your privacy settings

...and more!