Galactic guzzlers stay hungry for life THE slumbering giants at the heart of every galaxy don't sleep forever. Astronomers have caught some of these black holes snacking on star systems and, in one case, a planet. Every galaxy contains at its heart a supermassive black hole whose mass is between a million and a few billion times that of our Sun. … 51¶¯Âþ
Humans Washington diary SOME called it a small miracle. But perhaps they spoke too soon. What they found miraculous was a report from the Bush administration earlier this month about global warming. It stated in utmost detail that the planet was indeed warming up, with many chapters and verses about the painful consequences for North America. And, mirabile … Opinion
All in the mind In the summer of 1955 something odd happened at London's Royal Free Hospital. It began in the middle of July, when a doctor and a ward sister fell ill on the same day and had to be admitted to their own hospital. Both had multiple symptoms, including lassitude and pain in the abdomen. By 25 … Features
Out in paperback THERE is a fine line between a tease and a lie on a book cover. Take Paul Davies's How to Build a Time Machine (Penguin, £6.99). He doesn't tell us any such thing, of course. But his lucid discussion of wormholes edges us down the road to time travel. So we'll let him off. But … Books & Arts
Feedback READERS Martin and Stephanie Burton had a disagreement about measurements when they were decorating their house. They wanted to put up a dado rail in their living room, so Stephanie measured up the space in feet and inches. But Martin pointed out that even in Britain "everything comes in metric these days", so she measured … Regulars