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Graphene rival 'phosphorene' is born to be a transistor

Unlike graphene, phosphorene is a natural semiconductor and so may be better at turbocharging the next generation of computers


Autism diagnosis change 'results in loss of treatment'

Despite reassurances, a small study has shown that some people with autism may have lost access to services after changes in the diagnostic criteria


Stephen Hawking's new theory offers black hole escape

The world's most famous living scientist has a new mind-bending theory about black holes. Rather than getting sucked into a singularity of confusion, read our explainer


Ecstatic epilepsy: How seizures can be bliss

Some epileptic seizures are blissful. Understanding why might shed light on religious awakenings, joy, and the sense of self, says Anil Ananthaswamy


Threatwatch: Drug-resistant TB looms even larger

The WHO has ambitious new plans to defeat TB, but infections that resist nearly all drugs are spreading, as funding for new drugs fall


Spider-Man robot spins own web to abseil off a cliff

A spider-inspired robot creates sticky lines of plastic to lower itself over steep drops and could explore other planets with difficult terrain


A random wolf on Wall Street could calm stock markets

A simulation suggests that a handful of random investors in a market could stop the cascade of actions that leads to bubbles and crashes


Feedback: You too can be licensed not to drive

You too can be licensed not to drive, long-standing traditions of the youth, reader, he married an Australia, bad vibrations and more


Can water cannons cope with flash mob riots?

After riots in 2011 and warnings of protests to come, police in England and Wales want water cannons. Are they the right tool for the job, asks David Hambling


Counting the hidden victims of medicine

Drug side effects and other unintended consequences of medical treatment may be killing and hurting more people than we thought


Canine GPS vests reveal dog social networkMovie Camera

Dogs have personalities, as any loving owner will attest, but GPS trackers are needed to find out if they form complex social hierarchies like wolves


Squeeze light to teleport quantum energy

A trick that forces photons to travel in entangled pairs could help send energy across great distances, thanks to quantum teleportation


Satellite-like eyes give mantis shrimp unique visionMovie Camera

The bug-like eyes of mantis shrimp have a unique colour vision system that may recognise colours faster than human eyes


Infectious cancer preserves dog genes for 11,000 years

A venereal cancer prevalent in dogs throughout the world 11,000 years ago still carries the genes of the single dog in which it began life


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