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Suite of chatterbox genes discovered

18:00 11 November 2009

A set of 116 genes influenced by Foxp2 could have coevolved to give humans language

Fair play: Monkeys share our sense of injustice

ESSAY:  18:00 11 November 2009

Our instinctive reaction to displays of greed and conspicuous consumption has its origins in the primate world, says Frans de Waal

Mini ice age took hold of Europe in months

THIS WEEK:  18:00 11 November 2009

Detailed studies of ancient climate have revealed that the onset of Europe's "Big Freeze", 13,000 years ago, was anything but glacial

Mars rover battles for its life

THIS WEEK:  18:00 11 November 2009

NASA's veteran explorer faces its toughest challenge yet as it prepares to free itself from a sand trap where it has been mired for the past six months

In SUSY we trust: What the LHC is really looking for

COVER STORY:  18:00 11 November 2009

Forget the God particle - the rebooted Large Hadron Collider will give us much greater revelations

Boys with ALD bring gene therapy in from cold

15:21 11 November 2009

Two boys treated with a gene therapy for the brain disease X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy have fared so well that doctors are seeking more volunteers

Ultimate emergency call uses all open channels

NEWS:  14:04 11 November 2009  | 4 comments

A new satellite radio promises to use all known communication methods to raise the alarm when the owner is in a spot of bother

Backward star ain't from around here

12:51 11 November 2009  | 3 comments

The nearest neighbouring star to orbit the galaxy backwards appears to have come from a much brighter place

Alcohol and sports sponsorship don't mix

11:49 11 November 2009  | 8 comments

Psychologists claim that alcohol sponsorship tarnishes the image of sport and harms athletes' health

Water purifiers for the poor fail to prove their worth

12:21 11 November 2009  | 8 comments

Ceramic filters are the only water cleaners proven to work, as many studies into the effectiveness of treatments are flawed

DARPA: Inventing this side of the impossible

The A160 hummingbird, just one of many DARPA project that have found military or commercial use (Image: DARPA)

BOOKS & ARTS:  11:40 11 November 2009  | 3 comments

In The Department of Mad Scientists, Michael Belfiore gets half the story of DARPA, the US military agency that brought us the internet and GPS

FAVOURITE COMMENT

Giant crack in Earth's crust

"You're a real crack-up." lame_guy (continues)

FEEDBACK

Why it's good to log out

How to harness malingering electrons, a quantum bifurcating footpath, and the importance of seeking medical attention if you snuff it

CULTURELAB

Laughing all the way to the anti-bank

10:00 11 November 2009 - updated 13:29 11 November 2009

Conceptual artist Jonathon Keats has established the world's First Bank of Antimatter - a satire of today's economy

Pluto: I'm a planet, damn it!

10:00 10 November 2009 - updated 16:04 10 November 2009

Pluto finally speaks out on the planet controversy

GEOLOGY

Plan to pierce heart of urban monster volcano

Drill if you dare (Image: R.W.W./Ambra Galassi/Flickr)

Next month, geologists will begin to drill into a huge volcano in Italy that has towns on top of it: is that a good idea?

HEALTH

Generation specs: Stopping the short-sight epidemic

Should have spent more time outdoors? (Image: Veer Solus/Getty)

Myopia is on the rise all around the world, but there might be a simple way to spare many kids the need for spectacles

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VIDEO

Good vibrations get a club-winged manakin going Movie Camera

When it comes to wooing a mate, one bird finds it pays to make like a grasshopper

HUMAN EVOLUTION

Stone Age humans crossed Sahara in the rain

It used to be wetter (Image: Sergio Pitamitz/Getty)

Wet spells in the Sahara may have helped early humans migrate out of Africa

GALLERY
car, auto, efficient, x prize, progressive automotive,

Highly efficient car contenders

Competitors for the Progressive Automotive X Prize gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada, last weekend to kick off the next phase of competition. See some of the competing cars here

SPECIAL REPORT

Swine flu: The pandemic of 2009

Keep up to date with the latest on the H1N1 flu pandemic with our special report

ASTROBIOLOGY
Sniffing out life on Titan (Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/SPL)

Extraterrestrial rafting: Hunting off-world sea life

Do the moons of Jupiter and Saturn harbour life in their chilly oceans? A flotilla of space probes is being lined up to haul anchor and find out

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