New Scientist Magazine - 24th April 2010 (7Summits) torrent

New Scientist Magazine - 2010-04-24 - Vol. 206 No. 2757


CONTENTS

NEWS
3 EDITORIAL Social media foil knee-jerk drug laws
4 UPFRONT The perils of standing on asteroids. New law claims fetuses feel pain
6 THIS WEEK Tracking down the first Darwinian ancestor. Mind gym skills of limited use. Cave dwellings on Mars. The curious link between smell and aging
9 INSIGHT It takes more than barbed wire to secure weapons-grade nuclear material
14 IN BRIEF Algae get sexy. Why acupuncture works. Bubble-blowing black holes
17 TECHNOLOGY Touchscreens touch back. Robots feed on ocean heat. Quantum broadband

OPINION
22 A platform for science New Scientist consultant Michael Brooks on why he is standing for Parliament in the UK general election
23 One minute with... Anil Seth How redness and feeling unreal can help crack consciouness
24 LETTERS Humanity's cradle. Are we zombies?
26 Thinking cells Forget molecular minutiae: amazing things emerge when you focus on neurons as a whole, says Brian J. Ford

FEATURES
28 Blingtronics
31 LIFE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
32 The hot zone Why are the tropics so rich in biodiversity?
36 Paradise regained Conservation can be a frustrating business - which makes this rare success all the more gratifying
38 After the fall Humans are causing a mass extinction. but we will shape life's recovery too
42 Mephedrone, fact and fiction Was the UK government right to ban this "legal high"?

REGULARS
24 ENIGMA
46 BOOKS & ARTS Reviews The hidden powers of human senses. Neither biology nor upbringing dictate our destiny
56 FEEDBACK Crispy... but where's the seaweed?
57 THE LAST WORD How long is a pencil line?
48 JOBS & CAREERS