Technology Nano-scaffolds could help rebuild sight ANIMALS blinded following damage to their optic nerve have had their vision partially restored with the help of an implanted nanoscale scaffold that has encouraged nerve tissue to regrow. The technique, likened by its inventors to the way a garden trellis encourages the growth of ivy, holds out the hope that people with diseased or … 51¶¯Âþ
Science could prevent misplaced convictions THANKS to TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , forensics is perceived as a glamorous science. In reality, of course, it is anything but, and in some areas it isn't particularly scientific either. Fingerprints, tool marks and similar evidence can be invaluable in bringing a criminal to justice. The problem is that expert witnesses … Opinion
Earth Climate: The great hockey stick debate IT IS a persuasive image. Dubbed "the hockey stick" soon after it was first drawn, the graph shows the average temperature over the past 1000 years. For the first 900 or so years there is little variation, like the shaft of an ice-hockey stick. Then, in the 20th century, comes a sharp rise like a … Features
The Oracle by William Broad THIS book focuses on Delphi, the sanctuary of Apollo in ancient Greece, whose oracle – priestess Pythia – sat over a chasm in the earth, breathing in its fumes and answering questions. Archaeologists began investigating the site more than 100 years ago. They found the place where the oracle sat – but no chasm. Broad's … Books & Arts
Feedback Accidental stereo IT IS now 20 years or so since Californian record collectors Brad Kay and Steven Lasker came up with the intriguing theory that some old mono recordings were accidentally made in stereo, long before LP stereo was launched in 1958. In the 1920s and 1930s there was no tape, so studios cut recordings … Regulars