杏吧原创

Vermin of the skies: Astronomers used to curse asteroids for obscuring their view of the heavens. Now, as Ken Croswell discovers, scientists think they may hold the clues to the origin of the Solar System

Witness for the deceased

Quantum States of mind: Most biologists believe the answer to what make us consciuos lies buried in brain cells and their chemistry. John McCrone talks to the mavericks who prefer to look for clues in quantum physics

Protectors of Peru’s shining past: A squad drawn from Peru’s elite police force is cracking down on the looters who plunder pre-Columbian graves. Mary Dempsey reports on a country learning to value its heritage against all the odds

Wildlife’s road to nowhere?: Corridors connecting fragmented islands of natural habitat are all the rage. John Bonner asks whether they are routes to survival for threatened species or expensive dead ends

Shore Wars: Maritime strategists sre planning for battle in the confusing, cluttered waters off the enemy’s coast. Vincent Kiernan reports on the equipment navies will need for their new role

A paintbox for plant genes: A colourful DNA technique, the botanical equivalent of a paternity test, is helping researchers to trace the wild ancestors of key crop plants, explains Stephen Young

The sweet smell of purple

Mystery molecules of deepest space: Observers are scrutinising interstellar space on the trail of the lonely molecules that lurk there. Karen Schmidt reports

The trillion-bit cube: Computers’ appetite for data threatens to overwhelm today’s storage techniques. Sunny Bains reports on the race to develop digital memory banks to bridge the gap

Solvents get the big squeeze: Compress carbon dioxide enough and it will decaffeinate your coffee, improve the flavour of your beer and help chemists find safer ways to make new molecules. David Bradley reports on the strange world of supercritical fluid

Environment

How many species do we need?

Proofreaders for the code of life: When genes become garbled there are two safe options – repair or die. The alternative, reports Karen Schmidt, is cancer

Shooting at the moon