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Mathematics becomes more sociable
1 L0 c' I0 w: Y2 ]Editorialp51 k5 M" @' M# I/ e* d1 v
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The Polymath project will give the field a new, more friendly, lease of life
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The implications of interspecies communication
9 J' M6 @% \& J, \0 y- NEditorialp5
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4 C% i. a4 n6 a" b& tIf dolphins could talk to humans, it would be an unparalleled contribution to the debate about animal rights
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3 ~/ N& Y, w8 x9 k. ^We need another green revolution
. J4 K- q/ ] ^7 qEditorialp5: d1 [- B0 E/ i7 L, ?: b8 L
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It is high time we made a new start on enabling major crops to make their own fertiliser0 I; @1 I, u* c* _, U
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Elusive Higgs slips from sight again2 N# ~1 T1 V; Y# o* T' p
News > Upfrontp6! L3 D' ]7 R( D7 H3 l, L
" O, ]3 {# H% p' U& u! ]( S: tA recent report hinted at a glimpse of the long-sought particle but a second detector has now checked its own data and found no sign of the particle
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* \8 x4 y; d! J. ]+ ~Osama bin Laden: how DNA identified his body
( q8 v+ k3 a9 z$ |0 }News > Upfrontp6/ c7 y( f* G' P$ h, j" h
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DNA evidence identified the world's most wanted man with "99.9 per cent confidence", which would require comparison with the DNA of close relatives
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% ^: |* i3 v' t' A. o' N, tStrange cosmic ray hotspots stalk southern skies
0 @6 @) c& h) PNews > Upfrontp6, v! Q+ C! w7 Z! j
1 `8 W5 `3 \. D; i6 ^% ?, `( dSomething relatively nearby seems to be hurling energetic, charged particles at Earth – but what?: g1 v2 |0 w6 C. `
) @, @" k& N2 @Milk miles show why it's hard to go locavore
6 ?) d9 p; J: ^: F0 g5 ]8 vNews > Upfrontpp6-7
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* n. p+ T1 E- z+ p ECutting the journey of a carton of fresh milk from cow to cup would end up increasing the journey of other dairy products
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/ _0 w& g. l1 R7 M {' c2 T8 h60 Seconds
+ a: H$ M, m W7 tNews > 60 Secondsp77 G2 Z1 K9 a, V" d/ R/ X
" v* ~0 k5 T eAnts that almost as large as hummingbirds, recreational drug kills kidney cells, cooperative robots and more
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* a2 c0 p u3 a4 ADeadly weather in US could become the norm4 H7 Y$ m0 M+ j( p( ]# F* U
News > Upfrontp7
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$ {: P+ x$ f3 X9 l# f/ P4 K, d* NWhether or not climate change makes severe weather worse, rising populations mean there are more people in harm's way, researchers say
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0 J2 k% E. V6 g; XPainkillers need clearer warnings to prevent liver damage; X7 w/ a. R# Q
News > Upfrontp7
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( B Z) F+ |: O" v; t8 FOver-the-counter painkillers need clear warnings to help people recognise their potential toxicity8 K( U! F2 z1 x% Y. u
7 O' h5 H( R4 p8 X d. ?4 L; Z9 mEvolutionary push could help crops self-fertilise4 {$ i, F. T9 ~ \$ T
News > This Weekpp8-9
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Agriculture would be transformed if crops could produce fertiliser as legumes do. New research suggests it might be easier than we thought
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$ |' V; \1 o" I% mHow to build the global mathematics brain
& j% h3 m! J0 m1 iNews > This Weekpp10-11
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; C9 A9 F' F$ P, JA successful wiki-style pro-am mathematical project belies the stereotype of the brilliant loner
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8 F4 M: L/ C" s6 ]- H/ @5 N FAsteroids make life's raw materials" ~8 u" R% r) U0 r8 E! O: s) V
News > This Weekp14% ~' H9 {# p( N9 L: o
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Rocks from an asteroid have been shown to power the synthesis of life's essential chemicals for the first time* Q/ f3 ?* G% G! n2 e! o/ G7 v3 x( z2 z
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Drug pacemaker relieves hassle of daily shots$ i( C+ G- I4 B7 U) p' ]) P
News > This Weekp15' p, i* k$ H" h/ g! r
2 ?$ {$ j, k5 c6 m* L" OA new implant could deliver timed doses of a drug for a year
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Second experiment hints at seasonal dark matter signal
6 j( g4 s* \# N. P! [News > This Weekp16
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For years, one lonely team has been insisting that it sees a seasonal variation in dark matter signals – now another group is reporting similar findings
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Why do we remember some dreams but not others?
$ A! y3 o8 M) L) {1 q5 x% r& m) BNews > This Weekp16) o0 C. ^& o, ?8 n" E
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We recall dreams using the same brain mechanisms that control whether we remember things when awake
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' t& V+ `# g% M9 y* O'Dwarf' black holes might help explain dark matter3 r5 C$ m# T w+ u: C- Y# Y
News > This Weekp18
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/ c6 u1 a' L& z/ Z/ }% n9 KBlack holes might come in more sizes than small, medium and large – if so, mini black holes could contribute to the universe's mysterious dark matter
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Out-of-Africa migration selected novelty-seeking genes1 B/ s! N2 V+ W: L- @% O- y9 k- ~
News > This Weekp18; _( K- H6 e2 J% R
& W) H) `! X& h/ x- zAs humans migrated around 50,000 years ago, evolution may have latched onto a gene linked to risk-taking and adventurousness- n) o" {! M% Y7 q
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Brainless box jellyfish know which way is up
6 p$ ] G; _1 s' }$ s& LNews > In Briefp20
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The poisonous jellyfish navigates its mangrove swamp home by peering out of the water at the tree canopy above
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How sickle-cell carriers fend off malaria4 u: {% t& D4 q: S5 s2 M; |
News > In Briefp20
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Teasing out the mechanism which helps people with one sickle-cell gene resist malaria suggests new treatments for the disease
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/ I% X6 T1 z( m; h* S5 Z. WMonkeys show signs of advanced memory powers8 o* r1 R3 K) g/ b7 f3 D8 @2 O
News > In Briefp20
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* F5 g2 O3 P+ s# xRhesus monkeys can do more than simply recognise familiar shapes
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% `+ B) M @" ]' D0 OThe universe's first stars were whirling dervishes, d$ A# o! p. S
News > In Briefp20
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+ W2 [, p4 J& P' L- W! UThe very first stars may have rotated several times faster than today's – the "spinstars" may have died in gamma-ray bursts that we could yet observe; O: k% Y; Q* g6 o" D
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A sideways look suggests leaning tower will topple+ K3 u! |7 r x; x
News > In Briefp219 x( F/ B5 O& t( }
1 w& g$ |$ {& t; }; x" R$ w& ~7 ]Your evaluation of whether an object is going to fall over depends on which way your head is tilted
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- o7 O- m9 I3 m7 @; |Fleeting antimatter trapped for a quarter of an hour
, ?8 L+ Y( I& f; I7 [, WNews > In Briefp21
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* p0 \- W: F; q8 AA magnetic trap has held anti-atoms for 1000 seconds, which should allow tests of whether matter and antimatter are true mirror images in a few years
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# Z+ ?* j6 M9 v" p- a% ]& ^Ghostly nebulae show mysterious alignment
5 d% ?* G% x: @0 K7 Z& nNews > In Briefp21
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; l1 K9 R# j9 DElongated nebulae in the centre of our galaxy seem to lie in the same plane as the galactic disc, hinting at a mysterious alignment of stars in the region
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Heart attacks are more dangerous in the morning
' m3 t0 [ s% t% D$ uNews > In Briefp21
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Heart attacks that occur between 6am and noon appear more dangerous than those that occur in the afternoon, possibly due to fluctuating levels of protective proteins$ _, G; }% |3 ?2 J: ]# s
2 W6 K$ z! f; X4 `Talk with a dolphin via underwater translation machine
) V3 ^- w4 B8 F# f" v6 _$ YTechnology > Newspp23-24, H# I, w% w) _; k/ u7 Z
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A computer system that divers can wear may bridge the language barrier between us and dolphins/ @+ X* K k2 J' _- B+ M' F Q2 J* M
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In-car projection for drive-by advertising
9 y5 r7 ^. A0 \9 |1 RTechnology > Newsp245 p0 i* S u" I" w2 x
" {- W8 }3 b5 q! q; yA new display technology could turn car windows into roving 3D advertisements, but will this compromise safety?0 q' m) R) I' w; ~0 v J
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Know where the wind blows to boost power grid capacity
4 b8 r% O" L) ]4 {) i" PTechnology > Newspp24-259 d4 i& r' q* U
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Cooler cables can carry more power – with a dynamic model that shows what the wind is doing, power companies could send more juice down the line
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One Per Cent- v" x! q7 y6 W! _
Technology > Newsp25
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Sony admits users' data theft, bendy caterpillar robot and free Wi-Fi for everyone?
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1 y* \ L" P. x( T. T9 Z4 }) R( r" _Toughening up vulnerable networks one link at a time1 _5 q( j0 ~ E% a3 x8 u
Technology > Newsp26
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A simple way to strengthen networks could protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attack
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Time to put weather forecasters on the spot+ d1 `4 ]6 f$ l
Comment and Analysispp28-29
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* @, ]3 e6 q5 ^7 n ~The reliability of weather forecasts is surprisingly hard to measure. The BBC's Weather Test will make amends, says Roger Harrabin
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* s* v5 B) c4 @0 q6 eUS navy chief: I'm on a mission to stop using oil. }& e9 n: k0 S" R5 z$ B
Opinion > Interviewp29
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From biofuelled fighter jets to solar power-generating blankets, Ray Mabus wants to wean the US navy off fossil fuels
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! Q7 Z: s# K& i$ }/ ^Free debate% m% J6 o$ q* |& s7 s! B& r
Lettersp309 \: U3 @1 V4 g7 q K' l$ i
2 r* A9 s7 H' r1 Y, v9 cDan Jones's article (16 April, p 32) explores whether a mechanistic, and therefore deterministic, view of what we are degrades our view of ourselves..., U# A9 U' y4 V
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Happiness paradox% N# H Q& Z0 t l! D
Letterspp30-31
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% U6 r7 H0 S* l6 K5 EThe special report on happiness (16 April, p 46) did not mention the Easterlin paradox, that the average happiness of developed nations has not generally...8 z0 w3 Z& p7 T% ?
: D1 ^$ u; \$ u# C' XBlast the waste$ y0 g/ N, \+ j$ z& o
Lettersp317 W( ?# r" {3 y
5 N# u, b6 }6 N9 Z mThe advantages of thorium nuclear power (26 March, p 8) seem mostly unproven in practice, and the technology will probably take more than a decade...
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For the record
, g0 x% A! O3 K2 w5 mLettersp31
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• A conversion error made as our feature about cockroaches (16 April, p 40) was being prepared for publication led to the radiation doses we quoted...
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Growth must slow
' ]2 p" `. W$ `3 jLettersp31 h; I; }3 M5 t* m' R
; C2 O3 P" X5 T y# R* h0 MAchim Steiner's article (16 April, p 28) about the conflict between agricultural expansion and conservation appears to assume a growing world population is inevitable...4 G/ G: Z+ s& u# u. [) A3 N
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The name game. ^+ P& P. R" Z: \. p3 Y# ^
Lettersp31
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The misleadingly easy quiz questions that John Chen came across (Feedback, 9 April) have been around for years. I recently used them as an icebreaker...
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6 i" y8 K9 E9 BWealth disorder?' ~4 x, i) Z) Y4 P
Lettersp31+ _8 S8 ~% ~- i
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I found Jessica Hamzelou's article on psychopaths very interesting (9 April, p 8). She stated that the study showed "brain areas involved in reward"...
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Enigma Number 1645
' D& Y3 W j5 C! G" v. ~Opinion > Enigmap31
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Five roboethical principles – for humans( G5 e* |* p4 d6 t1 P8 m! D) I9 c
Opinion > The Big Ideapp32-33
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, P! {; [6 F9 OScience fiction primes us to expect robots to run amok. But as they go mainstream, it's still us that need policing, argues Alan Winfield4 C" z0 p% x# K- C
! G& j8 ~: ~+ KThe limits of knowledge: Things we'll never understand7 r i$ s3 R9 m" O1 g8 {% v+ z) {9 f! f& @
Features > Cover Storypp34-39
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From the machinery of life to the fate of the cosmos, is there anything science can't explain? Yes, says Michael Brooks
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Out with a bang: The Tevatron's deathbed revelation
0 j8 F7 R" f/ i: Y7 E% C TFeatures > Featurepp40-43% J$ `. D) K. q! }( f+ r+ X3 w
2 D" g( I" M6 _) gWith just months before the iconic particle accelerator is dismantled, physicists are racing to confirm a tantalising glimpse of unexpected new particles
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Blue alert: The dark side of night light9 k# H& k+ G% {, W
Features > Featurepp44-47
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From streetlights to smartphones, our world is bathed in artificial light – and we're only just waking up to the profound effect it has on us
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Exploring animals' emotional experiences3 E; j, Q+ V- k, V
Opinion > CultureLabp480 ~! j! Z+ Y2 E/ e: _; z- B1 L
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Jonathan Balcombe's The Exultant Ark is an exploration of the nascent research into animal pleasure, replete with emotive photographs
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Cool viruses from pox to pandemics0 x8 a/ L4 W3 f) k. }& C1 K5 @& ^
Opinion > CultureLabp49
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. O; N; X$ |* l" d5 i' W* [A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer has plenty of "wow" moments. Shame about the lack of context and simplistic faith in science+ x9 c! o( X+ c5 ? {
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The birth and rise of batteries
# ^: Y1 m# u: i) r8 b POpinion > CultureLabp49# t z B6 I7 Q, ~/ l# b( [
; e+ o, L' o$ C' p, PBottled Lightning by Seth Fletcher is a compelling tale of using science to solve a global problem and illuminating for anybody interested in innovation7 D4 b# c3 j) e6 k
- Q( Q- T! F1 {& |% t, uThe modern marvel of magnetic levitation
$ w. W ~% Q( I3 DOpinion > CultureLabp49
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9 ^9 W; ]7 m$ }9 GIn Rising Force, James Livingston soars to the heady heights of maglev and floats the idea that the technology could still have commercial success
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Astrobiology: Are we alone in the universe?
' c T- l L* f( ]9 A' O2 d, c: YFeatures > Instant Expert6 x* I- u7 F: m, x7 s3 \9 i; E
It is only with the gigantic telescopes and interplanetary probes of the space age that we finally have a realistic hope of answering the question- m/ |: s3 m9 \& T
8 w# O$ c6 T: i5 HAstrobiology: Are we unique?$ e! y! Y9 z2 B1 A0 |( t0 t
Features > Instant Expert
* ?6 W! `+ i* b: s2 z. F; eFinding irrefutable signs of any life beyond Earth would surely be one of the most revolutionary discoveries for human science and society
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r$ m) R! e7 w2 CAstrobiology: Hot topics in the search for ET4 L5 Q' D8 G n. E( ]
Features > Instant Expert" R! ]) {' B6 _% D$ R! n
As more and more exoplanets are discovered by ever-better telescopes, we're refining our ideas about how to spot signs of life – and where to look for it7 c: i0 B# ~0 s6 v
8 t4 R3 P4 U# p. gAstrobiology: The hunt for alien life
* B+ g6 R" p( u7 GFeatures > Instant Expert" W4 n% t) a( c: o3 @ w
Powerful telescopes, clever astronomy and trips to some of Earth's most extreme and remote places are helping identify the most promising places to start
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; E* `# \8 y2 LFeedback: Redundant gestures get the thumbs up
9 c# p9 S3 T5 ^7 Q' d3 P- p1 }Feedbackp563 t$ I# o. h' U& D0 s
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Let your fingers do the talking – old style, wallpaper made of paper that you put on walls, a job you can put off for 224 years, and more) L9 d# x, M2 t) r1 g4 G$ l/ {2 M) \
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Happy feet" n' p2 R3 S& ]( Y
The Last Word > Last Word Answerp57
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Gerroff! L5 d0 Q; p/ Z* q9 `
The Last Word > Last Word Questionp57' v& B9 t1 X" ], Z
/ H* ]; ^ ?, D A2 N+ d% BNo Skidding
/ U1 K7 B4 G* aThe Last Word > Last Word Questionp578 j" [& C' W" U7 T
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Water marked+ V& [2 d( s( }4 [' x. t& ~
The Last Word > Last Word Questionp57! U; x: I$ G( _: O: I
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发表于 2011-5-8 21:41
