- Satellite galaxies cling onto their haloes
A simulation of the way outsider galaxies like the Milky Way are drawn into larger clusters explains how they can cling onto their star-forming ability
 - West putting climate treaty in jeopardy, China warns
Rich countries are failing to deliver on promises and threaten "son of Kyoto" global warming pact with failure, top climate envoy says
 - AIDS and cervical cancer discoveries scoop Nobel prize
Two virologists who discovered HIV, and a third who showed that a virus causes cervical cancer, share this year's Nobel prize for medicine
 - Invention: Aviation special
looks at the latest patents that could take the world of aviation and space exploration to new heights
 - World's mammals are in crisis, Red List reveals
A massive assessment of the planet's mammals finds one in three marine species, and one in four on land, are being pushed towards extinction
 - Why nature can't be reduced to mathematical laws
A team of physicists claim to have a mathematical proof that some things will always be impossible to describe computationally (full text available to subscribers)
 - Crick was right about 'vision filter' in the brain
In 1984, Francis Crick suggested that a simple brain structure may help remove unwanted visual information – now research backs up the theory
 - Mini microscope captures live brain-cell action
A portable microscope mounted on a mouse's head makes it possible to observe cells inside its brain while it goes about its usual business
 - Maths helps bees read the waggle dance
Honeybees seem to use complex calculations to figure out which direction to look for nectar
 - Multi-drug 'polypill' finally to tackle heart problems
A long-mooted single, cheap tablet combining a slew of drugs that protect against heart disease and stroke is at last to be tested
 - Everglades restoration bogged down by poor planning
A mammoth project to restore the Florida Everglades is still too bureaucratic and slow to halt species loss, says the panel charged with reviewing the plan
 - Web content contributors seek attention not altruism
People who contribute content to sites like YouTube and Wikipedia may be in it for personal glory, not the common good
 - What happened to the Kuiper Belt's smallest objects?
A search to find small objects beyond Neptune has turned up nothing, bolstering theories that 'all hell broke loose' in the early solar system
 - Economic turmoil could scupper EU climate plans
The European Union was planning to impose limits on CO emissions from cars, but car makers argue that the financial crisis will make the targets impossible to achieve
 - Antarctic bases offer lessons for space
The isolation and confinement of polar research bases during the long, dark months of winter offer lessons for long-term spaceflight
 - Could brain scans ever be safe evidence?
fMRI is a widely-accepted, useful research tool, but whether it can really predict who is telling the truth is another matter entirely (full text available to subscribers)
 - Nerds rejoice: Braininess boosts likelihood of sex
Women looking for both short- and long-term relationships go for geniuses over dunces, according to a new study
 - High-tech sponge could take hydrogen cars further
The battle to squeeze the most gas safely into hydrogen vehicles continues, but will "nanosponges" or ants' poison win out?
 - Future cars could sport carbon-sponge gas tanks
The battle to squeeze the most gas safely into hydrogen vehicles continues, but will "nanosponges" or ants' poison win out?
 - Laser cracks 'unbreakable' quantum communications
Sending a bright pulse of light lets an eavesdropper hijack quantum equipment so they can intercept secrets without detection
 - Transplanted frozen liver raises hopes of organ 'bank'
A pig liver that was frozen, thawed and transplanted into a second pig, has shown signs of normal function
 - 'Coca-Cola douches' scoop Ig Nobel prize
Studies on whether sodas have spermicidal properties and on how much lap dancers take home in tips won the spoof awards
 - Dark matter makes galaxy's stars live long and prosper
Stars at the centre of the Milky Way could gobble up enough dark matter to extend their lifetimes by a billion or more years, a new study suggests
 - Giant tuna kindergarten identified in Atlantic
Bluefin tuna born on opposite sides of the Atlantic spend their juvenile years together, before returning home to breed
 - Tax credits promise brighter outlook for solar energy
If the US extends tax relief for commercial and residential solar power, installations could reach triple the levels expected without credits
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13/08/2008Strategy/Policy
14/07/2008Best Practice