December 2004

• Snowflakes made easy

  A mathematical model uses simple rules to create complex patterns.

  31 December 2004

• Aftershocks rock ravaged region

  Experts rush to calm fears that later quakes could exacerbate Asian disaster.

  31 December 2004

• Early sleep marks the end of adolescence

  'Lazy' teenagers undergo change in sleep patterns at age 20.

  30 December 2004

• Sumatran quake sped up Earth's rotation

  Natural disaster shaved millionths of a second off planet's day.

  30 December 2004

• Earthquake disaster: how to help

  Five million people in the area affected by the tsunami are thought to be in desperate need of aid. News@nature.com explains who is doing what to help, and how you can donate.

  30 December 2004

• Huygens probe sets out for Titan

  Twenty-day trek will be followed by a fiery descent.

  29 December 2004

• Devastating quake redraws map

  Seismic 'megathrust' leaves islands displaced.

  29 December 2004

• Asia grapples with tsunami aftermath

  Disease threatens to claim many thousands of lives, aid agencies warn.

  29 December 2004

• Indonesian tsunami-monitoring system lacked basic equipment

  Telephone line needed to relay warning signals was cut off in 2000.

  29 December 2004

• Natural selection acts on the quantum world

  Objective reality may owe its existence to a 'darwinian' process that advertises certain quantum states.

  23 December 2004