Wrap up warm to avoid heart attacks in winter
We burn brown fat to keep us warm in cold weather, but the process might also boost "bad" cholesterol, increasing risk of heart attack
Lasers watch plant roots grow in transparent soil
Close-up 3D images of how roots grow in transparent polymer soil can help researchers monitor how plants are faring and develop better crops
Zoologger: Hipster toad has weaponised moustache
With sharp spines growing out of their upper lips, male Emei moustache toads are the brawlers of the amphibian world
Natural fracking feeds an eternal flame
Behind a waterfall there is a light that never goes out. It's not a fairy tale – the eternal flame is fed by gas from a shale formation deep underground
My life goal is to cure colour blindness
Jay Neitz wants to use gene therapy to cure colour-blind people – and one day the technique could allow us all to see a hundred times more colours
New language helps quantum coders build killer apps
The first high-level programming language for quantum computers could guide the design of these futuristic machines – and make programming them easier
Feedback: Holy breadsticks
Holy edibles, marketing fraud, marketing fraud and more
Don't take life sitting down
Desk-bound workers and their employers should take note of new research on the health hazards of too much sitting
Starfish eyes are good enough to show them the way home
If they stray from the reef, starfish can use the light-sensitive organs at the tips of their arms to form images, helping them find their way home
Mystery radio bursts blamed on black hole 'blitzars'
Fast radio bursts have baffled astronomers since their discovery six years ago, but now more examples have been found, and they are giving up their secrets
Time-lapse map shows DNA development in growing brain
The chemical tags on brain cells' DNA change dramatically early in life – disrupted, the process may leave young children vulnerable to neurological disorders
Precision herbicide drones launch strikes on weeds
A drone zipping over fields can spot the colour variations that give away weeds amongst crops, before sending in a ground vehicle to spray the densest patches
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
Have your say
Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.
Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article
All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.
