Today on New Scientist


Wagtail battles itself in award-winning photo

Grey wagtails don't take kindly to strangers – and one even wants to take on its own reflection in a car's wing mirror


The third factor: Beyond nature and nurture

We're more than the product of our genes and environment, twin studies show. If we could run our lives over and over, we'd turn out differently every time


Hobbyists tracked US spy satellites leaked by Snowden

The names of US spy satellites– including Topaz and Intruder – are revealed in leaked documents, but their existence was never much of a secret


How the US may try to destroy Syria's chemical weapons

The Pentagon has many tools to eliminate stockpiles of chemical agents – but any attempt will be risky, and possibly too difficult to carry out


Wristband unlocks your devices with your heartbeatMovie Camera

Forget passwords. The Nymi wristband proves your identity by listening to your heartbeat's unique rhythm


Are 'fire ice' methane hydrates the new fracking?

If schemes to extract gas from icy cages beneath the oceans are successful, don't be surprised to hear scare stories from people with vested interests


Skin-eating fungus is wiping out fire salamanders

A relative of the killer chytrid fungus that has devastated frog populations is sweeping through salamanders undetected


Victorian skiing holidays melted Alpine glaciers

Soot particles from increased rail transport and the booming tourist industry caused an extra metre of ice to melt each year in the mid-19th century


Zoologger: Miniature frog can hear with its mouth

Gardiner's Seychelles frog is one of the smallest land animals – bar insects. It's too small to have proper ears, but fortunately its mouth does the job


Wanna watch your volcano danger zone? Go fly a kite

With an erupting volcano continually messing up their island, the inhabitants of Montserrat have found a way to take aerial photography into their own hands


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


Subscribe now to comment.




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.