Today on New Scientist


The end of anonymity: A way to stop online abuse?

Biometrics may soon make it impossible to hide your identity online. It could bring a new age of internet civility – if we don't mind losing our liberty too


Scans pinpoint moment anaesthetic puts brain under

Brain imaging has highlighted in intimate detail what goes on as we lose consciousness, paving the way for personalised anaesthesia with fewer side effects


Mars could fire up Asian space race

China and India have both set their sights on Mars, with India launching a probe in November


Meal-sharing sites send hungry tourists to home chefs

To fully experience a new culture, you've got to eat like a local – new online start-ups aim to connect you with home-cooked meals wherever you roam


India set to launch its debut Mars mission

With a launch scheduled for 5 November, India's Mars Orbiter Mission will try to confirm whether the Red Planet's atmosphere contains methane – a possible sign of life


High-vis gecko becomes poster reptile for Amazon

This shy little lizard is fittingly economical with its bold colouring. Only the males get the bright paint job, and then only on their heads


No need for inflation if cosmos was a bouncing baby

Our universe could have bounced from the ashes of a dying cosmos, thanks to a push from a ghostly force, and without the help of inflation


Smuggler-spotting software sniffs out dodgy shipments

In the fight against smuggling, data-mining software has been created to comb through shipping documents to find suspicious-looking cargo


English guidebook opens China's floral treasure chest

A guide to China's 31,000 plants - including 15,000 found nowhere else – could unearth evolutionary secrets or point to drugs for HIV and malaria


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.