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Conservation dilemmas: Is a shopping mall as alive as a wolf?

Conservation dilemmas: Is a shopping mall as alive as a wolf?

17 June 2015

It's getting tricky to work out what we mean by "alive" and worthy of conservation efforts. Two new books explore this strange frontier
<i>Mixed Messages</i>: Are our genes and culture at cross purposes?

Mixed Messages: Are our genes and culture at cross purposes?

13 May 2015

Why privilege genes over culture when people like South America's Mbaya, who eschew sex and pass on their culture through adoption, seem to argue the opposite?
Back to black: The enduring quest to portray nothing

Back to black: The enduring quest to portray nothing

21 January 2015

A painting of a black square shown in Russia 100 years ago broke new ground, now revisited by an exhibition in London and a carbon nanotube take on the original
<i>Ex Machina</i>: Quest to create an AI takes no prisoners

Ex Machina: Quest to create an AI takes no prisoners

21 January 2015

Alex Garland's directorial debut is a better film because of, and not despite, its engagement with consciousness research, says neuroscientist Anil Seth
Can bitcoin outgun the abuses of big data?

Can bitcoin outgun the abuses of big data?

14 January 2015

If bitcoin-like currencies take off, might people power stop big firms from invading our privacy? A bold thought from crashing together two new books

Illusions, voids and convex ghosts

Illusions, voids and convex ghosts

2 April 2015

With a visceral and disturbing new show at the Lisson Gallery in London, Anish Kapoor talks to New Scientist
<i>Thank You, Madagascar</i>: Diary of a life among lemurs

Thank You, Madagascar: Diary of a life among lemurs

8 April 2015

In exploring the female-dominated world of lemurs in Madagascar, Alison Jolly shed a unique light on a world as biologically rich as it is economically poor
Is imagery the real key to marketing outrage?

Is imagery the real key to marketing outrage?

31 March 2015

From utopian atomic cities to environmental disasters, two books explore the power of social and environmental imagery when it comes to selling ideals
Putting animals online: Does it protect or destroy?

Putting animals online: Does it protect or destroy?

26 February 2015

Even in the digital realm, observation and conservation make uncomfortable bedfellows
<i>Birth of a Theorem</i>: Mathematics, Boltzmann and brio

Birth of a Theorem: Mathematics, Boltzmann and brio

25 February 2015

Birth of a Theorem: A mathematical adventure by Fields medallist Cedric Villani is an exhilarating but exhausting journey with a fascinating mind