Star's flying visit could fling comets at Earth
It might not happen for a quarter of a million years, but a nearby star coming closer to the sun could send planetary remnants hurtling to Earth
Mangrove forest planted as tsunami shield
The 2004 tsunami killed 227,000 people in Indonesia. Fred Pearce visits Aceh to see the living coastal defences meant to soak up the energy of future waves
Not again! First ever case of anxiety-induced déjà vu
A 23-year-old man is the first person to report a feeling of persistent déjà vu that seems to be triggered by anxiety rather than a neurological condition
Smart shoes with lasers make strides in mobility
Adding laser tips to ordinary shoes can improve the stride and pace of people with Parkinson's disease
DIY device to define the kilogram – using Lego
Just in time for Christmas, instructions for a Lego watt balance, which can fix the official value of the kilogram, have been published
How to think about… Evolution
Evolution is all about making freaks normal – but it doesn't always involve natural selection and the survival of the fittest
Thought control makes robot arm grab and move objects
By analysing brain activity linked to hand and arm movements, a team has created a robotic arm that a paralysed woman can control with her thoughts
Machine assistants learn to run your schedule
Got a busy calendar? Let AI assistants set your meetings for you and suggest friends for you to interact with
Asteroid soil could fertilise farms in space
We can now grow plants in microgravity – and crops grown in asteroid soil could sustain vast human populations off-planet
Born to dance: The animals with natural rhythm
Dogs and ducks are duds on the dance floor. So how come cockatoos and sea lions can move to a beat, and what does that tell us about our own musicality?
Table-top 'mini-LHC' ramps up to record energy
A laser-driven particle accelerator just 9 centimetres long is gearing up to rival heavyweights like the Large Hadron Collider
Is sexology just too human to study?
Can we hope to study something as human as sex in any scientific way? A new exhibition and two books leave plenty of room for doubt
Curiosity rover detects Martian methane burps
NASA's Mars rover has sniffed out short-lived bursts of methane, but whether it's Martian life or just a geological by-product is still unclear
'This is our policy': New Scientist after 3000 issues
A lot has changed in science, and science journalism, over the past 58 years – but our responsibilities remain the same
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.
