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At last, the European Union is to be joined by eastern countries, many of which have strong scientific traditions. But whether they can recapture past glories depends on the wisdom of new investment.
Paintings and other works of art are under attack from insects and fungi. Conventional pesticides don't help — they, too, can damage precious artefacts. Hannah Hoag meets a biologist who is finding gentler alternatives.
If NASA wants to build a Moon base or put human footprints on Mars, its astronauts are going to need a lot of help from robots. Does Houston have the technology? Tony Reichhardt investigates.
Commercial fishing can reduce the age and size at which fish mature. But it has been unclear whether this reflects changes in genes or in physical responses to the environment. A look at Atlantic cod provides an answer.
Radio emission from one of the neutron stars in the ‘double-pulsar’ system is strangely enhanced in two sections of its orbit — stimulated, perhaps, by radiation from its companion.
A component of the ‘tip link’ that conveys tension to mechanically sensitive ion channels in the inner ear has been identified. The finding raises new questions about elastic elements in our hearing apparatus.
Silicate minerals that predate the Solar System have been detected inside primitive stony meteorites. Isotopic analysis suggests that the silicates probably condensed around dying ancient stars.
A huge amount of biological information is preserved in the growth records of teeth. Tapping into those records provides a tantalizing look at how quickly Neanderthals grew up and reached maturity.
Born of necessity in the Victorian era, tropical medicine has been given a new impetus by genomics, philanthropy and an increasing awareness of the toll of tropical diseases. This is leading to new opportunities in tropical-disease research. Eugene Russo reports.
