Today on New Scientist


Booster shots: The accidental advantages of vaccines

Some vaccines seem to provide us with a host of extra benefits. Michael Brooks sees the cornerstone of modern medicine in a new light


Nudges towards the online world beyond Facebook

The global scope of the internet has only made us more insular, but there is a solution, says Ethan Zuckerman in his new book Rewire


Secret clean-up secures weapons-grade plutonium dump

An international collaboration has succeeded in removing an unprecedented amount of nuclear material from a former Soviet test site in Kazakhstan


Toxic sludge from polluted rivers turned into art

See abstract art created using paints made from the metallic run-off of polluted rivers in Ohio


Suicide risk could show up in a blood test

For the first time, a set of proteins in the blood has been linked to suicidal behaviour, hinting that people who commit suicide share some biological traits


Future objects: The changing face of everyday items

What will everyday items look like in future? A new exhibition at the Design Museum in London gives a sneak peek of what's in store


Gravity map reveals Earth's extremes

The places on Earth at which you would be heaviest and lightest have been revealed by the most comprehensive map yet of Earth's gravitational variations


Fracking operations triggered 100 quakes in a year

As UK protests against fracking continue, new research concludes that fracking-related processes triggered over 100 small quakes in Ohio in a year


Browser to give you a more politically balanced life

The Balancer is a widget for Google's Chrome browser that keeps track of the political leanings of your surfing history – and suggests ways to even things out


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