Health Target hub markets to halt new H7N9 flu wave in China Disease control measures at certain markets, not blanket closures, may be key Bird flu is back. The H7N9 strain of bird flu that emerged in China in February had stopped infecting humans, partly because summer weather stopped it spreading. It has now reappeared in Zhejiang province – near Shanghai, the epicentre of the spring outbreak … 51¶¯Âþ
Technology A stronger 'online eraser' law would be a mistake The modest protection offered by California’s internet “eraser†bill for teens isn’t a flaw; it’s a necessary feature, says a privacy researcher Opinion
Technology NSA snoops tech companies' fibre-optic networks Even though they cooperate with the US spy agency on court-ordered surveillance, firms like Google and Yahoo are subject to additional surveillance they never agreed to 51¶¯Âþ
Earth Chance of clouds: Gigantic cave has its own weather (Image: Robbie Shone) A GIGANTIC cave that has never seen the light of day is a tough photography target under clear conditions. But this one posed an extra challenge: it's so large and isolated that it has its own weather – including clouds. "Weather makes its way in, but it can't make its way out," … Regulars
Health Ancient afflictions: Mummies got heart disease too Cancer, depression, ADHD, autism – we blame them on the stresses and strains of modern life, but these diseases could have much older origins Features
Life Alfred Russel Wallace: A very rare specimen Wallace survived 12 years in the tropics collecting specimens (Image: Evstafieff/Down House, Downe, Kent, UK/English Heritage Photo Library/Bridgeman) A hundred years after his death, it is high time to put this evolutionary pioneer in his proper place – as Charles Darwin's equal, argues Stephanie Pain YESTERDAY I met someone who had never heard of Alfred … CultureLab
Enigma Number 1774 March of the ants A vertical piece of string is attached to a flat horizontal sheet of chicken wire, which forms a lattice of regular hexagons with 1-centimetre-long sides. The string is attached at one of the joints between three hexagons. Six ants marched down the string and along the wire, always moving further from … Regulars
Feedback: Runaway expansion Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Runaway expansion A FLURRY of puzzlement greeted reports last month about the observation of the oldest galaxy spotted so far. The snappily titled z8_GND_5296 formed 700 million years after the origin of the universe 13.8 billion years ago and is … Regulars