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This week's magazine

19 November 2011

Issue 2839

New Scientist issue 2839 cover
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Editor's picks

Nothingness: Zero, the number they tried to ban

Physics

Nothingness: Zero, the number they tried to ban

Features
Nothingness: Mathematics starts with an empty set

Physics

Nothingness: Mathematics starts with an empty set

Features
Nothingness: Computers are powered by holes

Physics

Nothingness: Computers are powered by holes

Features
Nothingness: The turbulent life of empty space

Space

Nothingness: The turbulent life of empty space

Features
Nothingness: The noble gases get to work

Physics

Nothingness: The noble gases get to work

Features

Table of contents

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Mars 500 crew share thoughts on their mission

Space

Mars 500 crew share thoughts on their mission

The crew back on terra firma An all-male international crew of six has emerged from 520 days of confinement on a mock mission to Mars. They have hugged their families and been greeted by Moscow's first snow of winter. Here, Alexey Sitev and his crew tell 51¶¯Âþ about life inside, how the experience has …

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Health

EEG finds consciousness in people in vegetative state

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Space

Universe's first stars not so big after all

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Life

Gene tweak creates supermouse – and prevents diabetes

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Health

Breast-milk stem cells may bypass ethical dilemmas

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El Naschie questions journalist in Nature libel trial

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Earth

Humans killing at least 750 Bornean orang-utans a year

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Health

Test all kids for cholesterol, says US government

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Health

Geron halts pioneering stem cell research

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Successful Soyuz launch saves ISS operations

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Earth

New power plants and factories lock us into hot future

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Earth

Canada's tar sands pipeline faces further delay

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60 Seconds

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Space

Atoms find quantum solace in the deep chill of space

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Earth

Hyperwarming climate could turn Earth's poles green

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Physics

Light pulled out of empty space

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Health

Spot cancer before it starts with nanoscale microscopy

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Cannibal shrimp kill all but their mating partner

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Single gene can make you appear kinder

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Technology

Electron tweezers reveal their pluck

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Life

Rats became the ultimate human pest four times over

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Health

Why dyed hair is dull and lifeless

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Technology

Liquid could power and cool mobile supercomputers

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Technology

Yacht's attempt to smash sailing's 'sound barrier'

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Technology

Supreme Court case exposes confusion over GPS tracking

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Earth

Oil and gas wells find new life with geothermal

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Life

Strange domes on Europa formed on thin ice

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Opinion

The dope on mental enhancement

Health

The dope on mental enhancement

Yet another survey has revealed surprisingly large numbers of people using drugs to boost their mental powers. What should be done?

Opinion

Nobel psychologist reveals the error of our ways

Opinion

Physics

Nothingness: Why nothing matters

Opinion

Analysis

Just how much meat can eco-citizens eat?

Earth

Just how much meat can eco-citizens eat?

Many of us love meat – but eating less could help save the planet Meat is bad: bad for you, bad for the environment. At least, that's the usual argument. Each year, the doors to the UN climate negotiations, which kick off again in Durban, South Africa, on 28 November, are assailed by demonstrators brandishing …

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Aperture

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

View a colossal telescopic eye into the cosmic past

See more: To see the image this article refers to, keep checking Picture of the Day on our news blog Short Sharp Science AS SOON as the sun sets over the Atacama desert in Chile the world's most advanced visible-light observatory begins to catch rays that have taken billions of years to travel across the …

Regulars

Features

Nothingness: Zero, the number they tried to ban

Physics

Nothingness: Zero, the number they tried to ban

Every schoolchild knows the concept of zero – so why did it take so long to catch on? Richard Webb follows its convoluted path from heresy to common sense

Features

Physics

Nothingness: Mathematics starts with an empty set

Features

Physics

Nothingness: Computers are powered by holes

Features

Space

Nothingness: The turbulent life of empty space

Features

Physics

Nothingness: The noble gases get to work

Features

Culturelab

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Tim Minchin uses comedy to open a door to rationalism

With his heavy eyeliner and quirky act, comedian and musician Tim Minchin considers himself a "gateway drug" to science, philosophy and rationalism Your comedy is often about scepticism and rationalism – why? Any understanding of science I have is reverse-engineered from my suspicion about belief systems: I don't think this medicine works, and how can …

CultureLab

How to grow old with whimsy and wit

CultureLab

Our deluded minds are just trying to make us happy

CultureLab

More

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Enigma Number 1673

Just one By placing the digits 1 to 9 in the boxes of a 3×3 grid, you create three three-figure numbers across the rows and three down the columns. Choose the positions of the digits so that, of those six three-figure numbers, just one is divisible by 2, just one is divisible by 3, just …

Regulars

Regulars

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Feedback: Plight of the imprisoned executives

Plight of the imprisoned executives CAREER transitions can be difficult, especially when they are involuntary. After reading about recent well-deserved status changes for some former high-level executives, Feedback can see the need for Executive Prison Consultants (EPC). “An error message flashed up on Abbi Connor's Lenovo laptop saying: "The Network Connect session will time out …

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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