Physics Big cat uses infrasound to keep rivals at bay TIGERS appear to rely on booming low-frequency sounds – much of it inaudible to humans – to drive rivals away from their territory and to attract mates. The discovery may explain how the animals maintain large hunting territories, and may also help conservationists to protect the endangered animals. Tigers produce a wide variety of sounds, … 51¶¯Âþ
Humans Westminster diary AIDS is an appalling problem for sub-Saharan Africa and any glimmer of hope that something can be done is extremely welcome. Alan Stone, an eminent consultant to the British charity International Family Health, provided such a glimmer recently (51¶¯Âþ, 8 February, p 42) . Microbicides, he says, can be used to create vaginal medications … Opinion
England's El Dorado Dartford is a dull little town on the Thames estuary. But if you head across the railway tracks towards the plant-hire yard down by the creek, you will find a long, crumbling wall. And there, sometimes, on those rare days when the sun is shining, you can see in the stone blocks a gleam of … Features
Sex Wars: Genes, bacteria and biased sex ratios by Michael Majerus Sex Wars: Genes, bacteria and biased sex ratios by Michael Majerus, Princeton University Press, £29.95, ISBN 0691009813 WANTING a male child to carry on the family name (and inherit all the property) is a common enough ambition in many male-dominated human societies. Yet few people have taken as bizarre a step to achieve that goal … Books & Arts
Feedback FORGET oil and weapons of mass destruction – at least as we know them. The war in Iraq was fought over technology salvaged from a crashed alien spaceship. That's the whisper doing the rounds in UFO-watching circles, as reported by New Zealand website Stuff ( www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2346716a4560,00.html ). According to this theory, a UFO crashed in … Regulars