May the source be with you: So you think you've got it all made with your PC's Windows operating system? Well, think again (registration required) ... [more] What's the purpose of life? Nanotechnology might provide the answer ... [more] Cancer in a bottle?: Many of the same poisons that pollute our environment can be found in the jars and bottles that line our bathroom shelves ... [more] Uncommon morality: Can bioethics bring us all together? Not unless bioethicists can come to some agreement on ethical principles and actual norms ... [more] Why is the US trying to keep reports on non-lethal weapons research secret? Proposals for bugs that eat roads and buildings are among 77 reports that have now been pulled from public access ... [more] An inquiry into reports claiming to prove links between the drug ecstasy and brain damage says the research is fundamentally flawed and has misled politicians and the public ... [more] Can a Darwinian Be a Christian? Certainly, argues Michael Ruse, because virtually every tenet of conservative Christianity is immanent within Darwinism, and an inevitable result of the evolutionary process. Hmmm ... [more] To enhance or not to enhance, that is the question. Whether 'tis ethical in the mind to genetically engineer one's offspring ... [more] The basic building blocks of nature may not be atoms, quarks and strings but quantum bits -- ultra small packets of pure information ... [more] Two things are certain about pills that treat depression: Antidepressants work. And so do sugar pills ... [more] Ignore the doubters, says Johnjoe McFadden. GM crops can help to feed the world ... [more] Is it morally acceptable for a "disabled" couple to try to have a "disabled" child? Is it ethical to risk multiple births -- and multiple handicaps -- through some fertility treatments? What difficulties can parents reasonably bequeath to their child-to-be? ... [more] The services provided by natural ecosystems are seldom included in economic analyses. But can capitalism save ecosystems? ... [more] And is selfishness the best policy? ... [more] A legacy of swans: On the centenary of controversial philosopher Karl Popper, the question stands: was he really rightwing, or just misunderstood? ... [more] "The eye to this day gives me a cold shudder," wrote Charles Darwin. But a cold shudder was not reason enough to abandon a scientific theory ... [more] The ant man: Biologist and environmentalist E O Wilson has a lifelong consuming passion: ants. In them, he sees a glimmer of hope for the future of our planet ... [more] It would be the height of "speciesism" to suggest that nature's profound creations must justify their presence to humans, says nature writer Robert Winkler. Wildlife is important for a simple reason: it exists ... [more] "How beauteous mankind is!" said Miranda in The Tempest. But can natural evolution or our own genetic engineering improve on the present model, asks Colin Tudge ... [more] The great apes share most of humans' DNA & many of our cognitive and social characteristics. Does that mean they should be entitled to be represented in court like the rest of us? ... [more] Does the existence of a criminal brain diminish the notion of personal responsibility? And if behaviour is determined by biology, where does that leave morality? ... [more] The proliferation of species during the Cambrian explosion was mostly due to sex and violence, says Canadian palaeontologist Nicholas Butterfield ... [more] What if the Big Bang wasn't the beginning of time, and the Big Crunch won't be its end? Is it possible that we live in a recycled universe? ... [more] The 300-million-gallon warning: Abandoned coal-slurry ponds in the US are environmental disasters waiting to happen ... [more] I am the human genome, says Craig Venter, the controversial geneticist who led private industry's human genome decoding effort ... [more] Women are just as well equipped as men to claw their way to the top. It may just take them a little longer to make the first move ... [more] Francis Fukuyama is the intellectual as celeb, ready to pronounce on all the questions of the day including, soon, our "posthuman future" ... [more] By the time we have proof that the use of antibiotic growth promoters in animals is a threat to human health, it will be too late to do anything about it, say US epidemiologists ... [more] Envirocars are cute, smart and full of good, clean fun. But do consumers really think about the environment when they're purchasing a vehicle? ... [more] Thumbs up for the bright, white folks: Eugenics still has a loyal, respectable -- and prominent -- following in the US ... [more] Evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould is set to publish his "magnum opus", in which he lambasts creationists for deliberately distorting his theories to undermine the teaching of Darwinism in schools ... [more] Conservation strategies will fail unless they start by addressing human issues such as poverty and malnutrition, warns a leading British environmental scientist ... [more] I have no need of superstitions (touch wood), says Philip Hensher ... But the next day my bike got a puncture, the dog wet a carpet and I lost my wallet in the supermarket ... [more] Was 11 September actually the work of the CIA? Why is no plane visible on photos taken seconds before the Pentagon was hit? And why are conspiracy theories back in vogue? ... [more] Consider her ways ... Shetland sheep and red colobus monkeys can teach us a great deal about staying healthy, says animal behaviourist Cindy Engel ... [more] One of the problems in defending modern science and technology against its critics is that the nasty things that don't happen to us just aren't as interesting as the scary things that might ... [more] Can pain treatment survive the US's addiction to law? The victim overdosed on tranquilizers, alcohol, and OxyContin. Does that mean he was murdered by his physician? ... [more] When the latest US federal anti-drug ads run alongside spots for Zoloft and caffeine during family movies, it's no wonder that children are confused about drugs, says Lynn Paltrow ... [more] Want free software? Be prepared to download a few unwelcome surprises at the same time ... [more] Wanted: black astronauts. NASA is encouraging African American students to study space-related sciences. But one of the biggest hurdles may be resistance from within the black community ... [more] US legislators may not be able to find "a compelling justification for allowing human cloning," -- but can they offer a compelling justification for closing off this tremendously promising avenue of research? ... [more] From ancient portents of war to modern tales of alien invaders, Mars has always been a provocateur. The Red Planet is still stirring up controversy, as the Martian meteorite debate rages on ... [more] A kidney transplant gave Eric Trump new life. But like millions of Americans without adequate health insurance, he now can't afford the drugs he needs to stay alive ... [more] A boom in illicit transplants is forcing the medical community to confront an age-old taboo: should there be a legalised trade in body parts? ... [more] A tale of two mayors: the improbable story of how Bogota, Colombia -- one of Latin America's most infamous cities -- became a model of progressive urban development ... [more] The refusal of joy is the unhealthiest habit, says Philip Lefebvre. We do ourselves more damage by obsessing about food than by eating for the pure pleasure of it ... [more] GM trees are the Next Big Thing in transgenics. But the question arises, as always: what's the downside of these new, improved forests? ... [more] Parthenogenesis makes much more sense than the endless hunt for an appealing mate. Extensive studies of reproduction lead inevitably to the conclusion that we don't really know why sex exists ... [more] It's time to face the sad truth about child molesters: the best treatments available are not effective enough to keep them from re-offending ... [more] I've got your chip under my skin ... We're all barcodes now ... [more] Anishinaabe U: By mixing mainstream curriculum with Native wisdom, American Indian colleges are redefining the Western idea of learning, and producing students who walk confidently in both of their cultures ... [more] Psychological research is largely well-funded and well-managed, and produces reams of fascinating data, says Rand Wilcox. But it has one big, glaring weak point: data analysis ... [more] Growing long-vanished civilizations and modern-day genocides on computers will probably never enable us to foresee the future -- but we might learn to anticipate the kinds of events that lie ahead ... [more] Your cell phone is watching you. A recent US law requires that all new cell phones be equipped with GPS tracking devices ... [more] Disrupting life's messages: New research into the effects of chemicals is rewriting the rules of toxicology and necessitating new approaches to regulation ... [more] If creationism is on the rise in the UK, blame the academic left as much as the religious right, says Patrick West ... [more] Bhopal refuses to flip the page -- after more than 17 years, thousands of Indians still suffer from the lethal gases that leaked from a US chemical plant ... [more] One of the hottest arguments in medicine these days is what to do about nothing: the use of placebos is an ethical minefield for researchers ... [more] Our temperaments are like flower bulbs, says Dr Paul Costa. We blossom with good care and wither from neglect, but nothing can change a tulip into a rose ... [more] The biological invaders are coming! Hardy, prolific, and adaptable exotic species are poised to take over the world ... [more] Mind-altering drugs may be so popular because they were once used by our ancestors to survive, two leading anthropologists argue ... [more] With more than 500 environmental agreements and agencies now operating around the globe, environmental regulation is in chaos. What is needed may be a global governing body ... [more] What is the most seductive equation in science? Beauty equals truth (registration required) ... [more] A report by the UK Environment Agency has raised fears that chemicals which are being blamed for changing the sex of male fish could also have an effect on human fertility ... [more] Do languages help mould the way we think? A controversial idea from the 1930s is getting a second look ... [more] Can we afford the cure? Hopes are high that a new generation of drugs could combat cancer. But their cost could be prohibitive ... [more] Hooray for designer babies! What horrors do genetically selected babies face? Let's start with longer, healthier, and perhaps even happier lives ... [more] Prozac and related antidepressants could pose a cancer threat by blocking the body's innate ability to kill tumor cells, British scientists say. But findings from test-tube studies don't necessarily apply in real life ... [more] Virus vanquisher DA Henderson led the global campaign to eradicate smallpox; now he’s working against its return ... [more] Castles in the sea: Is Graham Hancock bonkers? His theories on the origins of civilisation have been dismissed by archaeologists as rubbish. But he insists that a discovery off the coast of India could prove him right ... [more] Internet gamblers may be more likely to have a serious gambling problem than other gamblers, researchers say ... [more] Plastic surgery is often portrayed as a psychological crutch for the vain and insecure. But considering the practical advantages of being considered attractive, perhaps it's a rational choice after all ... [more] Is soy the key to a long life? Probably not, but many people are looking for simple answers to complex questions, and the purveyors of quick health fixes are happy to supply them ... [more] Stalking the American lobster: A new breed of ecologist is heeding the lore and lessons of the lobsterman ... [more] As the whorl turns: Will fingerprints, one of the gold standards of criminal evidence, turn to lead? ... [more] If people on St John's wort were depressed before, imagine how they'll feel when they realize it interferes with contraceptive pills. And that's just one of many supplementary interactions to watch out for ... [more] We were scared to death long before 11 September, says Frank Furedi. Public panics about everything from mobile phones to global warming have less to do with science and empirical evidence than with cultural assumptions about human vulnerability ... [more] Since its formulation, observers have accused the Kyoto protocol of being a paper tiger. Whether that tiger becomes extinct will depend on the flexibility and strength of the European Union ... [more] From televised gastro-porn to genetic modification, the US is in the throes of a giant food fight. Is it really so strange that food studies has entered academia? ... [more] Cannabis is less risky than either tobacco or alcohol, according to an official report by the UK government's drug advisory council -- which also backs a proposal to decriminalise the drug ... [more] When US researchers zapped a chamber of organic solvent with high-speed neutrons, they hoped it would trigger a fusion reaction. Whether they succeeded is debatable, but they certainly ignited a furor in the scientific community ... [more] ... [more] Human cloning may be a long way off, but bioengineered kids are already here ... [more] Alas, poor evolutionary psychology: The discipline has been unfairly accused and unjustly condemned, says Robert Kurzban ... [more] If you speak English, you have a linguistic leg up on becoming an interstellar traveler. But it's not all plain sailing ... [more] Is grumpiness an illness, which has to be removed by drugs or hormones or whatever? And why do we seem to assume that unless we are all cheerful most of the time, there must be something wrong with us? ... [more] Sustaining agriculture: Organic farming is going mainstream and conventional farming is getting friendlier. But the Garden of Eden will have to wait, as turf wars and foreign competition threaten farms of all sizes and sensibilities ... [more] Composting Grandma: Since traditional methods of human disposal are inhumane, toxic and gross, why not just wrap Grandpa Ed or old Aunt Em in organic cotton sheets and plant them in the garden? ... [more] In praise of the Pill: The oral contraceptive pill has done great things for women. So Jennie Bristow asks: why the endless supply of complaints? ... [more] Aspirations in science and civics: From the carbon-nanotube lab to the corridors of Washington power, Mildred S Dresselhaus has followed a career that combines scientific research with public service ... [more] It seems that mental bonds are harder to crack than physical ones. A close look at the seemingly intractable nature of slavery in Gabon in West Africa provides a case study for the global phenomenon of human bondage ... [more] Stephen Jay Gould -- palaeontologist and popular science author -- talks about evolution, the overratedness of dinosaurs, and baseball ... [more] Mad, bad and dangerous: Whether it's the MMR vaccine or GM foods, people distrust what scientists tell them. And they are perfectly right to do so, writes Colin Tudge ... [more] Making cancer sexy: Time magazine's cover story features a naked, airbrushed, very thin woman with blond hair, covering her breasts and staring blankly into space. Apparently, she's there to tell you about The New Thinking on Breast Cancer ... [more] The gloves are coming off in an academic bust-up over ancient fossil bacteria (or perhaps they're just strange rocks) ... [more] Animal hoarders think they're helping their furry friends, but mostly they're just feeding their own twisted psyches ... [more] The Skeptical Environmentalist has received rave reviews in the popular press, and raised a blizzard of controversy. But the Union of Concerned Scientists asks: why was the publication not peer-reviewed? And are statistician Bjorn Lomborg's statistics up to scratch? ... [more] Palm readers, clairvoyants and their fellow mystics seem to miraculously discover details of their clients' lives, relationships and even thoughts. But to the sceptical observer, it's all psychic sophistry ... [more] Locking horns: Rival zoologists are sparring over some twisted horns from an Asian cow-like creature. Are the specimens the reality behind a Cambodian myth, or clever fakes by local artisans? ... [more] Designer babies and other fairy tales: When states ban contraception or second children or fertility treatment, the female body, once a private matter, becomes a public issue ... [more] History books may need to be rewritten in the light of new evidence that Chinese explorers had discovered most parts of the world by the mid-15th century -- beating Columbus to America by 72 years ... [more] Fruits we'll never taste: Preserving diversity -- in the natural world and human culture -- lets us delight in an abundant world ... [more] The SETI Institute is trying to encode the concept of altruism to transmit to alien species. But if evolutionary psychologists are right about the origins of altruism, we may come across as tribalistic barbarians ... [more] Bjorn Lomborg is a heretic, according to the environmental movement. His heresy? He is publicly and vocally optimistic about the state of the Earth and the outlook for our planet's future ... [more] Anthropologist Helen Fisher argues that romance, marriage and divorce follow predictable patterns as old as the species. The evidence is as near as your local bar ... [more] Why did our species evolve such a terrible capacity for violence? Is a propensity for violence against our own kind genetic? And how can a political or religious ideal come to seem more valuable than human lives? Anthropologist Pat Shipman searches for answers ... [more] Facing your genetic destiny: The use of predictive genetic tests is still limited to a handful of relatively rare and highly hereditary diseases, but that's about to change ... [more] To many non-scientists, spending billions of dollars on studying the structure of the atom or the status of the distant universe seems to be a waste of good money. But investment in science does pay off in the end ... [more] Are they becoming us or are we becoming them? Rodney Brooks, one of the world's leading roboticists, discusses the machines in our future -- their ability to think, feel, reproduce and achieve personhood ... [more] Reconstructive surgeon Iain Hutchison has an unusual method of helping his patients cope with months of gruelling facial surgery -- he calls in portrait artist Mark Gilbert ... [more] Genome liberation: The information that details who we are is too important to be privately owned ... [more] Divining Comedy: Can researchers dissect humour without killing the patience? ... [more] First kisses: Wanna know how kissing got started? Are you sure? According to anthropologists, it's not that pretty ... [more] Star trek criteria: Potential interstellar travellers will need to be "motivated, tolerant and nice" ... [more] Remember when scientists were gods? The white coats are looking grubbier now, after far too many scandals ... [more] Research by UK economists has provided surprising insight into just how much people hate a winner ... [more] Laws being introduced by the UK Government would give it the power to suppress academic research -- and even to prohibit email collaboration with foreign colleagues ... [more] Here's a new strategy for parents who don't want their children to smoke or drink: don't let them watch R-rated movies ... [more] Since the 1950s, US farmers have been fattening cattle with growth hormones, and making up for unsanitary conditions with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. George W Bush says that this helps national security. Go figure ... [more] Chewing over GM food: Nothing can ever be 100 percent safe. So why do we demand a risk-free life, asks Vivian Moses ... [more] High-tech identification devices could produce reams of data on law-abiding citizens -- but may be useless in fighting terrorists ... [more] Post-combat syndromes are not unique to the Gulf war, but have arisen after all major wars over the past century ... [more] A new report calls into question research published last year by the prestigious journal Nature, which claimed that local "creole" corn in remote areas of Oaxaca, Mexico had been contaminated by DNA from genetically-altered varieties ... [more] Starting next year, Hong Kong plans to introduce a digital ID card complete with a digital replica of the cardholder's thumbprint (registration required) ... [more] If you're planning to live as long as possible, you may want to cut back on sleep. On the other hand, sleep deprivation leaves you grouchy, irrational and accident prone. It's a tough call ... [more] Irradiated food fight: When consumers are asked whether they would buy food that's been treated with radiation to rid it of potentially deadly bacteria, most still prefer to take their chances on conventional foods ... [more] Persistent mistrust of doctors and hospitals and religious misconceptions may explain why more people do not become blood and organ donors, according to a US study ... [more] The human face of "designer babies": A British newborn is doubly precious to her parents: for herself and for the blood from her umbilical cord, which could save her brother's life ... [more] Thinking too much about eating healthy can make you very sick indeed ... [more] The Botox paradox: There's nothing wrong with self-improvement, says Maureen Dowd, except when it literally becomes self-effacement (registration required) ... [more] Nature has been a hidden casualty of war for thousands of years. But the past century of bloody conflicts has been particularly hard on the environment ... [more] Evidence of the Pentagon's interest in manipulating mother nature abounds. How come the public knows nothing about it? ... [more] In praise of the unnatural: We can only romanticise nature because we no longer live at its mercy, argues Patrick West ... [more] Military spinoffs have transformed civilian life. The momentum right now may be running in the other direction ... [more] Carver Mead -- physicist, inventor, and geek god -- revolutionized PCs with his chip designs. Now he thinks he's doing the same for digital photography (registration required) ... [more] ... [more] Sex on the brain: Is a liking for dolls or a love of rough-and-tumble all in a child's genes? Where do sex differences really come from? ... [more] Sea lion savvy: Two California sea lions are making waves in scientific circles and showing that animals do think ... [more] Whatever happened to the Darwin Wars? Are Stephen Jay Gould and Steven Pinker still having at it? And what is all the fuss about, anyway? ... [more] Will drug scandals at athletic events eventually be replaced by gene scandals -- as competitors secretly boost their bodies with DNA for endurance or speed? ... [more] Is human evolution finally over? Scientists are split over the theory that the Western lifestyle has brought natural selection to a standstill ... [more] Natural randomness in the world's climate system may have caused the frequent, fast and fleeting returns to warm conditions during past ice ages, say two scientists working in Germany ... [more] Staying Alive is a unique thought experiment which aims to discover the deep intuitions people have about personal identity. Results so far have been intriguing and counter-intuitive ... [more] The sunken cities of Egypt: Two ancient cities recently found buried under sand and water near the mouth of the Nile reveal that today’s thriving coastal cites could well meet the same fate ... [more] Nearly every global environmental indicator has worsened over the last decade, say the authors of the Worldwatch Institute's annual State of the World report. They liken the deterioration of the health of the planet to "slow-motion terrorism" ... [more] The advance of science, not the demotion of religion, will best counter the influence of creationism, says Michael Shermer ... [more] Embarrassment can kill, says Dr Ann Robinson, but it may help to remember that those intimate details are a family doctor's stock-in-trade ... [more] Good ideas are worth money, so why are people giving them away for free? ... [more] Accidental genius: What turns a good idea into the next insanely great thing? Inspiration, perspiration, and the law of unintended consequences ... [more] The concept of race is biologically meaningless, says leading geneticist Steven Rose ... [more] Body and soul: The first great bioethics debate began 2,000 years ago, with a clash between the scalpel and the cross ... [more] Scientists examining the work that influenced Charles Darwin have rediscovered the details of what may have been the world's first ecological experiment ... [more] Out of the frying pan, into group therapy: A new US Supreme Court ruling could release more former sex offenders into the community. For these ex-cons, the end of detention marks the beginning of intense counseling ... [more] It's not just the "poster children" for endangered species that are at risk -- and some scientists argue that we may be focusing too much on cute creatures and not enough on the ugly ducklings ... [more] The race to find new uses for genetic discoveries is hindering the usual exchange of information among university researchers, as geneticists try to protect their findings from possible competitors ... [more] Plug and play people: What we want out of people these days is the same thing we want from our computer accessories, says Annalee Newitz: no installation required, no introductions or context necessary to interact with them ... [more] The Antarctic climate is definitely changing -- but scientist are blowing hot and cold over exactly what is going on ... [more] Is ET out there? Are humans the most important species on Earth? And what can your answers to those two questions tell you about yourself? ... [more] Kabul session: A primer of scientific misinformation to thwart evildoers ... [more] One Iranian woman has a dream -- to give her compatriots the tools to they need to fight for a cleaner environment ... [more] Since the publication of The Sceptical Environmentalist, Bjørn Lomborg has been branded a traitor by the environmental movement, and hailed as a prophet by opponents of "the green religion." Whatever the truth of the matter, he's having fun in the spotlight ... [more] It is time to calculate what it will take to provide a satisfying and sustainable life for everyone into the indefinite future, says Edward O Wilson -- starting with population control ... [more] Chronic pain is seriously undertreated, largely because doctors are reluctant to prescribe -- and patients are reluctant to take -- the drugs that are best able to relieve persistent pain (registration required) ... [more] The search for bodily remains at disaster sites such as Ground Zero in New York suggests that sometimes the desire for tangible proof of someone's death extends well beyond a purely rational need for certainty ... [more] Planet hunters: A new breed of astronomers is scanning the skies. Among them they have discovered over 70 planets in orbit around other stars -- and some of them are quite astounding ... [more] Recent research on sexual infidelity has scientists recasting the role of Casanova ... as a woman ... [more] A scientific advisory panel report says that the US should ban cloning aimed at making new human beings because it's unsafe for both mother and child ... [more] The science of surprise: Can complexity theory help us understand the real consequences of a convoluted event like September 11? ... [more] Our bad habits are good for us, says Peter Marsh -- or at least better than our obsession with the new religion of health ... [more] Researchers working to unravel the human compulsion to get high have found that many commonly used prescription drugs might be effective in helping addicts kick the habit ... [more] The US government's clumsy handling of anthrax exposed the weaknesses of a public-health system gone off the rails. Can it be set right? ... [more] Test tube forests: Scientists are rapidly developing technology for genetically engineering fast-growing supertrees. It makes good economic sense, but what about the environmental repercussions? ... [more] Racism is not hard-wired into the brain, and a little coalition-building can help people lose their racist tendencies, researchers say ... [more] Public money, private code: The drive to license academic research for profit is stifling the spread of software that could be of universal benefit ... [more] Stealing the sun: Humans gobble up 32 percent of the total solar energy captured by land plants. How much more can we use without upsetting the Earth's ecology? ... [more] From scientist to saint: does Darwin deserve his very own international day of celebration? ... [more] The FDA has recently approved the first ever US study of Ecstasy as helpful medicine, a move that flies in the face of increasingly punitive Ecstasy laws ... [more] Forget bioterrorism. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that urban sprawl is a drastically greater threat to our lives, health and safety ... [more] The catfight over lynx fur: US biologists say they put fur of rare lynx in US forests to test the limits of laboratory analysis. Others see a hidden agenda ... [more] In a fast-moving world of gene therapies, is the US Food and Drug Administration past its use-by date? Is a timid bureaucracy costing lives? ... [more] The technothrill is gone: After Sept. 11, we know digital wizardry can't save the world -- or even distract us from horror. But don't trash those gadgets yet ... [more] Some reports about Charles Bishop, the 15-year-old who recently flew a small plane into a Florida skyscraper, suggest that his actions may have been part of a pattern of suicides attributable to the acne medication Accutane. But the numbers just don't add up ... [more] Looking for life elsewhere is a tough task for human or robot. But the scientific skill and tools to search for, detect and inspect extraterrestrial life are advancing rapidly ... [more] So you're an environmentalist; why are you still eating meat? ... [more] Physician, wheel thyself! Regular exercise is good for us -- so why do so many doctors waste time crawling around inner cities in cars, rather than pedaling the cure? ... [more] You're probably scared of hackers, with good reason. But don't forget the good stuff they've done ... [more] A mammoth undertaking: Can genetic science bring extinct species back to life? And if it can, should we let it? ... [more] Empathy is second nature to humans -- but are we the only species to feel others' pain? Frans de Waal thinks not ... [more] What's the best way to get kids all fired up about science? Start by teaching them Grossology, Sylvia Branzei's science of the disgusting ... [more] Animal rights campaigners are calling for stricter controls on cloning following the news that Dolly the sheep has arthritis ... [more] Exorcising Einstein's spooks: Is there another layer of reality beyond quantum physics? ... [more] Smacked out: Believers say a little-known drug called ibogaine eases heroin cravings and withdrawal, but it is far from gaining official acceptance as a treatment for opiate addiction ... [more] The word made flesh: Today we can read human and ape genetic legacies. In 50 years, we could resurrect the past, says Richard Dawkins ... [more] People can function with bits of their brains removed, but not completely. Michael feels an overwhelming flood of empathy. Stuart feels nothing ... [more] Boys + sex - education = crisis. Suzi Godson, a leading author on sexual behaviour, reveals the story behind a recent British survey, and warns that schools aren't telling male pupils what they need to know ... [more] New discoveries are rewriting the history of a continent. A single stone blade has forced archaeologists to consider whether people first came to North America by water, not land ... [more] This century may be a defining moment for the cosmos, says Martin Rees. If humans do not destroy themselves they may spread beyond the earth into a universe that could last almost forever ... [more] Saucers full of secrets: Decades after Washington's fabled UFO invasion, witnesses, skeptics, and true believers are still asking: "Where were you in '52?" ... [more] If life is intolerable, is it better not to have existed? Can non-existence be superior to life? Is there a universe of possible people who never came to be? ... [more] A father's love -- or the lack of it -- has as much influence on children as the love of a mother, and its effects can be even more far-reaching ... [more] From the results of an annual Alaskan betting contest to sightings of migratory birds, ecologists are using a wealth of unusual data to predict the impact of climate change ... [more] A new report from the US National Academy of Sciences concludes that greenhouse gasses and other pollutants could trigger large, abrupt and potentially disastrous climate changes ... [more] Calculating man's impact on the planet is difficult. Are we on an environmental even keel or hurtling towards a global crisis? ... [more] The story of the lost city of Atlantis has fascinated academics and romantics for thousands of years. But one leading expert has finally admitted the truth: it never existed ... [more] All those millions of pretty, twinkling Christmas lights significantly increase electricity usage -- and emissions from fossil fuel powered power plants. Merry Christmas! ... [more] Weird science: an affectionate salute to the weird and wonderful in the world of international scholarly research during the past year ... [more] Recent genetic evidence shows that there are not one but two species of African elephant. Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger discusses the molecular findings, the fossil record, and the implications for conservation strategies ... [more] Can Depo-Provera destroy your sex life? Thousands of women blame the long-lasting birth control injection for ruining their libidos and causing deep depression ... [more] The US Environmental Protection Agency has asked science advisers to help determine whether it should use industry data gathered from human tests to help set limits on pesticide levels in food and water ... [more] There's a fresh theory to explain the sudden disappearance of urban cultures ranging from ancient Troy to the Maya of Central America: killer earthquakes ... [more] In a judgment that could save the lives of 50,000 babies next year alone, a South African High Court Judge has ruled that the government must make a vital drug available to HIV-infected expectant mothers ... [more] Strong visuospatial skills may lie at the heart of smarts ... [more] Pain, the disease: What can be done when chronic suffering is more than a symptom? ... [more] A healing haze? As politicians debate the potential merits of medical cannabis, scientists search for new ways to deliver this old drug ... [more] The physics of gridlock: What causes traffic jams? The depressing answer may be nothing at all ... [more] The ancient Mayans did not routinely indulge in human sacrifice after all -- and the evidence is in the graves of medieval European monarchs ... [more] Divided we stand: Why decentralizing is the best defense against terrorism ... [more] Why are bad marriages worse for women? The answer may lie in differences in the way men and women process emotions ... [more] Males are programmed to react badly under pressure, according to a UK study ... [more] Next time you're stuck in a crowd, have some patience with your mobile-gossiping neighbours. They're just indulging in some high-tech social grooming ... [more] Why do ostensibly sane humans (and other creatures) find themselves compelled to take dangerous risks? For the fame and the sex, of course ... [more] Reknowned primatologist Frans de Waal urges psychologists to embrace Darwin, but he's concerned by the simplistic way many social scientists approach evolution ... [more] A French court has ruled that disabled children can sue doctors over not having aborted them, sparking widespread debate over the right not to be born ... [more] Medical science has a newly prominent sickness -- apotemnophilia, the compulsion to amputate one's own healthy limbs. Why do pathologies sometimes arise as if from nowhere? And can the mere description of a condition make it contagious? ... [more] Do men really deserve their reputation as emotional mummies? Maybe. Maybe not ... [more] Recent US anti-terrorism legislation has given the FBI's online snooping tool, Carnivore, increased powers. Privacy activists are warning against "automatic surveillance capabilities that Stalin could never have dreamed of" ... [more] While religious observance in the US has returned to pre-September 11 levels, there is instead a rising, slightly desperate, faith in technology ... [more] The ape of things to come: Chimpanzees will be extinct in the wild within the next 20 years -- and that's bad news for their distant cousins, humans ... [more] The nuclear family: Can the same process that introduced the mitochondrion and chloroplast to the cell explain where the nucleus came from? The question remains one of the big unsolved mysteries in biology today ... [more] Up in smoke: Was Britain's response to foot-and-mouth disease a case of 'overkill'? And will the countryside ever recover from the cure? ... [more] Fortified flour fracas: Compulsory folic acid supplementation may hold risks ... [more] Free drugs from your faucet: How did tiny amounts of nearly every drug under the sun get into our drinking water -- and what are they doing to us? ... [more] As AIDS swamps one rural South African hospital, the epidemic is transforming how the institution functions, how its employees live, and even what they believe (registration required) ... [more] Land of the oil-free? September 11 was an attack on the American way of life. But maybe that way of life -- and especially the extravagant use of oil -- needs a makeover anyway ... [more] Understanding the complex pathways from gene-to-brain-to-cognitive processes-to-behaviour is like a detective story, in which tiny, seemingly unimportant clues play a vital role in the final outcome ... [more] Music, the brain, and Williams Syndrome: A rare disorder offers insight into the genetic basis of cognition (registration required) ... [more] With many of the world's nations involved in an escalating confrontation, where will we find the attention and resources to begin to restore our wetlands, our soil, and our atmosphere? Perhaps it's time to listen to the inner mamma bear ... [more] Maverick meteorologist Richard S Lindzen keeps right on arguing that human-induced global warming isn't a problem ... [more] The next pig thing: Canadian researchers have developed a genetically-engineered pig that could help clean up a major source of water pollution -- but environmental groups want the swine squelched ... [more] Why do humans crave nature? And why do we feel such a need to say it with flowers? (registration required) ... [more] Can a mathematical idea have political import? What is this much-invoked thing called the axiom of choice? Is it really devoid of political significance, or could it turn out to pack a hefty ideological punch? ... [more] Timothy Stamps insists there's much more to health than distributing medicine -- and he accuses the WHO of ignoring the needs of developing countries and trying solve every problem with drugs ... [more] Gentlemen: ignorance is bliss and gullibility is the best policy. And your baby looks just like you, honest ... [more] Could parthenogenesis be the solution to the ethical dilemmas of therapeutic human cloning? Or is it just another example of science going too far? ... [more] Stone Age terrors still stalk modern nightmares: our fear of werewolves is 10,000 years old ... [more] US officials are warning that cyberattacks are likely as retribution for the US campaign in Afghanistan. "Bin Laden may have his finger on the trigger," says one expert on terrorism, but "his grandson might have his finger on the mouse" (registration required) ... [more] Your friends are just not normal. But that's okay -- no one's friends are normal ... [more] If SETI ever does discover a message from an alien civilization, how can we ever hope to decipher it? Ancient languages may point the way ... [more] Baloney detection, revisited: Professional skeptic Michael Shermer continues his exploration of the borderlands of science ... [more] India, Pakistan and the Bomb: Even before the war over terrorism inflamed the region, the Indian subcontinent was the most likely place for a nuclear conflict ... [more] Lonely ... with an only: Secondary infertility -- the inability to conceive or carry to term a second child -- is on the rise, and can take a surprising toll on the emotions and lives of sufferers ... [more] GM crop research has been slow to reach the hungry Third World, and many desperate voices are calling on richer countries to use genetic science to wage an all-out war on famine ... [more] Mosquitoes evolve rapidly in response to global warming, US ecologists say. But less flexible animals could face extinction ... [more] Many of the world's freshwater lakes face death by pollution, resulting in catastrophe for the human populations that depend on them, warns the World Water Council ... [more] Although well-intentioned, exercise promotion may tend to raise women's risk of developing eating disorders ... [more] The psychological aftermath of 9/11: Anxiety is on the rise and experts estimate that 100,000 people in New York alone are at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder ... [more] Canada's buffer against numerous infectious diseases is at risk because of growing opposition to vaccination based on fear, myth and philosophical objection ... [more] Rocket men: A somewhat motley crew of test pilots, dot-com dropouts, dreamers and others will change space travel as we know it. Or not ... [more] The stimulant Ritalin -- used to help children with ADHD -- may cause long-term changes in the brain, similar to those seen with amphetamine & cocaine ... [more] Is the anthrax vaccine safe? Is it effective? The answer depends on whom you ask ... [more] Scientists are puzzling over the source and behaviour of visible light coming from very near a black hole, and suggesting that the light may be generated by a process similar to one used in laboratories to create computer chips ... [more] The fear of finding a lump is enough to keep some women -- even those believed to be at increased risk of breast cancer -- from performing the potentially life-saving breast self-exam ... [more] Want to help save the planet? Don't fly ... [more] The inventor of the mouse doesn't want much -- just to use computers to network our collective brainpower and change the world ... [more] Everyone knows by now that inappropriate use of antibiotics inevitably produces resistant bacteria. But how exactly does that happen? ... [more] A United Nations report warns that the world's population could skyrocket to nearly 11 billion people by 2050 if women do not gain better access to education and health care ... [more] Many scientists think it is physically impossible for homeopathy to work -- but new research suggests how remedies could possibly have an effect ... [more] Better killing through chemistry: Buying chemical weapons material through the mail is disturbingly quick and easy ... [more] Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder -- sometimes, being ugly is attractive too ... [more] Chantek is fluent in sign language, understands spoken English, and is a budding artist. He's also an orang-utan, whose learning capacity is raising tantalising questions about the similarities between humans and our primate relatives ... [more] Islam's rich scientific history and intellectual traditions bely the image cast by recent world events, scholars say (registration required) ... [more] The science of evolutionary psychology is often derided, and has even been called fascistic -- but, insists Colin Tudge, it's an important theory ... [more] Humans are causing evolution on a grand scale -- and it is costing us hundreds of billions of dollars each year, says a Harvard biologist ... [more] Could men become extinct? A leading expert on men's health thinks so ... [more] ... Or perhaps males will just become unnecessary (for reproduction at least), as a cocktail of chemicals working as artificial sperm paves the way for parthenogenesis ... [more] Between antibiotic resistance and the hygiene hypothesis, maybe it's time to consider making peace with germs ... [more] When you're asleep, your mind uses dream time to process information for use when you're awake. Or maybe not ... [more] A potentially devastating condition that has affected hundreds of thousands of people, and even altered the course of world history remains unchecked, warns neurologist James F Toole. The condition? Mad leader disease ... [more] Space should be teeming with civilizations, but where are they? And is this proof that we're alone in the galaxy? ... [more] Panic is contagious, spread by rumours and false alarms -- and it is a greater threat to the public than any other act of terrorism ... [more] Evolutionary healing: In an evolving world of medicine, the principle of natural selection may be worth a closer look ... [more] Being born of uncertain gender is the last sexual taboo. But why is the truth about 'intersex' so often kept from the patients themselves? ... [more] You humans, you can't help but monkey around! At last, an experiment has proven baboons have abstract reasoning. Will people use theirs now and stop the experiments? ... [more] Forget everything you've ever heard about chemical and biological weapons, says a retired military weapons, munitions, and training expert. Even under ideal conditions, they're just not all that effective ... [more] Never too thin? A recent study concludes the skinnier the better when it comes to avoiding health problems, but critics say fitness is more important than weight ... [more] The triumph of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft means that NASA is back on track. But on track to where? ... [more] Blowin' in the wind: A combination of offshore wind farms and serious national conservation measures could potentially free the US from the need to import 6 million barrels of oil every day ... [more] Why are so many otherwise sensible people responding to the current anthrax hysteria by stockpiling Cipro? Anxiety and the prisoner's dilemma, says John Allen Paulos ... [more] Louise Halestrap has become an expert in alternative toilets -- and in British bathroom sensibilities. Her goal? To change the habits of a nation, and if possible the entire Western world ... [more] Breast-cancer screening programmes may not save lives, according to a new examination of clinical trials. The controversial findings have led to calls for a re-evaluation of the routine monitoring procedure ... [more] The solution to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle could be as strangely simple as bubbling seas ... [more] After the success of the genome, scientists have got carried away with the study of 'omics. They all want 'omes of their own ... [more] From survival tales to attack predictions, rumours go flying at the click of a mouse. The cyberage version of spinning yarns reflects a need to create order in a chaotic world ... [more] Astrophysicist J Richard Gott, III calls it a simple matter of survival. Author Sid Goldstein figures it's all about economics and environmentalism. And legendary physicist Freeman Dyson thinks dead planets need a human touch. One thing they all agree on: it's time to leave this planet ... [more] Professor Stephen Hawking's latest fears for the future of humanity have been criticised by academics for being contradictory and little more than hype for his forthcoming book ... [more] By giving doctors permission to lose their curiosity about which bacteria do what, modern medicine has spun off not an archaic and irrelevant detail of practice, but a regrettably timely one (registration required) ... [more] The growing influence of the internet on education could damage children's ability to learn, warns leading psychologist Susan Blackmore ... [more] Even as the human-cloning debate plods noisily along, animal cloning speeds quietly onward ... [more] Health and human society: Wealthier nations are not always healthier, and efforts to improve health can be swamped by the effects of inequality and conflict ... [more] We can't help but fixate on bad news, says British psychologist Elaine Fox. Evolution has left us anxious by nature ... [more] Japan's Riken institute has an ambitious programme of neuroscience research. The aim is to create machines capable of thought, memory and intuition. Will humanity benefit? ... [more] More executions, fewer deaths? A new study suggests that the death penalty deters many more murders than most people thought plausible. Senior research analyst and death-penalty opponent Iain Murray considers the evidence ... [more] The big split: Can it really feel that good? And why do women often fare better after a divorce? ... [more] The roots of conflict Is western culture better than any other? Umberto Eco argues that what is important is not superiority but pluralism and toleration ... [more] Joining an elite is not just a matter of who you know, but of who knows who you know, and who they know. Who knew? ... [more] Talkin 'bout an evolution: In the aftermath of Sept 11, we must choose our next steps carefully, or risk extinction ... [more] Little heat on the prairie: Climate forecasts are blowing hot and cold again, with US research showing that grasslands respond to rising temperatures by cutting their production of carbon dioxide ... [more] Corporate leaders and politicians who argue that New York City must rebuild Lower Manhattan as quickly as possible are getting support from an unlikely quarter: environmentalists (registration required) ... [more] Baloney detection: Here are five ways to draw boundaries between science and pseudoscience ... [more] Even as investigators descend on Florida in response to a death from anthrax, it is smallpox that has biological weapons experts losing sleep ... [more] Conservation of Bialowieza -- the last primeval forest in Europe -- could lead to the revival of animal and plant species across the continent's lowlands ... [more] Some scientists claim the living world is governed by laws based on fractal geometry and on the sizes of organisms, leading to a wide-ranging debate about this biological 'theory of everything' ... [more] Ted Nelson is an Internet visionary who is credited with coining the term hypertext, but he is highly critical of what the Net has become ... [more] The intensive farming that feeds the world's growing population is one of the leading threats to biodiversity. Enter ecoagriculture, which is helping to ward off problems like rice blast in China and overgrazing in Brazil ... [more] A simple approach to treating trauma has reported remarkable results in the wake of tragedies in Oklahoma, Bosnia and Littleton. Will EMDR help in New York? Probably not, if past experience is anything to go by ... [more] Economists largely hold national institutions responsible for ongoing poverty in some tropical countries. But the real culprit may be warm winters ... [more] Emotion may be as important as reason in deciding moral dilemmas ... [more] Climatologists have had trouble squaring computer simulations of earlier climates with geological data -- casting doubt, some say, on global warming predictions. But what the geological record says today may not be what was originally recorded ... [more] In ancient times, scholars wondered if women were doomed to be perpetual children. These days the question has become, are men even human? Maybe it's something in the water ... [more] Pottery found in the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga suggests that the first Polynesians may have journeyed thousands of miles across the ocean as early as the first millennium BC ... [more] Rogue males: What makes young Muslim men turn to terrorism? Leaders such as Osama Bin Laden know just how to distil a deadly fuel from their anger, excess energy and religious devotion, writes Lionel Tiger ... [more] Nuclear materials would be difficult for terrorists to use, says the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and a suicide attack on a nuclear power plant would not necessarily lead to disaster ... [more] Psychotherapists are ethically obliged not to have sex with their patients, but "surrogate partners" are supposed to. That's the simple but loaded dichotomy at the heart of the little understood therapeutic practice of sex surrogacy ... [more] Activism, hacktivism, and cyberterrorism: How the Internet is being used to influence foreign policy ... [more] Doctors examine art: Art appreciation classes significantly improve student doctors' skill at diagnosis ... [more] Physicists have long puzzled over the fact that friction varies with compressive force, but not with the amount of contact area between two surfaces. Now mathematicians are offering an all-new explanation ... [more] Kiss and make up: Like animals, humans can transcend their capacity for violence ... [more] We are assaulted by chemical scents from all sides and can no longer trust our own noses, says AS Byatt ... [more] A French scientist has pinpointed a possible location for Atlantis, on an island close to the Strait of Gibraltar ... [more] The family dog might be the key to helping kids weather divorce with a minimum of harm ... [more] US researchers have shown that gender-bending chemicals in pesticides, herbicides and pollutants can disrupt chemical signals in plants -- which could in turn affect human and livestock fertility ... [more] The promise of microgravity science carried out on the International Space Station anytime soon is highly doubtful, given program cost overruns and subsequent budget cuts ... [more] The search for biological underpinnings of depression is intensifying, and new findings promise to yield better therapies ... [more] Feeding the future: With human population above 6 billion and rising fast, the need to protect agricultural land and to increase food production has become critical. Does sustainable agriculture have the answers? ... [more] From Leroy Hood, the man who gave us the automated DNA sequencer, comes a whole new approach to the study of life ... [more] The psychology of terror: Is our tendency to experience fear and anxiety genetic? UCLA professor emeritus William R Clark explains ... [more] Religion's misguided missiles: Promise a young man that death is not the end and he will willingly cause disaster, says Richard Dawkins ... [more] The environmental issue from Hell: Global warming is the great moral crisis of our time ... [more] Politicians cite patriotism; pastors credit a more celestial source. But biologists say the altruistic impulse is a nondenominational gift, the birthright and defining characteristic of the human species (registration required) ... [more] Forget any worries about gene modification and industrial agriculture. The real trouble with our food began long, long ago -- when we first took up farming ... [more] There's a real chance that we'll soon have an effective pill for the common cold. But aren't over-the-counter medications sufficient for something so harmless? Well, yes and no ... [more] Can belief in God kill you? Religious beliefs are not always a source of comfort during ill health: they may actually increase your risk of dying ... [more] The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Pain Society say far too often kids suffer needless pain from injuries, illnesses and medical procedures, and doctors should do more to prevent or relieve their discomfort ... [more] Gay and lesbian parents do at least as good a job as their heretosexual counterparts, according to a US survey ... [more] Famed British physicist Stephen Hawking warns that if humans hope to compete with the rising tide of artificial intelligence, they'll have to improve through genetic engineering ... [more] Not everyone thinks Stephen Hawking knows what he's talking about when it comes to prophecies of cyborg takeovers ... [more] When most people picture a terrorist, they imagine a sadistic madman. But experts say terrorists are most often rational, logical, deliberate and deeply devoted to their cause ... [more] Naughty children are 'born from anxiety', according to an ongoing study of thousands of women and children in the UK ... [more] Stop ignoring the data: An interdisciplinary group of scientists argues that we know behavior is crucial to health -- and it's time health research and interventions reflected that ... [more] Forgiving others is a valuable gift for yourself, and even the most grudge-bearing people can learn how to do it ... [more] All in the mind: Fact or artifact? the placebo effect may be a little of both ... [more] The outcome of an intellectual battle over two elderly African women could provide the answer to the mother of all riddles that has been puzzling scientists since the early 1900s ... [more] Reproducing ourselves is all very well -- but some technologies threaten the basis of what it is to be human, says Eva Hoffman ... [more] Contrary to some claims, males are "not emotional mummies," says US researcher Dr Mark Kiselica ... [more] Work with lab animals is a staple of scientific research. But what if the mouse, in its bleak, confined laboratory cage, has gone quietly insane before the experiment even begins? ... [more] Children are natural scientists, says Sanjida O'Connell, and it requires scarcely any 'teaching' to put their native curiosity to good educational use ... [more] There is too much hype about health on the Net, and too much scaremongering as well. But the Web can still be a valuable tool -- if you know how to use it ... [more] Researchers have recently discovered the gene mutation that gives humans a natural resistance to malaria and shows how disease shapes the genome ... [more] Detox demystified: Supporters say the practice rids the body of 'toxins.' But many scientists counter there's scant evidence it does anything the body can't do on its own ... [more] Is that study really necessary? Economics helps decide if we should put our money where researchers' mouths are ... [more] 20 years on, what do we know about the genesis of the AIDS epidemic? It's an obscure tale of humans, chimps and a virus (registration required) ... [more] Recent experimental evidence has hinted that the shape of the universe may be found among the ten orientable Euclidean 3-manifolds ... [more] A Canadian professor has identified a phenomenon causing countless boating deaths and accidents: Experienced Skipper Syndrome ... [more] A do-it-yourself approach is needed to kick-start a humans-to-Mars programme, says a Mars exploration guru ... [more] The interface between science and government might be best described as a semi-permeable membrane: small, reassuring ideas get through, but large, uncertain ones don't ... [more] Death by overwork: As pressure intensifies in our working lives, scientists are discovering that stress not only triggers illnesses but may be a killer in its own right ... [more] With all the shouting over the fate of human embryos in the latest round of the stem cell debate, one fact has been obscured: very few frozen embryos are ever likely to be made available for research ... [more] Medical studies have finally proven the Freudians wrong. Mental illness, it seems, is not all in the family ... [more] A mark of a civilised society is how well it looks after the old, the sick, the vulnerable. On the evidence of this week's BMJ several countries aren't doing so well (registration required) ... [more] The world's human population looks set to decline -- but not for another 70 years (and 3 billion people) ... [more] Happiness is more than just a warm glow, says a US psychologist -- it's firmly rooted in culture. And not everyone wants to be happy anyway ... [more] Genetically engineered crops are poised to give human society its biggest sustainability gain in almost 100 years ... [more] Kyoto begins at home: UK environmental scientist David Reay says that simple lifestyle changes and home improvements could go a long way towards meeting the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions ... [more] How an electric car can save the world -- and civilisation (registration required) ... [more] It's the chromosome that has for years been relegated to the sidelines of science. But now it's Y and mighty, providing the answers to some very big cultural questions -- and putting a match to political time bombs ... [more] A new Japanese study says computer games make children anti-social. But the culprit isn't aggression -- it's an under-stimulated frontal lobe ... [more] India's salt wars: Gandhi's defiance of the British salt ban created an enduring symbol of purity and independence. Now locally-grown salt is threatening the health of tens of millions of India's children ... [more] Scaling the mind's scaffolding: Without the ability to organize our world, we are trapped. With it, we know no limits ... [more] Patients considering euthanasia are worried less about unbearable pain than about the social and emotional disintegration that accompanies terminal illness (registration required) ... [more] Mathematicians are edging closer to proving that all numbers get an equal slice of pi ... [more] A black mud from Africa helps power the new economy. Coltan is needed for the wireless world. Coltan helps perpetuate Congo's civil war (registration required) ... [more] 'A good death' is not for everyone. Terminally ill patients and their families are increasingly being encouraged to make treatment decisions. But for some, this only worsens their anguish ... [more] Several large, new studies address recent vaccine scares and investigate how parents' individual decisions against vaccination might increase other children's risk of disease ... [more] Bluefin tuna found to be crossing the Atlantic mean revised policies may be needed to stop overfishing ... [more] Birth on a knife edge: Delivery by Caesarean section is now touted as the celebrities' choice. Disturbingly, more and more women feel they are being rushed into this, too ... [more] Symphony in utero -- what about pre-natal music? ... [more] A leading brain scientist has warned that world leaders and senior politicians should be tested regularly for signs of madness ... [more] Believing that "rhinotillexomania" is an activity that merits "closer epidemiologic and nosologic [sic] scrutiny" The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has published a comprehensive report on the popular practice of nose picking ... [more] Big Tobacco's No.1 lie is that "everyone knows" the risks ... [more] Why can't you be more like them? Physical barriers to carbon-copying people are falling but psychological pitfalls lie in wait ... [more] Human guinea pigs: When people put their bodies on the line in medical trials, can they be sure that scientists aren't cutting corners or preoccupied with stock prices? ... [more] Certain brain structures may atrophy long before any symptoms of Alzheimer's surface, offering the chance to diagnose and possibly treat the disease early on ... [more] Cosmic rays from deep space may be destroying our ozone layer, according to a new study ... [more] Born under a thin star: Eating disorders may be linked to the season of your birth ... [more] He's not hairy, he's my brother. Here's one way to look at the man-versus-ape conflict in the new movie Planet of the Apes: It's civil war ... [more] Does prescribing heroin to addicts flout medical ethics, or save lives? ... [more] The digital divide: the cybercitizen must be visible, credible and creditable in the virtual world. This does not happen for the new social underclass ... [more] A pandemic fueled by poverty: A doctor says the fight to get cheap AIDS drugs to Africa is misguided: These people need water, food and basic healthcare ... [more] To clone or not to clone? As two scientists threaten to begin human cloning "within weeks," scientists and ethicists say the two are acting irresponsibly ... [more] But Panayiotis Zavos defends their actions ... [more] Do animals think? Donald Griffin, the founder of cognitive ethology, thinks so -- and he's spent three decades gathering evidence to back his claims ... [more] Tech wars in meat space: Both police and protesters are wondering if new technologies used by both sides will turn street protests into bloodless, but ultimately meaningless rituals ... [more] Shark attacks reinforce our cultural hysteria, but they should really remind us how much we have to learn about sharks and their waters (registration required) ... [more] The political placebo effect: John Allen Paulos argues that President Bush and others use an approach similar to the placebo effect to advance their policies ... [more] A rail worker's case of toxic encephalopathy has led to federal investigation of a US university's review board, and raised ethical questions about litigation and human research (registration required) ... [more] Planet of the Apes shows what can happen when you're on the wrong side of the species divide. Roger Fouts argues that it's time to rethink our prejudices against our hominid cousins ... [more] Adherents of intelligent design theory are doing what creationists have long done, but this time, the advocates are "academics and intellectuals." Darwinist author Robert Wright considers ... [more] Shopper's little helper: If shopaholics get help in the form of a pill thanks to a university study, and the study was funded by the company that manufactures the pill, everybody wins, right? ... [more] The rhythms that bind women: Researchers from disparate fields have found that female menstrual hormones influence much more than reproduction ... [more] "Somebody who claims not to believe in evolution ... is ignorant, stupid or insane." Richard Dawkins insists his 1989 statement is based on truth, not arrogance or intolerance ... [more] The advice that a watched pot won't boil may ring true in your kitchen, but in the quantum realm, anything goes ... [more] Why should moral considerations carry such weight in our lives? ... [more] Why do wartime women, American presidents and Peruvian spider monkeys produce more sons than daughters? Biologists have a neo-Darwinian theory ... [more] Poison Valley: Is workers' health the price we pay for high-tech progress? ... [more] Feed a fever: The secret to taming the flu might lie in a better diet, not new and improved drugs ... [more] Americans and Chinese recall memories very differently, indicating the impact of culture on 'self-concept' ... [more] Big Brother, foiled in Yellowknife, doesn't understand why town residents would be upset by security cameras ... [more] Research is giving new insights into the X and Y chromosomes. It seems the distance between Mars and Venus might be closer than previously thought (registration required) ... [more] There's no need to feel guilty about high blood pressure -- it's not caused by stress or depression after all ... [more] Global warming may be a problem that we can sweep under the rug -- or, more precisely, under 10,000 feet of ocean ... [more] Here's yet another possible culprit in the dramatic rise in childhood asthma: too much margarine, not enough salmon ... [more] Researchers have found that children of any age tend to give false reports of experiences, when fed misinformation by their parents ... [more] Since the advent of ultrasound scanning, expectant parents in India have found a foolproof method to avoid paying an expensive dowry for daughters -- abort female foetuses ... [more] All the President's pills: Researchers theorize that Abraham Lincoln was for years being poisoned by mercury-laden pills he was taking for depression ... [more] How coal got its glow back: Thanks to new US energy policies, Big Coal is back. But can it be taught to behave? (registration required) ... [more] A team of scientists spent the past six months examining where the 2000 US presidential election