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This week's magazine

15 September 2012

Issue 2882

New Scientist issue 2882 cover
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Editor's picks

'Super-recognisers' have amazing memory for faces

Life

'Super-recognisers' have amazing memory for faces

Features
Heaven scent: The grey gold from a sperm whale's gut

Earth

Heaven scent: The grey gold from a sperm whale's gut

Features
Reality checker: How to cut nonsense from the net

Technology

Reality checker: How to cut nonsense from the net

Features
A brief history of the human genome

Life

A brief history of the human genome

Features

Table of contents

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Could we geoengineer the climate with CO<SUB>2</SUB>?

Earth

Could we geoengineer the climate with CO2?

Cool idea Schemes for artificially cooling the planet can often seem wild and woolly. The latest such geoengineering scheme is no different: it involves frozen carbon dioxide, Antarctica and a whole lot of freezers. While the proposal is not as daft as it sounds, the numbers may not stack up. Ernest Agee and colleagues of …

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Space

Astrophile: Lucky strike turns a dark cloud into a star

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Health

Muscles that do nothing can keep you warm and thin

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Health

Mother's milk no match for virus that triggers asthma

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Life

Metallic blue fruit shines brightest of all

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Life

Brain scans show how crows distinguish friend from foe

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Physics

Fiendish 'ABC proof' heralds new mathematical universe

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Physics

Higgs boson gets peer-review seal of approval

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Life

Arctic foxes took ice bridge to reach Iceland

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Earth

GM corn loses its edge against pests

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Health

Paying for healthcare benefits only the rich

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Dawn departs Vesta to become first asteroid hopper

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Earth

Shale gas won't make Europe energy-independent

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60 Seconds

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Health

Swine flu evolves under the radar

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Earth

Lush Antarctic past suggests more monsoons in future

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Space

Heavy photons are too light to be behind dark matter

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Life

Inferior lizard tails weaken hopes of regrowing limbs

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Technology

Moving plane exchanges quantum keys with Earth

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Health

Subconscious cues might help you heal faster

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Technology

Water-repellent balls make liquid boil with no bubbles

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Life

Detecting a subway bioterror attack

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Technology

Talking cars help each other see around blind corners

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Life

Dinosaur-inspired upgrades add bite to wind turbines

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Technology

Sea cameras scan the waves for smugglers

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Technology

Wired is the new wireless: Spreading the web in China

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Technology

Smart PC desktop knows when to leave you alone

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Technology

How Facebook could help swing the US election

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Health

Attack on dengue intensifies with two new weapons

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Opinion

Let's use evolution to turn us green

Earth

Let's use evolution to turn us green

We say we want to save the planet, but don't change our lifestyles to do so. Is evolution an overlooked option?

Opinion

Technology

Truth v lies, tech tools fight the nonsense

Opinion

Technology

The impossibility of total vigilance against terrorism

Opinion

Health

Is medical science built on shaky foundations?

Opinion

Life

Meet the world's first transhumanist politician

Opinion

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.

Don't mess with the world's largest jellyfish

See more: To see the image this article refers to, keep checking Picture of the Day on our news blog Short Sharp Science

Regulars

Features

'Super-recognisers' have amazing memory for faces

Life

'Super-recognisers' have amazing memory for faces

People with an intriguing talent are proving themselves useful as a crime-fighting force. Could anyone learn their superpowers?

Features

Earth

Heaven scent: The grey gold from a sperm whale's gut

Features

Technology

Reality checker: How to cut nonsense from the net

Features

Life

A brief history of the human genome

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.

Geological clues from Noah's flood?

See more: An illustrated version of this article will be published within the next two weeks on our CultureLab books and arts blog

CultureLab

Coping with the noisy neighbours

CultureLab

Eyes on the sky: get lost in the wonders of the air

CultureLab

Are you really making your own decisions?

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 1715

Open the box I started with a rectangular piece of card a whole number of centimetres long by a whole number of centimetres wide, one of those numbers being a prime. Then I cut out an identical small square from each corner of the card and discarded the four squares. I folded up the four …

Regulars

Regulars

Feedback: Electrons are so good for your feet

Feedback: Electrons are so good for your feet

Electrons are so good for your feet AUSTIN THOMPSON is worried that his shoes are preventing him from absorbing electrons. The worry stems from reading about Pluggz "Get Grounded" Flip Flops at bit.ly/groundedshoes . "People say they feel better when walking barefoot on grass or sand or earth," the promo says. "According to modern science …

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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