LATEST
Wanted: little levers to probe the quantum divide
THIS WEEK: 17:58 08 July 2010 | 3 comments
We could probe the boundaries of the divide between the quantum and everyday-scale worlds by "entangling" two simple, tiny levers
Darwinian algorithm cuts the need for surgery
13:18 08 July 2010 | 1 comment
A genetic algorithm has reduced the power use of brain implants and thus the need for operations to replace their batteries
US cellphone expansion could deafen radio astronomers
UPFRONT: 11:48 08 July 2010 | 1 comment
A plan to expand the wireless spectrum could pull the curtains further over radio astronomers' window on the sky
Star wars: a new hope for arms control in space
THIS WEEK: 18:00 07 July 2010
The regulation of space weapons and satellite interceptors is back on the US agenda, but will everyone agree before Earth is caged in orbiting junk?
Trains, planes and ships: smuggling nukes into the US
16:46 07 July 2010
Nuclear smugglers still have plenty of ways to enter the US – so says the government's watchdog
Search engines learn how to watch and listen to video
FEATURE: 13:29 07 July 2010
Could search engines do better with video by analysing sounds and images rather than relying on keywords?
Solid-state systems could sequence a genome for $100
13:21 07 July 2010
A chip that can read DNA sequences in a fraction of the time promises to slash the cost of genome sequencing
Virtual prisons: how e-maps are curtailing our freedom
THE BIG IDEA: 13:54 06 July 2010 | 1 comment
Almost unnoticed, electronic maps and sensors are limiting what we do and where we do it – the question now is, how far will we let them go?
Innovation: The tech refresher Russia's spies needed
13:10 06 July 2010 | 2 comments
The Russian spy ring recently arrested in the US might have got away with it if they'd had New Scientist – and some everyday technology – to help them
Green machine: The dream of green cars meets reality
18:05 05 July 2010 | 1 comment
There is plenty of hype around greener cars, but meeting drivers' performance expectations is proving hard
COMPUTING
Clouds add depth to computer landscapes
A single camera watching the shadows of clouds moving across a landscape can allow a computer to calculate topography
MUSIC
Computerised critics to find music you'll like
For music sites to be better at suggesting sounds we will like, their computers need to be able to tell trance from tango
FROM THE BLOG
First piloted solar-powered night flight
17:00 08 July 2010 - updated 17:29 08 July 2010
Solar Impulse's first plane flies for 26 hours straight, circling over Switzerland through the night on nothing but sunshine
Microwave universe: Planck's first hi-res image
15:19 05 July 2010 - updated 13:02 06 July 2010
The Planck telescope gives us a view of the oldest light in the universe, with a tenfold increase in resolution over the last telescope, says Kate McAlpine
US Patent Office: now open for business methods?
14:05 30 June 2010 - updated 14:10 30 June 2010
For years, people have disagreed over whether business methods can be patented. Does a new hearing in the US change that, asks Paul Marks
