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Editor's picks

Life

Your clever body: Thinking from head to toe

Technology

They said it couldn’t be done: 7 impossible inventions

Physics

Original spin: Was the universe born whirling?

Physics

Spaghetti functions: The mathematics of pasta shapes

Table of contents

News

Earth

Mowed grass triggers tar sand lawsuit

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit claiming that construction work on a bitumen pipeline has begun illegally – but nothing has been built

Hypersonic X-37 spaceplanes ‘could carry astronauts’

Earth

New geological epoch made by humans

Earth

Gorilla poachers kill forest ranger in Cameroon

Health

Prostate screening does more harm than good in US

NASA’s lawsuit against moonwalker to go forward

60 Seconds

Earth

Three-way race to reach lost Antarctic lakes

Physics

Glow around black holes could light up dark energy

Health

Baby repair kit found inside the womb

Earth

When will the 7 billionth human be born?

Physics

DNA webs could be replicators for all things tiny

Health

Black Death’s origin is identified at last

Life

Zoologger: The first reptile with a true placenta

Space

Chile’s high oasis of huge telescopes

Earth

Strange case of the vanishing Arctic lakes

Health

Stars in your eyes to help blind people see

Physics

Force-fed black holes grew to master early universe

Health

People with autism unaffected by social reputation

Health

Pill helps women pick faithful mates, not sexy ones

Humans

Language 50,000 BC: Our ancestors like Yoda spoke

Life

World’s largest virus proves giants came from cells

Environment

Why size matters in the plant world too

Health

Diabetic rats cured with their own stem cells

Environment

Venus has an ozone layer, too

Life

Iris scanner could tell your race and gender

Space

Laser ‘tractor beams’ could reel in lost astronauts

Technology

MUSE to sift the emails of yesteryear

Earth

Smart sensors stop flickering wind turbines

Life

Keeping a lid on your digital DNA

Technology

Robot builds its own body from sprayable foam

Physics

Physics Nobel winner: We discovered a cosmic mystery

Opinion

Health

In praise of stem-cell simplicity

We should keep all avenues of stem-cell research open but be grateful when simpler alternatives emerge

The magical legacy of Steve 91av

Physics

Science needs smart brands too

The real Greek tragedy may be the climate

Health

Regenerating a stem-cell ethics debate

Steven Pinker: Humans are less violent than ever

Aperture

Bird’s-eye view of solar plant that works at night

Gemasolar in Spain is the first commercial-scale solar power plant to use an innovative "battery" that stores energy as molten salts

Features

Life

Your clever body: Thinking from head to toe

There's more to your mind than your brain – your body plays a part in everything from social savvy to mathematical ability

Technology

They said it couldn’t be done: 7 impossible inventions

Physics

Original spin: Was the universe born whirling?

Physics

Spaghetti functions: The mathematics of pasta shapes

Culture

The artist and the proton smasher

Will the artists who are moving into CERN be a distraction or an inspiration?

A DIY guide to marvelling at the sky

Revived echoes augment research results

Was Sybil a psychiatrist’s creation?

More

Enigma Number 1668

Life on research’s cutting edge

Regulars

Feedback: The salmonella sniff myth

We boldly venture beyond the sell-by date, meet some sophisticated crabs, supplements that alter the very fabric of space-time, and more

This Week’s Letters

The big chill

Plane thinking

Iron plants

Browse past issues

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24 September 2011

17 September 2011

10 September 2011

3 September 2011