Technology Painless way to gauge deep muscle stiffness FEELING stiff? Suffering from aches and pains? If muscle stiffness is the underlying cause, then a technique now undergoing trials could pinpoint the problem precisely. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a new, painless way of measuring the stiffness of the deepest muscle fibres by taking snapshots of the problem area with a magnetic resonance imaging … 51¶¯Âþ
Humans Westminster diary "THERE is no excuse for the ongoing use of contaminated cell lines." This was the message of a recent editorial in 51¶¯Âþ, accompanying a news item that reported how impostor cells continue to wreck research into vaccines, cancer and much more (20 September, p 5 and p 8) . I showed the comment and … Opinion
The big blue THIS may come as a shock. There are planets out there that are like nothing we have seen before. We know about rocky worlds like our own. We know about planets that are huge balls of gas. But now there is a new kid on the planetary block. "We call them 'ocean planets' – giant … Features
Reassuring radical Plan B by Lester Brown, W. W. Norton, $15.95, ISBN 0393325237 Reviewed by Fred Pearce YOU could call this latest epistle from Lester Brown, the grand-daddy of environmental advocacy, a smart piece of recycling. His big themes are certainly familiar. But the founder of the Worldwatch Institute, a green Washington think tank, and current custodian … Books & Arts
Feedback THE leaves are falling from the trees in London's parks, the nights are growing longer and colder, and the shops are filling with tinsel and tat. It can only mean the time has come for the Feedback annual competition. This year's competition is a simple one. You are invited to invent a new scientific word … Regulars