The science of inequality deserves political attention Policy-makers the world over urgently need to address the growing divide between haves and have-nots. Science has much to tell them – if only they would listen Opinion
Technology Control smartphones with a stroke of your hair Video: How stroking your hair can secretly control apps A hair stroke can now mean more than body language Is that woman absent-mindedly stroking her hair? Or is she actually recording a conman's deception and broadcasting his location? It sounds unlikely – but that's just one possible application of a system that lets you turn … 51¶¯Âþ
Earth Rich nations are laying road to ecological Armageddon New roads can be a boon to poachers In the last decade, two-thirds of the world's forest elephants – found only in the rainforests of Equatorial Africa – have been slaughtered by ivory poachers. Why the explosion in killing? Since 2000, more than 50,000 kilometres of roads have been bulldozed into this habitat, mostly by … Opinion
Life Nice legs: Native American bee poses for his close-up (Image: Clay Bolt/www.claybolt.com, www.beautifulbees.org) HE MAY look soft and furry – but don't be fooled. "Out of all the species of bees that I've photographed during this project, this little guy was the only one that actually looked up at me and bared its mandibles," says photographer Clay Bolt. Bolt has set himself the task … Regulars
Earth In the beginning: How Earth got its continents Dry land was essential for life like us to evolve – but how did Earth evolve dry land? A unique mountain landscape in northern Pakistan holds the clues Features
Earth Future ruin: Can we design our way out of eco-crisis? One Central Park in Sydney (Image: James D. Morgan/REX) Event: Designs of the Year 2015, Design Museum, London In friendly competition with Percy Bysshe Shelley, the poet Horace Smith once wrote a poem entitled Ozymandias . Shelley's version is the one we remember, but Smith's is compelling for another reason. He imagines a hunter traipsing … CultureLab
Feedback: Some numerology of astronomy Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Some numerology of astronomy WHAT might be the hidden significance of the number 187.5? We reported that a measure of the delay between the arrival of low- and high-frequency components of mysterious bursts of radio waves comes in exact multiples … Regulars