Global coral bleaching event: What you need to know
The world's coral reefs are in the midst of a mass die off – a "white death" spanning the globe. New Scientist looks at why understanding what's happening is essential
First pocket rockets take tiny satellites for a spin
CubeSats built from off-the-shelf parts can transform space exploration, as long as we can steer them. An ionic liquid propulsion system is a big step forward
Migraines triggered by protein deep in the brain
A peptide that over-excites neurons controlling facial feeling is to blame for migraines – so drugs that constrict blood vessels won't work
Pufferfish planets could explain how hot Jupiters get so big
Many of the gas giant planets we've seen orbiting other stars are up to twice as large as theory says they should be. A new class of planets could explain why
Bacterial genes that turn mercury lethal mapped across world
Some bacteria turn mercury into a neurotoxin called methylmercury that accumulates in the food we eat. Now we know where those bacteria are found
60 Seconds
Early spring, antibiotics in livestock, Indian pharmacy strike and more
Digital version of piece of rat brain fires like the real thing
Including 31,000 neurons and their 37 million synapses, a digital recreation of a chunk of rat brain is already giving clues as to how the real thing works
Elephants almost never get cancer thanks to multiple gene copies
Duplications of the p53 gene makes elephant cells more likely to die in response to DNA damage, rather than turn cancerous
‘Gay test’ fear mustn’t derail work on sexuality’s genetic basis
Talk of using DNA to determine whether someone is gay misunderstands efforts to explain human variation, says Dean Hamer, who published the first evidence for a genetic predisposition to homosexuality
World’s first trial of stem cell therapy in the womb
Starting in January, 20-week-old fetuses with brittle bone disease will be given transplants of stem cells in the first clinical trial of its kind
