BIOMEDICAL
Is swine flu a bioterrorist virus? Conspiracy theorists are claiming that the swine flu spreading around the world was engineered by terrorists. Read why we鈥檙e sceptical, and follow our breaking news coverage of the spread of the virus and the fight to contain it.
TECH
Quantum computing gets commercial 鈥� and hackable Despite theoretically being uncrackable, flaws in quantum communication equipment make the technology as vulnerable to attack as conventional computers.
HEALTH
Bicycle helmet laws could do more harm than good Forcing cyclists to wear protective headgear could cause people to stop cycling and cost healthcare services billions of dollars as a result.
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ANIMAL WELFARE
Why freeing Willy was the wrong thing to do The released killer-whale star of the movie Free Willy did not have the survival skills to make it in the wild, researchers say.
ROBOTS
Chemical 鈥榗aterpillar鈥� points to electronics-free robots In the future, robots may not be electronic 鈥� see a piece of gel crawl across a Japanese lab powered and controlled only by chemical reactions.
SPACE
Mysterious cosmic blob discovered in early universe Astronomers have spotted the most distant blob of gas ever seen. It dates from the very early universe and its large size may pose a challenge to prevailing models of object formation.
ENVIRONMENT
Emergency rescues of species on the brink Conservation biologists often go to extreme lengths to prevent species going extinct 鈥� we鈥檝e assembled our favourite examples.