杏吧原创

Darlings, clones, you were wonderful . . .: The remake of a Jules Verne classic is grappling with the technical challenges of using virtually real actors. Clive Davidson reports

The trouble with ME: For the past decade sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome have fought to get their condition recognised as a biological disease. Now scientific research seems to be backing their claims, says Renee Twombly

Birth of a human robot: Can AI researchers really turn today’s stupid robots into the intelligent humanoids of science fiction, asks Roger Lewin

Human origins: The challenge of Java’s skulls – The remains of three ancient Indonesians could spell death for many theories about the origins of early humans. Roger Lewin reports

The Aristocrat who revolutionised chemistry: Before Madame Guillotine claimed him, Antoine Lavoisier transformed chemistry into a modern science with his revolutionary set of terms and symbols

High and dry in Aswan

A natural way with weeds: A quiet war is being waged in Asia’s rice fields over how best to use pesticides. In this article and the next, New 杏吧原创 reports on the battle between manufacturers who continue to push their products, and scientists who wa

Beyond the pestkillers . . .: Poor rice farmers in three Filipino villages are showing the fast-growing populations of Asia how to cut back on costly, damaging insecticides and still feed themselves, says John Madeley

Contraceptives?: There’s a revolution going on in birth control for men and women. But the drugs companies have all but abandoned research . .

Hot bubbles in space: What lies between stars in a galaxy? Not a huge expanse of nothingness but something altogether more interesting

Insects that carry a global warning: On the ruggedly beautiful island of Spitsbergen, entomologists are bringing some warmth into the lives of arctic aphids

Engineering the future of antibiotics

Drilling for a past climate:

Meet genetics’ master chefs: All cells contain the same genetic information. So what makes a hair cell hairy or a bone cell bony?