Virtual reality film revolution puts you in the scene
The virtual reality boom is about more than just gaming. Total immersion could radically change how we watch and interact with films
Weather forecast for early Earth involved iron rain
Put iron under pressure and it vaporises – much more readily than previously thought. This means meteorite impacts on early Earth could have created iron rain
Ultra-cold mirrors could reveal gravity's quantum side
The quantum Casimir effect is a slight attraction between two metal plates. Superconducting versions could finally show us quantum gravity at work
A travel guide to touch
Touching each other is an important part of social interaction around the world – but it's a case of different strokes for different folks
Germ-killing molecules identified in alligator blood
Over more than 37 million years, alligators have developed a formidable defence against infections that we might be able to harness
My drug-filled nanospheres heal at the speed of light
Our bodies have a habit of scattering medicine to the wrong places, so Adah Almutairi is targeting diseases with light-activated nanotechnology
Evolution's big bang: how life on Earth took off
Life was single-celled and boring for billions of years, then BOOM! the ancestors of most animals alive today appeared – thanks to a perfect storm of events
Volleyballene puts a new spin on buckyballs
The molecule is a super-stable mash-up of 60 carbon atoms and 20 scandium atoms, and it looks a lot like, yes, you've guessed it, a volleyball
Google wants to rank websites based on facts not links
Being trustworthy and accurate could help a web page rise up Google rankings if the search engine giant starts to measure quality by facts, not just links
To save the rainforest, let the locals take control
Global intervention in tropical forests to combat climate change could sideline their most effective guardians, warns Fred Pearce
Amazon deforestation soars after a decade of stability
Satellite images of the Amazon show that deforestation in Brazil has, at points, risen to levels 467 per cent of last year's
Why US law on guns and mental health needs to change
As eight die in shootings in Missouri, US organisations have banded together against a law compelling psychiatrists to report patients with mental illness
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.
