New scientist

RUNNING WILD America’s horses need reining in

Science and technology news www.newscientist.com US jobs in science

IN COLD STORAGEThe biggest fuelreserves ever

THE TWIN PARADOXWhen identicalturns out different

SYRIAN ORDEALGhastly plight of gas survivors

WEEKLY August 31 - September 6, 2013

No2932 US$5.95 CAN$5.95

THE CLOCKWORK BRAINWhat really makes your thoughts go round?

ofTOUCH DARKNESS At last, a hint of the universe’s most elusive matter

Plus

Every three months, Arc explores the possibilities of tomorrow’s technologies and societies with unique intelligence, wit and charm, publishing work by the world’s most visionary writers and thinkers. It will make you see the future in a whole new light.

“Consistently brilliant” – guardian.co.uk

Previous editions never go out of date and include articles, travelogues, short stories and speculations about the future from:

F i n d o u t m o r e a n d b u y a l l i s s u e s o f A r c a t a r c f i n i t y . o r g

A r c i s a d i g i t a l p u b l i c a t i o ne x p l o r i n g t h e f u t u r e t h r o u g h f a c t , o p i n i o n a n d f i c t i o n .

A rc i s d e s i g n e d t o b e re a d o n d i g i t a l d e v i c e s – t a b l e t s , s m a r t p h o n e s, K i n d l e s, N o o k s, P C s a n d M a c s – s o y o u w o n ’t fi n d i t i n y o u r l o c a l b o o k s h o p o r n e w s a g e n t .

Post human conditionsNick Harkaway, Paul McAuley, Regina Peldszus, Gord Sellar, Jeff VanderMeer, Sonja Vesterholt…

The future always winsMargaret Atwood, Stephen Baxter, M. John Harrison, China Miéville, Alastair Reynolds, Adam Roberts…

Afterparty overdriveChristina Agapakis, Nan Craig, Tim Maughan, Justin Pickard, Neil Stephenson, Lavie Tidhar…

How remote can you go?

Out now, the latest issue of Arc, Forever alone drone, explores the technological wilderness over more than 180 pages of exciting new work from a fantastic selection of notable writers.

A r c 1 . 4 /F o r e v e r a l o n e d r o n e

B u y y o u r c o p y n o w a t a r c f i n i t y . o r g

A rc i s a n e x p l o ra t i o n o f t h e f u t u re , b y t h e m a k e rs o f N e w S c i e n t i s t

New science fiction from:Liz JensenNancy KressRobert ReedBruce Sterling Romie StottJack Womack

New essays & ideas aboutthe future from:Madeline AshbySimon IngsSmári McCarthySumit Paul-ChoudhuryKim Stanley RobinsonFrank SwainJon Turney

B u y n o w

We delve into an interesting career path for chemists as we look at the role they play in creating fakes – synthetic versions of naturally-occurring products – for our benefit.

We will also look at the chemists involved in spotting harmful or illegal cases of fakery, usually in the case of fake drugs (both medicinal and recreational).

Find out what it takes to follow this career path by picking up your copy of New Scientist next week!

31 August 2013 | NewScientist | 3

CONTENTS Volume 219 No 2932

This issue online newscientist.com/issue/2932

News6 UPFRONT

Uncontacted tribes make contact. Workers’ strike blinds Chilean telescope. Old Apollo launch pad, anyone? Yosemite rim burns

8 THIS WEEK How do we solve a problem like Fukushima? Brains may work like dictionaries. Inside the atomic clock factory. Hell on early Earth was short-lived

14 FIELD NOTES US struggles with too many wild horses16 IN BRIEF Stone Age chefs used spices. Cannonball

planet has shortest year. Mini human brain made from stem cells

Coming next week…Voices from the pastOur ancestors’ secrets are locked in our words

Trial by algorithmCan computers deliver better justice?

Cover image Maria Rendon

32

36

Syrian gas attack Aftermath of

the chemical

weapons strike

8A

LL

AN

MC

CO

LLU

ME

RB

IN N

EW

S/N

UR

PH

OT

O/R

EX

FE

AT

UR

ES

The clockwork brainWhat really makes your

thoughts go round?

Touch of darknessAt last, a hint of the

universe’s most

elusive matter

Technology19 DIY games go mainstream. Listen for animals.

Sensor-based diary. The race to bring the whole world online. Tae kwon do simulator

News

On the cover

Features

8 Syrian ordeal Plight of gas survivors

36 Touch of darkness A hint of elusive stuff

40 In cold storage Biggest fuel reserves ever

44 The twin paradox When identical turns out different

14 Running wild Reining in America’s horses

Opinion26 Leave those kids alone! Tom Bennett on

neuromyths that need debunking27 One minute with… Pete Worden Why the

21st century will be the real space age28 Downloading DNA Biotech can improve

human lives worldwide, says Drew Endy30 LETTERS Cheap aliens. Picnic of fear

Features32 The clockwork brain (see above left)36 Touch of darkness (see left)40 In cold storage The biggest fuel

reserves ever44 The twin paradox When identical

turns out different

CultureLab48 Betting with our lives? A famous wager

from 1980 casts a long ecological shadow

Regulars5 EDITORIAL The Syrian people need

medicines and information, not bombs30 ENIGMA56 FEEDBACK Dead folk star does live show57 THE LAST WORD Colour that stings50 JOBS & CAREERS

Aperture24 The great shark hunt

CONTENTS

NEW SCIENTIST CONNECT

LET YOUR LOVE LIFE LIFT OFFON

Launch your search now at: http://dating.newscientist.com

Join now


Drop medicine not bombs

EDITORIAL

Military force is not the way to help Syrians threatened by gas attacks

Fire ice, the new fracking

“Many people died in Damascus because they hid in basements: sarin vapour is heavier than air”

LOCATIONSUSA225 Wyman Street,

Waltham, MA 02451

Tel +1 781 734 8770 Fax +1 720 356 9217

201 Mission Street, 26th Floor,

San Francisco, CA 94105

Tel +1 415 908 3348 Fax +1 415 704 3125

UKLacon House, 84 Theobald’s

Road, London WC1X 8NS

Tel +44 (0) 20 7611 1200 Fax +44 (0) 20 7611 1250

AustraliaTower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue,

Chatswood, NSW 2067

Tel +61 2 9422 8559 Fax +61 2 9422 8552

© 2013 Reed Business Information Ltd, England.

New Scientist ISSN 0262 4079 is published weekly except for the last week in December by Reed Business Information Ltd, England.

Reed Business Information, c/o Schnell Publishing Co. Inc., 360 Park Avenue South, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10010.

Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and other mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to New Scientist, PO Box 3806, Chesterfield, MO 63006-9953, USA.

Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper and printed in USA by Fry Communications Inc, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICEFor our latest subscription offers, visitnewscientist.com/subscribe

Customer and subscription services are also available by:

Telephone 1-888-822-3242

Email [email protected]

Web newscientist.com/subscribe

Mail New Scientist, PO Box 3806, Chesterfield, MO 63006-9953 USA

One year subscription (51 issues) $154

CONTACTSContact usnewscientist.com/contact

Who’s whonewscientist.com/people

General & media enquiriesTel 781 734 [email protected]

EditorialTel 781 734 [email protected]@[email protected]

Picture deskTel +44 (0) 20 7611 1268

Display advertisingTel 781 734 [email protected]

Recruitment advertisingTel 781 734 [email protected]

NewsstandTel 212 237 7987Distributed by Time/Warner RetailSales and Marketing, 260 Cherry HillRoad, Parsippany, NJ 07054

SyndicationTribune Media Services InternationalTel 213 237 7987

6 | NewScientist | 31 August 2013

NA

SA

Genome prize axed Tribe caught on film

Launch pad for sale

–Left high and dry–

–Hefty chunk of history–

Strike blinds telescopeBOTHERED by bad office coffee and

rush-hour traffic? Tell that to the

people who staff the world’s largest

radio telescope, 5000 metres above

sea level in Chile’s Atacama desert.

On 22 August, almost 200 staff

at the Atacama Large Millimeter/

submillimeter Array (ALMA) went

on strike to demand higher pay for

working in the extreme conditions at

the observatory. The site, which will

eventually boast 66 radio dishes,

officially opened in March, although

construction is ongoing.

Water vapour in Earth’s atmosphere

blocks shorter radio wavelengths, so

the thin, dry air of the Atacama desert

is ideal for radio astronomy. ALMA is

already studying planet formation and

detecting radiation from very distant

galaxies in the early universe.

But staff at the site have to deal

with altitude sickness, chapped

skin and chilly temperatures – not

to mention being hours away the

nearest city.

Victor Gonzalez, president of the

ALMA union, says that the workers

are on indefinite strike following

a breakdown in negotiations with

Associated Universities Incorporated,

which manages the observatory.

The union wants a 15 per cent pay

rise and other benefits.

ALMA is not making fresh

observations during the strike, but

off-site researchers are analysing

existing data, scheduling new projects

and refining software, says Charles

Blue, a spokesman for the US National

Radio Astronomy Observatory in

Virginia, which co-manages ALMA.

SIL

VIO

RO

SS

I/E

SO

UPFRONT

“Current technologies are affordable, but are far from meeting the X Prize goal for accuracy”


Deadly well water

Acid still reigns

“The legacy of acid rain still taints the rivers of the eastern US, but in an unexpected way”

SAN FRANCISCO is in a state of

emergency, its power and water

supplies threatened by one of the

largest Californian wildfires on

record - just 250 kilometres to the east

of the city, on the fringes of Yosemite

National Park. It is a grim warning of

profound changes that may lie ahead.

Wildfires have always been a part

of life in the US west, but activity is

on the rise as climate change takes

hold. In California’s Sierra Nevada

mountains, the main problem is the

earlier onset of spring. “The snow

melts earlier, especially at lower

elevations,” says Michael Wehner

of the Lawrence Berkeley National

Laboratory. That gives forests longer

to dry out, producing tinderbox

conditions by late August.

As New Scientist went to press, the

Rim Fire had torched over 700 square

kilometres and was approaching

the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which

provides San Francisco with most of

its water and generates hydroelectric

power for the city’s General Hospital,

transit system and airport. It serves

as a warning that wildfires can have

effects far beyond the area they burn.

Another concern is that scorched

forest may not recover – at least not to

its former state. Mixed conifer forest,

like the area now ablaze, is slowly

being replaced at lower elevations by

shrubland, which is better adapted

to drier conditions. This, in turn, will

reduce the ability of wildlands to

mitigate global warming by pulling

carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

California Rim Fire rages

–Up in flames–

AP

PH

OT

O/P

A/J

AE

C. H

ON

G

60 SECONDS

Badger cull beginsUK farmers began shooting badgers

this week in a controversial pilot

project intended to stop the spread

of bovine tuberculosis. In June, the

government licensed two culls, in

Gloucestershire and Somerset. The

aim is to kill 70 per cent of badgers in

six weeks. But it could take years to

find out if culling actually works.

Squid allureSome squid catch their prey with a

rod and bait. The first sightings of

deep-sea Grimalditeuthis bonplandi

in their natural habitat show that the

squid use their strange sucker-free

tentacles to lure in prey. They wiggle

the tentacle tips to mimic small

fish and draw in the bigger ones

(Proceedings of the Royal Society B,

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.1463).

Japan rocket no-goA Japanese space telescope that

was to spy on the atmospheres of

Venus and Mars has been grounded

because of an abnormality, just 19

seconds before lift-off on 27 August.

The launch would have been the

maiden voyage for the Epsilon

rocket, designed as a cheaper way

to get science satellites into space.

Hubble bags a slinkyPictures shot by the Hubble Space

Telescope more than 13 years have

been pieced together to reveal the

spiral, slinky-like motion of a jet of

gas shooting from the black hole at

the centre of the nearby M87 galaxy.

Such jets are thought to play a role in

galaxy evolution (The Astrophysical

Journal Letters, doi.org/nj8).

Element 115 – at last?A new chemical element may soon

make its debut in the periodic table –

if the international unions of pure

and applied physics and chemistry

agree that there is, at last, enough

evidence for its existence. A team

at Lund University in Sweden say

they have made element 115 – as

yet unnamed – building on a claim

by a Russian group in 2004.

For daily news stories, visit newscientist.com/news


NEWS FOCUS / CHEMICAL WEAPONS

The nerve agent sarin is

likely to have been the

agent used in Syria

ER

BIN

NE

WS

/NU

RP

HO

TO

/RE

X F

EA

TU

RE

S

Science can shed light on last week’s gas attack in Damascus – and how not to retaliate, says Debora MacKenzie

SYRIA CROSSES THE LINE


Last week’s chemical attack

in Damascus killed hundreds

of people, but thousands

more received a non-lethal

dose. What lies in store for

these survivors?

Similar attacks by Iraqi

government forces during

the Iran–Iraq war in the

1980s offer clues,

suggesting that survivors

could face decades of health

and psychological problems

but that interventions can

help – if they happen quickly.

The biggest single attack

was in the Kurdish town of

Halabja in northern Iraq,

where at least 3000 people

died and thousands more

were severely hurt. The

worst cases were caused by

mustard gas, which causes

blisters on the skin and

lungs. It was not used in

Syria (see main story),

though President Assad is

thought to have stockpiles.

Sarin, the likely culprit in

Syria, was used too. Salah

Ahmad of the Kirkuk Center

for Torture Victims, which

runs a rehab centre in

Halabja, reports chronic

neurological damage due to

the nerve agent. Long–term

effects include restlessness,

anxiety, disordered sleep,

memory loss, cognitive

impairment, depression

and post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD), according

to Mahdi Balali–Mood of

Mashhad University of

Medical Sciences in Iran,

who has studied Iranian

chemical attack victims

from the same conflict.

Profound guilt There is a sarin antidote,

atropine (see editorial,

page 5), but it needs to be

given within minutes or

hours in severe cases. No

one knows how many Syrian

victims may have received it.

Humanitarian organisation

Médecins Sans Frontières

says that clinics it supports

in Damascus claim to have

received around 3600

patients with neurotoxic

symptoms on the day of the

attack, and that they did

treat people atropine.

Atropine can be effective

weeks later in less severe

cases, and MSF is trying to

send more doses but there

is no guarantee they will get

through. It is in short supply

throughout Syria.

Survivors will also have to

deal with psychological

trauma. Sarin can wipe out

whole families, and this

often leaves survivors with

a profound sense of guilt,

which can be debilitating.

Ahmad recalls a patient in

Halabja who as a child was

the only one of a family of

11 to survive the 1988

attack. As an adult, he “feels

so bad he doesn’t want to

live”, Ahmad says. “There

were many survivors, but if

you go to Halabja today you

see a very different society.

You see sad, depressed

faces throughout the city.”

A strong support network

will be as crucial in Syria as

emergency medical

treatment, he says.

Two further incidents

also reveal sarin’s long-term

toll. US soldiers exposed to

low levels while destroying

a weapons dump in

Khamisiyah, Iraq, during the

Gulf War of 1990-1991 had

impaired memory, attention,

visuospatial abilities and

altered brain structure.

Many of the 5500 survivors

of the 1995 sarin attack on

the Tokyo subway report

chronic memory and

attention problems, and

PTSD symptoms. Those

exposed to intermediate

levels have less grey matter

in regions used for memory

and cognition. Michael Bond

THE SURVIVORS’ TALE

“If you know where a short-range rocket landed, you can estimate where it came from”

In this section Brains may work like dictionaries, page 11

US struggles with too many wild horses, page 14

DIY games go mainstream, page 19

THIS WEEK


Additional reporting by Rob Gilhooly

in Tokyo, and Rowan Hooper

Andy Coghlan

–A radioactive river runs through it–

Can the sea take Fukushima waste?

KY

OD

O//

RE

UT

ER

S

The contaminated water problem

at Fukushima starts in the

mountains. Every day, 400 tonnes

of groundwater flows down from

peaks overlooking the complex,

invades the stricken reactor halls

and is contaminated. At present,

the Tokyo Electric Power Company

(Tepco), which runs the plant,

redirects the water over the reactor

cores to keep them cool. After

filtering to remove radioactive

caesium, Tepco stores the water –

huge volumes of it – in 1060 tanks,

each holding up to 1000 tonnes.

Tepco has drilled wells in the

mountains to pump out and divert

groundwater before it reaches

Fukushima. It is even considering

creating an “ice wall” around the

complex by freezing water in soil.

HOLDING BACK THE WATERMore prosaically, in March, the

company installed new filtering

equipment. The advanced liquid

processing system (ALPS) filters

out caesium and 60 other isotopes.

The IAEA says such filtering offers

the best hope for cleaning water to

a standard fit for dumping at sea.

The tanks would then be used for

more concentrated waste. But

Tepco halted tests on ALPS this

month after corrosion holes

developed in an associated tank.

The company says tests won’t

resume until December.

“Anything they can do to remove

the more dangerous compounds

and dilute the others is almost the

only solution,” says Ken Buesseler

of the Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institution in Massachusetts.

“To make dumping into the sea politically acceptable, Tepco has to talk to the local population”

Walk

Locate

Exist

Displace

DICTIONARY (100%)

KERNEL (10% of dictionary)Unique set of words that can

be used to define all

others. Consists of

satellite groupseach connected

to a single

core group

MGS(5% of dictionary)

Minimum set of words that

can be used to define all

others. Unlike the kernel,

the minimal grounding set

can take many possible forms

but always includes words from

the core and its satellites



Why your brain structures language like a dictionary

Jacob Aron

“Definitions in a dictionary may resemble the representation of word meanings in our brains”

JAM

IE G

RIL

L/G

ET

TY

–Read all about it–

Link English words (walk, say) according to their dictionary definitions,and structures emerge that may resemble how our brains represent language

THIS WEEK


FIELD NOTES

Whoa! How to rein in the US’s wild horses

With drought rife and food scarce,

this is no country for old mares

Sara Reardon

Nevada high desert

“We would not have 50,000 horses living in holding if euthanasia was an option”

YV

A M

OM

AT

IUK

& JO

HN

EA

ST

CO

TT

/MIN

DE

N P

ICT

UR

ES

/NG

S



Lisa Grossman–Peering through a time portal–

The planet Earth was blue long before we knewEARTH may have become the blue

planet just 200 million years after it

formed, making it a welcoming home

for life hundreds of millions of years

earlier than we thought.

Earth’s first 600 million years are

called the Hadean – for good reason.

“It is traditionally seen as a period of

Earth history when our hot, young

planet was hellish and

uninhabitable,” says Judith Coggon at

the University of Bonn, Germany.

But hell may actually have been

relatively short-lived. Coggon and her

colleagues have found that rocks in

Greenland contain a chemical

signature from the mantle 4.1 billion

years ago – just 400 million years

after our planet was born. That signal

suggests conditions at the time may

have been more like they are today

than we expected.

Models suggest some “iron-loving”

metals like gold and platinum – which

dissolve in molten iron – should all

have sunk into the iron-rich core as it

formed. Because they are relatively

abundant in the mantle today, it has

been suggested that meteorites and

comets smashing into Earth about

3.9 billion years ago replenished the

stock. This hypothesised event,

known as the Late Veneer, is also

thought to have given Earth most of

its water, delivered as ice.

But Coggon’s rock samples suggest

that Earth’s mantle had already been

topped up with iron-loving minerals

by 4.1 billion years ago, meaning the

Late Veneer, and the birth of Earth’s

oceans, must have occurred earlier.

It may actually have been before

4.3 billion years ago, says Coggon:

rocks of that age discovered last year

hint that, at the time they formed,

Earth’s mantle was already rich in

iron-loving minerals (Nature

Geoscience, doi.org/njz).

If so, Earth gained its oceans little

more than 200 million years after it

formed – which also pushes back the

date for the earliest possible origin of

life, says Coggon. Colin Barras

“Earth may have gained its oceans little more than 200 million years after the planet formed”

Most precise atomic clock to hunt tiny time dilations

JEF

F S

HE

RM

AN


Cannonball planet has 4-hour year

Acid ocean plants will accelerate global warming

WHAT goes around comes around. Our greenhouse gas

emissions don’t just warm the planet, they also acidify

the oceans. Now it turns out that the change in ocean

chemistry they cause will feed back into the climate,

further driving up temperatures.

This wasn’t always thought to be true. Climatologists

consider the carbon dioxide that is absorbed by the ocean

to be stored – and unable to affect the climate. But a

study now suggests that the acidification it causes will

rebound on the entire planet, by acting on tiny marine

plants called phytoplankton . These produce a chemical

ES

A

IN BRIEF

Double bangs may be quark star births

called dimethyl sulphide (DMS) that drifts up into the air

and reflects sunlight back into space, cooling the planet.

Katharina Six of the Max Planck Institute for

Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany, and her team

gathered experimental data showing that phytoplankton

produce less DMS as seawater becomes less alkaline.

After feeding these figures into climate models, they

estimate that 18 per cent less DMS will be released from

the oceans in 2100, compared to pre-industrial times

(Nature Climate Change, DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1981).

If the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere

doubles – which is likely to happen later this century –

temperatures are expected to rise between 2 and 4.5 °C.

Ocean acidification will add between 0.23 and 0.48 °C to

that figure, Six estimates.

Embryonic snails offer evolution clue


Swift treatment helps tots with HIV

Mini ‘brains’ built in lab for the first time

FAMILIARITY may breed contempt,

and it also makes it easier to ignore

our nearest and dearest.

The brain can focus on one voice in

a noisy room. To find out if familiarity

of the voice helps, Ingrid Johnsrude at

Queen’s University in Kingston,

Canada, recruited 23 married couples.

Individuals were played two

sentences simultaneously and asked

to report back details about one of

them, such as the colour and number

mentioned. They did this correctly 80

per cent of the time when their

spouse spoke the target sentence

and a stranger spoke the decoy

sentence. If strangers spoke both, the

success rate dropped to 65 per cent.

But if the target sentence was

spoken by a stranger, and the decoy

by their spouse, the success rate was

73 per cent. This suggests a familiar

voice is easier to focus on than a

stranger’s – and also easier to ignore.

However, people in older couples

were less able to ignore their spouse if

he or she spoke the decoy sentence

(Psychological Science, DOI: 10.1177/

0956797613482467). Perhaps this

explains why older people can

struggle to hear in noisy places, or why

so many claim to be selectively deaf.

Spouses easier to hear... and ignore

PH

ILIP

PE

LO

PP

AR

EL

LI/

TE

ND

AN

CE

FLO

UE

Stone age chefs cooked with spice

IN PREHISTORIC times, just as now,

some liked it hot. Residues scraped

from the inside of 6000-year-old

pots show they were used to cook

food seasoned with a peppery spice.

“If you find the botanical remains

of spices at a site, you don’t

[normally] know whether they were

used in food or whether they just

came from plants growing nearby,”

says Oliver Craig at the University of

York, UK. So, although coriander

seeds have been found at a

23,000-year-old site in Israel, we

cannot be sure that the spice was

used to flavour food.

Craig and his colleagues have

now found clear evidence that

spices were intentionally added to

food in northern Europe around

6100 years ago – the earliest known

evidence of this in Europe, and

perhaps anywhere in the world.

They studied 74 pots from sites in

Denmark and Germany. Residues

scraped off the inner walls of the

pots suggested they had contained

meat or fish, and seeds of garlic

mustard (Alliaria petiolata), a local

plant with a strong peppery flavour

but little nutritional value.

“Often, we associate the arrival

of farming with the first use of new

plants and spices,” says Craig. But

the prehistoric chefs at his study

sites were hunter-gatherers.

“[Spices have] probably always

been part of our cuisine.”

PH

ILIP

WIL

KIN

S/G

ET

TY

For new stories every day, visit newscientist.com/news

www.newscientistjobs.com


For more technology stories, visit newscientist.com/technologyTECHNOLOGY

Douglas Heaven

Let there be gamesDon’t just play, create — new tools are making it easy for gamers to build video games of their own

>

Game-making tools can help

designers who don’t know how

to code, But all the ideas still need

to come from a person. Could

future tools help with that too?

Michael Cook at Goldsmiths,

University of London, has designed

an AI called Angelina to design

game levels automatically, find

novel gameplay mechanics and

select art that fits a given theme.

Julian Togelius at the IT University

of Copenhagen in Denmark and

colleagues have built a similar AI that

collaborates with people. It devises

new types of card game and presents

candidates to a human. “It’s a chance

for games to become as common a

medium of expression as doodling

a picture,” says Cook.

–Hmm, what will I make today?–

ET

IEN

NE

LA

UR

EN

T/I

SA

RT

AI can play that game, too

“Spark makes this creativity accessible by hiding hundreds of lines of code under familiar interfaces”


TECHNOLOGY

Paul Marks

“The app recognises the rare New Forest cicada by seeking out two telltale wavelengths in its song”

<

The unsuspecting naturalistAn app will let you log the numbers of endangered animals just by listening to their calls

–Cicada to the right, 100 metres–OS

CA

R D

OM

ING

UE

Z/P

HO

TO

SH

OT

For more technology stories, visit newscientist.com/technology


ONE PER CENT

HIR

OK

AZ

U Y

AM

AN

OU

CH

I /F

LIC

KR

/GE

TT

Y

Rain, rain, go awayRaindrops on the screens showing sports footage and CCTV

images are a visual nuisance. And they could be downright

dangerous if they blind future cameras guiding driverless

cars. Shaodi You and Robby Tan at the University of Tokyo in

Japan and their colleagues at Utrecht University in the

Netherlands have developed a way to eliminate most of the

effects raindrops have on image quality. Their trick is to

recognise the optical ways in which drips blur images, and

also generate glare. Once identified, the effects are simply

subtracted from each frame of video. The work was

presented in June at the Computer Vision and Pattern

Recognition conference in Portland, Oregon.

On Facebook? Prepare to be shockedFeel bad about how much time you spend on social media

sites like Facebook? The Pavlov Poke could help by

making you feel even worse. Designed as a joke, but with a

serious message at its core about our addiction to internet

services, the system gives you a small electric shock via the

keyboard after you have clocked up a certain amount of time

on particular websites or applications. The shock is not

harmful, but should be unpleasant enough to act as a

deterrent. And if the shocks are not enough to wean you off

Facebook, the system can also recruit a crowd-worker on

Amazon Mechanical Turk to phone up and yell at you

whenever your willpower wobbles.

Mask sensor lets you breathe easyIf you are wearing a respiratory mask to avoid airborne

toxins or chemical weapons, chances are you will be

worried about where your next lungful of air is coming

from. To help set a wearer’s mind at ease, UK military

contractor Qinetiq, based in Farnborough, filed a US patent

last week on a mask that uses flexible contacts to measure

the electrical capacitance between the rubbery seal and

the skin of the user’s face. If the capacitance changes

significantly, the mask sounds an alert, indicating to the

user that they need to adjust the mask’s position to achieve

a safer seal.

Auto-diary turns every action into part of your storyEVER given up keeping a diary

because you never remembered to

fill it in? Don’t worry, your cellphone

could soon be helping you write one.

A team at McGill University in

Montreal, Canada, is tapping into

the wealth of information that your

smartphone sensors collect to

automatically describe your daily

activity in the form of a timeline.

While GPS can easily give you

information about your whereabouts

outside, an accurate account of your

day needs to know your movements

indoors, too. To do this, the team

produced software that converted

the Wi-Fi signal an Android phone

receives from a router into accurate

indoor location information.

Next, Jordan Frank, now with

Facebook in Palo Alto, California, used

language-translation methods to turn

this location data into a narrative text

(Pervasive and Mobile Computing,

doi.org/njp). “Instead of translating

from, say, French to English, we

translate from location signals to

English,” says Frank’s colleague Doina

Precup. They asked cellphone users

to write basic English descriptions of

their daily activities for two weeks to

create a data set that was used to

teach a machine-learning system

how to convert location data into

simple English sentences.

The result is not exactly great

literature. A typical example reads:

“I left home at 07:20. I arrived at

auditorium at 11:48. I left auditorium

at 11:50. I arrived at lounge at 11:52.

I left lounge at 12:38. I arrived at my

office at 12:46.” While it might seem

a bit dull at the moment, the idea is

that it would serve as a template so

that users could then add the colour

and salient details later.

The team also aims to flesh out

the diary by adding information from

the apps people use, and who they

call and text. “It would give more

information on how you spent your

time – like when and how much you

were on Facebook,” says Precup. The

team is preparing to launch a start-up

company to spin the idea into a

consumer product.

Such location-based lifelogging

apps “are starting to appear in

droves”, says Gordon Bell, a Microsoft

researcher in the vanguard of the

lifelogging movement. He says the

app could produce potentially useful

diary stories – but only if users

contribute. “Making something

narrative doesn’t necessarily make

it a story,” he says. Paul Marks

“The wealth of information your smartphone sensors collect can be used to create a daily timeline”

–Dear diary, fill thyself–BA

ST

IST

EIN

ER

/PL

AIN

PIC

TU

RE

TECHNOLOGY


”I BELIEVE connectivity is a human

right, and that if we work together we

can make it reality.” These were the

lofty ideals Facebook founder Mark

Zuckerberg revealed on 20 August,

when he declared his intention to bring

internet access to “the next 5 billion

people” – that is, the fraction of

humanity that currently lacks it.

With tech giants like Ericsson,

Nokia, Samsung and Qualcomm as

partners, Zuckerberg’s newly formed

Internet.org consortium looks to

have the corporate muscle to achieve

such a monumental vision.

But the specifics, at least for the

moment, are fuzzy. Zuckerberg’s

10-page statement talks of three

broad objectives: making apps and

other software more data-efficient;

devising a way to make building access

to the internet a profitable enterprise

in its own right; and at the same time

making online access affordable for

all – which effectively means “free”.

Making apps more efficient is the

low-hanging fruit. Data compression

algorithms – like those that create zip

files – are used all the time. For

companies like Facebook, which pay

fees to transfer vast amounts of data

around the internet, the incentive to

squeeze down your photos, wall posts

and “likes” into a slimmer data package

is clear. To this end, Facebook is already

trying to reduce average data usage on

its Android app from 12 Mb a day to 1 Mb.

But the bigger question remains

unanswered. How do you build a vast

network to reach people who, in many

cases, can’t afford access to running

water, electricity or medical care?

“The fundamental problem is

whether the infrastructure is in place.

Do these countries have a ‘backbone’,

like BT fibre, which they can use?” asks

Colin Beeke, a technology specialist at

the University of West London.

Partner companies could help here.

Qualcomm, for example, based in San

Diego, California, makes chips for

wireless communication devices, and

played a key role in devising the 3G and

4G standards used by cellular

networks across the developed world.

The company predicts data demand

will grow 1000-fold over the next

decade. As it focuses on meeting

those needs, it could find cheaper,

more efficient data transmission

methods that could have a trickle-

down effect in the developing world.

If that pans out, there is some

evidence that content providers would

be willing to make their products freely

available to mobile users. Since 2010,

Facebook has formed partnerships

with mobile data providers in

developing countries to “zero-rate”

Facebook’s mobile traffic, so that it

doesn’t count against users’ paid data

plans. The Wikimedia Foundation has

followed suit. Its Wikipedia Zero project

allows people in several developing

countries, primarily in Africa and Asia,

to read the Wikipedia online

encyclopedia in their native language

without being billed for the data.

Of course, every company wants an

opportunity to grow its market, and

Internet.org will have competition.

Google has its own lofty plan for the

developing world: Project Loon involves

floating thousands of balloons about

20 kilometres up in the stratosphere

and beaming down Wi-Fi signals to

otherwise unconnected regions. It may

sound like pie in the sky, but they are

ahead of Internet.org. In a test in June,

Project Loon flew 30 balloons over

New Zealand, allowing a few lucky

locals to get online, absolutely free. Jack Flanagan

A connected worldBig tech companies have lofty visions of bringing the entire planet online

NA

SA

/JO

HN

S H

OP

KIN

S U

NIV

ER

SIT

Y A

P/K

INE

TIK

ON

PIC

TU

RE

S/C

OR

BIS

“Internet.org will have competition. Google has its own plan for the developing world”

INSIGHT Internet access

A VIRTUAL reality tae kwon do

simulator could help the UK

Olympic team train with minimal

risk of injury. Aerospace firm

BAE Systems of Warton, UK, is

developing the simulator to help

with preparations for the 2016

games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Using depth-camera-based

motion sensors and eye-gaze

trackers, the simulator will pit the

fighter against a virtual opponent

that reacts realistically to every

attack and parry. It will do this, says

project leader Kelvin Davies, by

drawing on the firm’s experience

designing battleship and combat

flight simulators, which use

predictive algorithms to produce

smart adversaries.

Davies’s team is considering

three types of display for the

simulator: a VR headset, a

single-screen projected display, or

a full holodeck in which the user is

surrounded by projected imagery.

Because the fighter’s movements

will be captured in minute detail,

the system will also allow for

post-training analysis.

The simulator is part of BAE’s

broader involvement with the

national organisation UK Sport,

to aid the country’s top athletes.

The firm has also designed faster

carbon-fibre wheelchairs for

Paralympians, and skeleton sleds.

Paul Marks

Virtual sparring partner will get Olympians ready

HA

NN

AH

JOH

NS

TO

N/G

ET

TY

–One giant market–

24 | NewScientist |24 | NewScientist | 31 August 2013

APERTURE


Surf’s up

IF ASKED to name a marine predator that hunts

in groups, it’s likely dolphins would be your first

answer. But as this unique shot of lemon sharks

by underwater photographer David Doubilet

shows, these predators are also capable of

coordinated hunting.

Lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) are

well studied, and we now know that young sharks

learn from their elders (Animal Cognition, doi.org/

h9f). Jelle Atema, a shark biologist at Boston

University, welcomes a better understanding

of social behaviour in sharks, because it can help

foster respect for these maligned animals.

Things are changing, he says. “In my students I

see the kind of interest in shark behaviour that

was formerly reserved for marine mammals.

Now sharks and dolphins are becoming

equally interesting.”

This picture was taken in the Bahamas,

where sharks are protected to prevent the rapid

population decline seen elsewhere around the

globe. “The sharks in this photograph are

recognised as valuable economic and ecological

assets to the Bahamian community,” Doubilet

says. “This conservation model is a good example

for other countries with viable shark populations.”

Doubilet’s photo is part of the Royal

Photographic Society’s International Images for

Science touring exhibition, starting 31 August at

the Great North Museum in Newcastle, UK.

Note, also, the remoras alongside the sharks.

These fish stick to the sides of big marine animals,

feeding on dropped scraps. The fish desperately

trying to escape the bottom of the photo are the

intended prey. Rowan Hooper

Photographer David Doubilet

http://www.daviddoubilet.com/


“ There is no correlation between nurturing emotional intelligence and high academic test scores“

Leave those kids alone! Are you a creative, right-brain type? Do you learn best visually? Sorry, says Tom Bennett, these are all neuromyths that badly need debunking

OPINION


Tom Bennett is a teacher and writer

in London

Comment on these stories at newscientist.com/opinion

What will NASA’s new lunar orbiter do?

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment

Explorer (LADEE) is a $250-million mission to

probe the moon’s exosphere and learn how it

would be affected by increased human activity. It

is also a low-cost modular probe, which will serve

as a test bed for future cheap space missions.

What other cool missions are you working on?

We are soon going to be moving objects in the

solar system around to protect the planet from

being hit by asteroids. There is nothing cooler than

that! Carl Sagan once said, "If the dinosaurs had had

a space programme, they would not be extinct."

What kind of work is done at NASA Ames?

We are primarily about research so, in addition to

missions, we develop technology. We are building

autonomous software into robots destined for

the moon, for example. We also have a tradition

of spawning new industries. For instance, when

a Mars mission planned in the 1990s turned out

to be too expensive, one of the lead scientists

redeveloped the fuel cells for use on the ground.

This led to the founding of Bloom Energy, which

now develops these modular power systems.

Do you often collaborate with Silicon Valley?

Yes. We’ve set up a lab called Space Shop so that

if someone has a clever idea, they can very quickly

build a prototype. The company Made in Space

used the lab to build a 3D printer that will be used

on board the International Space Station to print

out parts for machines. Eventually we think we'll

be able to print out satellites.

How will this extend our reach into space?

Well, genome printing is on the horizon too.

So if you have a settlement on Mars and need

pharmaceuticals you can just have the code sent

from Earth. The same goes for printing biological

hardware, like human organs.

There are lots of start-ups doing very cool

stuff like that. If you’ve seen handheld “tricorder”

scanners on Star Trek, one group is even

developing those kinds of things. Everyone who’s

One minute with...

Pete Worden

read science fiction knows we will need that type

of technology when we set up colonies on Mars.

Is science fiction a big source of inspiration?

Here, there’s almost a secret handshake among

engineers who have read lots of science fiction.

It lets you dream – how can we make that

technology real, how can we make a better future?

What are your dreams for exploring space?

A principal tenet of science fiction is that there are

planets out there with intelligent life. For most of

the history of astrophysics we haven’t been able

to see those worlds, but we are starting to see

planets like Earth. I dream of going to those worlds.

That’s my life’s inspiration.

What excites you most about your work?

This century, even more than the last one, is the

space century – especially with the private sector

and many more countries getting involved. The

stuff we’re doing at Ames is turning science fiction

into fact. This is the coolest job I have ever had.

Interview by Stephen McLaren

As a new moon orbiter gets set to launch, the director of NASA Ames says forget the 20th, this is the real space century

NA

SA

PROFILE

Pete Worden is the director of NASA Ames

Research Center in Moffett Field, California,

which designed the LADEE orbiter set to launch

in Virginia on 6 September


OPINION INTERVIEW

How significant is this idea that living things

can be engineered?

Do you think we fully grasp the magnitude of

this transition?

Biotechnology includes synthetic biology and

genetic engineering, what is the distinction

between these?

Synthetic biologist Drew Endy is leading efforts to make the natural world programmable. He tells Douglas Heaven why succeeding means blurring the distinction between information and matter

Downloading DNA

Have these ideas been successful?

So the distinction between living material and

the information used to create it is collapsing?

Whether this is good for music depends on who

you talk to. Would that be true for biology?

Are there now licensing issues in biology?

PROFILE

Drew Endy is a

bioengineer at Stanford

University in California,

co-founder of the

BioBricks Foundation

and co-director of the

International Open

Facility Advancing

Biotechnology (BioFAB)

For more interviews and to add your comments, visit newscientist.com/opinion

31 August 2013 | NewScientist |29

PA

ME

LA L

ITT

KY/

SE

SS

ION

S/R

ET

NA

Is there a race between organisations like

BioBricks and private companies who might

want to lock down new inventions?

Are there lessons from the open-source

movement in software?

Do we need to create this open language?

How long will it take to create this language?

You have spoken before about the necessity

of taking a long-term view. Why is that?

Is part of that change taking inspiration from

nature’s own manufacturing processes?

“ Most of biotechnology hasn’t yet been imagined, let alone made a reality”

Endy is inspired by the self-assembling solar panels

in his front yard, also known as his pine tree


Not as we know us

Modest alien search

Keeping time

Many wrongs?

Enigma Number 1764

OPINION LETTERS

WIN £15 will be awarded to the sender of the first correct

answer opened on Wednesday 25 September. The Editor’s decision is final.

Please send entries to Enigma 1764, New Scientist, Lacon House,

84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, or to [email protected]

(please include your postal address).

Answer to 1758 Path-o-logical: the paths are 156 metres long

The winner Helen Wickins of Studley, Warwickshire, UK

ADRIAN SOMERFIELDKATHRYN and her school friends

have been using a Lorenz-type code

to pass covert messages to each

other. Each letter is expressed as a

five-digit binary number such that

A = 1 = 00001, M = 13 = 01101 and

so on, but other symbols are

represented by 00000 and by 11011

upwards. A fixed letter, say M, is

chosen as a “coder”, known only to

the sender and receiver. To transmit

a letter, say D, it is added to the

coder by the “exclusive-NOR” rule

1 + 1 = 1, 1 + 0 = 0, 0 + 1 = 0, 0 + 0 = 1.

So, for example, D + M = 00100 +

01101 = 10110 = V. When the sent

letter V is added by the recipient

to the coder M, the original letter

reappears: 10110 + 01101 = 00100.

She has sent her name to her

friends as seven letters. KATHRYN

and its coded version together

consist of 14 different letters, so

what was the coded version?

Secret passages


Mars bars

To join the debate, visit newscientist.com/letters

Letters should be sent to:

Letters to the Editor, New Scientist,

84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7611 1280

Email: [email protected]

Include your full postal address and telephone number, and a reference (issue, page number, title) to articles. We reserve the right to edit letters. Reed Business Information reserves the right to use any submissions sent to the letters column of New Scientist magazine, in any other format.

For the record To refer to the “eradication” of river

blindness in Colombia (10 August,

p 6) was overambitious: its removal

from just one region is “elimination”

We should have made it clear that

software analysis of DNA from the

scene of the murder of Meredith

Kercher indicated only that Amanda

Knox’s DNA was not present in one

sample on a bra clasp found at the

crime scene (6 July, p 15)

Glutamate booster

Open access fields

Obey the odds

Picnic of fear

Needs must


MA

RIA

RE

ND

ON


Our brains may run mechanically, like the springs and cogs in a finely tuned watch, says Anil Ananthaswamy

Like clockwork

>

COVER STORY

O

” Tyler used to play loud music in the lab. To his surprise, he saw a spike in neural activity when the bass boomed, as if vibrations were causing brain changes”


The buzz of thoughtBrain cells were once thought to communicate

using only electricity, but we now know that

tiny mechanical forces can also play a part

When they receive a nerve impulse via

chemical neurotransmitters, dendritic spines bend and sway, pulling on coupling molecules. These move the axon, altering

the release of neurotransmitters

Dendritic spines may also communicate

with their neighbours by transferring

forces through a bed of proteins

DENDRITE

AXON

NEURON

NEURON

SYNAPSE

AXON

NERVE SIGNAL

DENDRITIC SPINE

BED OF PROTEINS

FORCE TRANSFER

Ultrasound therapy

”After 15 seconds of brain stimulation, it felt like the buzz of a martini, and he continued to feel really good for about 2 hours”


Mood lifter

Anil Ananthaswamy is a consultant for New Scientist


ALLAN MCCOLLUM: PLASTER SURROGATES, 1982/84. ENAMEL ON CAST HYDROSTONE, SIZES VARIABLE, EACH UNIQUE. INSTALLATION: RICHARD KUHLENSCHMIDT GALLERY, 1984 (DETAIL)

P

Are we finally on the verge of unveiling dark matter? Robert Adler investigates

Portraits of

darkness


>


Exclusion zone

Diary of a WIMPy particleSeveral dark matter experiments are looking for signs of particles called WIMPS and narrowing down their possible

properties. Theory tells us what combination of mass and interaction strength can account for these signs

Mass (GeV)

DAMA

DAMA

XENON

CDMS

CoGeNT CRESST

CRESST

Siz

e o

f in

tera

ctio

n b

etw

ee

n a

WIM

P a

nd

a n

ucl

eo

n (

cm2)

10-40

10-41

10-42

10-43

10-39

6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40

Someexperiments

seem to be converging on a mass of around

8 GeV

” The discovery of dark matter would be the find of the century. So why aren’t physicists celebrating?”


Dark light

Robert Adler is a science writer based in

California and Mexico

” The dark sector could be much richer, with dark atoms, dark forces and even a mirror universe matching ours”


Katia Moskvitch reports on the race for the world’s biggest, cleanest fossil fuel supply

Buried treasure

C


MA

TT

HIE

U P

AL

EY/

ST

ON

E/G

ET

TY

>


Hunting for methane

hydrates in the remotest

corner of Siberia

SH

IMIZ

U C

OR

PO

RA

TIO

N

NO

AA

OC

EA

N E

XP

LOR

ER

There are concerns that focusing on methane

hydrates might divert Japan’s attention away

from green technologies. Likewise, India,

where wind is now competitive with coal,

might be lured from a greener path.

But Euan Nisbet, an earth scientist at Royal

Holloway, University of London, thinks the

story is more complicated. Right now, Japan

relies on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported

from the Middle East. “Making LNG and

then regasifying it for transport by ship is

energy-expensive, so as a very rough rule of

thumb, imported LNG is comparable to oil in

greenhouse terms,” he says. “If Japan gets

its gas from a very local offshore hydrate

deposit, rather than burning LNG or coal,

then that’s probably a plus,” he says. “In India

the gas will compete with coal.” Because

methane burns cleaner than coal, this could

offset coal emissions there.

Another problem that receives a lot of

attention is the leaks of unburned methane

in shale-gas production. But again, methane

hydrate stacks up well. Such leaks will do

far less harm underwater. In deep-water

offshore regions, any leaked methane

would be oxidised by microbes before it can

reach the surface. “They love methane, and

they oxidise it to gain energy,” says marine

geologist Klaus Wallmann of Kiel University

in Germany. For example, in the BP Deepwater

Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, huge

amounts of methane were released, but

didn’t make it to surface.

Perhaps methane hydrate production

could even help the environment. Last

year, in a trial on Alaska’s North Slope,

the US Department of Energy and JOGMEC,

a Japanese energy company, demonstrated

that it is possible to store carbon dioxide in

the icy cages that normally hold methane.

To make the switch, the team forced the

water out of the porous methane hydrate

layer. Next, they injected waste CO2, leaving

it in place for several days to ensure the CO2

successfully took the place of the methane.

Once that was done, the methane was

pumped to the surface.

The swap was accomplished in permafrost,

but Wallmann believes that the same process

can be applied to store CO2 in tapped offshore

hydrate deposits after drilling.

A GREENER SHADE OF FUEL

Methane fishing


Mining some kinds

of methane hydrate

could disrupt sea-floor

ecosystems Katia Moskvitch is a writer based in London

” Not all hydrates are locked in sediment – some are strewn about the ocean floor like snowdrifts”

LAKE BAIKAL

White gold

SOURCE: KLAUDIA & SANDLER, 2005


If your life was rerun over and over, you might turn out differently every time despite having the same genes

and environment. Helen Pilcher reports

nature and nurture

A

>


JON

AT

HA

N R

OO

T/E

YE

VIN

E

>


Twin mystery

Identically different

If there were clones of

you, how similar would

they be?


ME

YE

R/T

EN

DA

NC

E F

LOU

E

Helen Pilcher is a freelance science writer and a

mother of twins. Follow her on @HelenPilcher1

” There is more to our uniqueness than genes and upbringing: even clones will all end up different”

As identical twins age, physical differences become

increasingly apparent

DO

MIN

IQU

E D

EL

PO

UX

/ A

GE

NC

E V

U

CULTURELAB


The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon,

and our gamble over Earth’s future

by Paul Sabin, Yale University

Press, $28.50

Betting with our livesA famous wager of 1980 casts a long ecological shadow on our own time, says Fred Pearce

Hot topic: nickel was one of the five

metals at the heart of a crucial wager

JEA

N G

UIC

HA

RD

/CO

RB

IS

For more books and arts coverage and to add your comments, visit newscientist.com/culturelab


Fear about rising populations in poor

countries was largely misplaced

GIA

N B

ER

TO

VA

NN

I/C

OR

BIS

“Ehrlich found the G-spot for a generation fearing environmental disaster more than the bomb”


West Coast Office201 Mission Street, 26th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105Email [email protected] Phone 415 908 3353Fax 415 543 6789

East Coast Office225 Wyman StreetWaltham, MA 02451Email [email protected] Phone 781 734 8770Fax 720 356 9217

Incorporating ScienceJobs.comTo apply online visit newscientistjobs.com

Calls may be monitored or recorded for staff training purposes

CHEMISTRY

Chemistry – Assistant ProfessorshipWashington University in St.

Louis

MO - Missouri

Chemistry – Assistant Professorship. The Department of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis seeks to make a faculty appointment to begin in the fall of 2014 in any area of materials chemistry. The position is available at the assistant-professor level. The duties of the position include teaching assigned courses, applying successfully for extramural research grants, conducting research, publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals, advising students, performing assigned committee work, and participating in appropriate university service. The development and maintenance of an outstanding research program and excellence in the teaching of core chemistry courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels are required. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree at the time of appointment.For more information visit NewScientistJobs.com Job ID: 1401464024

Medical Liaison II- Multiple PositionsNovo Nordisk

United States

Builds relationships and demonstrates the clinical outcome and benefits of NNI products. Educates and demonstrates the benefits of key products. Provides medical information and coordinates continuing education workshops. Within Field Medical Affairs, the Medical Liaison (ML) position functions as a scientific liaison between NNI and key external customers to further scientific exchange. S/he provides product and field scientific support to Medical, Sales and Marketing,

as well as Managed Care and Government by using academic credentials and scientific expertise to communicate with health care providers and organizations.For more information visit NewScientistJobs.com Job ID: 1401462285

Assistant Professor – Physical GeographyUniversity of Toronto

Mississauga

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The primary appointments will be at UTM, which has a strong interdisciplinary commitment to teaching and research, a multicultural student body of 12,000 students, and a modern, spacious campus, where the appointee will be expected to develop an externally funded research program. The successful candidates’ research programmes will be facilitated through a >2500 sq ft integrated research facility. The successful candidates will also hold a graduate faculty appointment in the tri-campus Department of Geography and Program in Planning at the University of Toronto, a department with strengths and interdisciplinary linkages in physical and human geography and the environment. Active participation in the UTM Geography and Environment undergraduate programs, as well as in the graduate program of the Department of Geography and Program in Planning, is expected.For more information visit NewScientistJobs.com Job ID: 1401465369

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR – Complex SystemsUniversity of Michigan

MI - Michigan

The Center for the Study of Complex Systems (CSCS) at the University of Michigan invites applications for a tenure-track position of Assistant Professor of Complex Systems. The

appointment will begin September 1, 2014. This is a university year appointment. Information about the Center can be found here: www.cscs.umich.edu. Required Qualifications: Candidates must have a demonstrated interest in complex systems, broadly construed, with a doctoral degree in a related field such as computer

science or engineering, information science, mathematics, natural sciences including physics, biology, and bioinformatics, or social sciences including economics, political science, and sociology, among others.For more information visit NewScientistJobs.com Job ID: 1401465224

Faculty Position in Biochemistry Department of ChemistryPurdue University The Department of Chemistry at Purdue University, West Lafayette, invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level in Biochemistry or related areas. Candidates that complement existing program strengths in cancer biology, membrane proteins, drug discovery and macromolecular structure/function, with an emphasis on disease-relevant research questions, are especially encouraged to apply. Purdue has an outstanding tradition in biochemistry and the department is looking to integrate a creative scientist into the cutting edge interdisciplinary environment provided by Purdue University.

Candidates must have a PhD in Biochemistry or a related ¿HOGZLWKRXWVWDQGLQJFUHGHQWLDOVLQELRPHGLFDOUHVHDUFKan excellent track record of publications and a strong commitment to excellence in teaching. Successful candidates are expected to develop a vibrant research program supported by extramural funding and teach courses at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.

Applicants should submit a letter of application with curriculum vita, a summary of planned research and a statement on teaching philosophy to: Chair, Biochemistry Faculty Search Committee, Purdue University, Department of Chemistry, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2084. Applicants should also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to the same address. Applications will be reviewed beginning November 1, 2013, DQGZLOOUHPDLQLQFRQVLGHUDWLRQXQWLOWKHSRVLWLRQLV¿OOHG See http://www.chem.purdue.edu/ for further details. A background check will be required for employment in this

position. Purdue University is an ADVANCE institution.

3XUGXH8QLYHUVLW\LVDQ(TXDO$FFHVV(TXDO2SSRUWXQLW\$I¿UPDWLYH$FWLRQ(PSOR\HUIXOO\FRPPLWWHGWRDFKLHYLQJDGLYHUVHZRUNIRUFH:RPHQDQGLQGLYLGXDOVLQXQGHUUHSUHVHQWHGJURXSVDUHHQFRXUDJHGWRDSSO\


newscientistjobs.com

Faculty Position in Cervical Biology

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Wayne State University (WSU) seeks nominations and applications for a full-time faculty position focused on the study of the uterine cervix in pregnancy complications. The programmatic goal is to be a part of an exceptional unit to characterize cervical biology in normal pregnant women and those with complications. A priority is to develop an understanding of the mechanisms involved in cervical disease in pregnancy.

A cervical biology unit, specific to reproduction, is in place and this recruitment is meant to strengthen the University’s impressive record of innovative discoveries and achievements in obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine and perinatal medicine. The unit promotes collaboration among clinicians and faculty members working in reproductive immunology, genomics and computational biology. This position is part of the WSU Perinatal Initiative to create partnerships with the Perinatology Research Branch of the Division of Intramural Research, NICHD, NIH, DHHS, housed at the WSU campus.

The successful candidate is expected to establish a productive and independent research program in the area of cervical biology. A Ph.D. degree or equivalent, expertise and training in the areas of extracellular matrix and collagen metabolism in the reproductive tract. The program is to examine the mechanisms of cervical remodeling in pregnancy, as well as the effect of specific drug-delivery systems on the cervix. Emphasis will be on both human and animal models. The faculty member should be able to establish a laboratory, participate in graduate and medical education, recruit and supervise laboratory staff, and lead a productive and dynamic team.

WSU is committed to academic excellence and diversity within the faculty, staff and student body. WSU is interested in candidates who have demonstrated commitment to excellence in research and teaching. Some scholarly activity and service towards building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment is required. Successful candidates should possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience and based on the WSU pay scale. Tenure and non-tenure track positions are available. Series of appointment, as well as a competitive start-up package, will be determined based upon the candidate’s skills, qualifications and experience. National and international applicants are welcome.

Review of applications will begin immediately, and will continue until the position is filled.

Interested individuals should send:

x a curriculum vitae, x a separate statement summarizing their experience and professional contributions, x and a list of three references to:

Sonia S. Hassan, M.D.

Associate Dean for Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health Wayne State University School of Medicine

[email protected]

Wayne State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer



The Department of Molecular Biology at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School (HMS) invite applications for a joint appointment at the level of Assistant Professor. The laboratory will be located in the Department of Molecular Biology at MGH (http://molbio.mgh.harvard.edu), a major research center in the Boston area and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The faculty appointment will be in the HMS Department of Genetics (http://genetics.med.harvard.edu). The following HMS faculty members have labs in the MGH Department of Molecular Biology:

David Altshuler Deborah Hung Marjorie OettingerFrederick Ausubel Joshua Kaplan Gary RuvkunJoseph Avruch Robert Kingston, Chair Jen SheenMichael Blower Jeannie Lee Jack Szostak Vamsi Mootha

Applications should be submitted no earlier than September 1, 2013

and no later than November 1, 2013 at: http://molbio.mgh.harvard.edu/

facultysearch/

Please submit a curriculum vitae, statement of research plans, up to three relevant publications, and contact information for three references.

Harvard University and the Massachusetts General Hospital are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers. Applications from women and minorities are encouraged.

FACULTY POSITION

Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School

KƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐĨŽƌ/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ

dŚĞ ŝŽŵĞĚŝĐĂů /ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ ZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ dƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ;/Zd WƌŽŐƌĂŵ ŝƐ

Ă ĐŽŶƐŽƌƟƵŵ ŽĨ ůĞĂĚŝŶŐ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ ůĂďŽƌĂƚŽƌŝĞƐ Ăƚ ,ĂƌǀĂƌĚ /ƚ ŝƐ

ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚďǇĂŐƌĂŶƚĨƌŽŵƚŚĞEĂƟŽŶĂů>ŝďƌĂƌǇŽĨDĞĚŝĐŝŶĞEĂƟŽŶĂů

/ŶƐƟƚƵƚĞƐ ŽĨ ,ĞĂůƚŚ &Žƌ hŶŝƚĞĚ ^ƚĂƚĞƐ ĐŝƟǌĞŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ

ƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚƐƚŚŝƐƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂůĨĞůůŽǁƐŚŝƉƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐƐƟƉĞŶĚƚƵŝƟŽŶĂŶĚ

ƚƌĂǀĞůĨƵŶĚƐ^ĞůĞĐƚĞĚĨĞůůŽǁƐĂƌĞƉƌŽǀŝĚĞĚǁŝƚŚŵĂŶǇŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ

ĨŽƌƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶƚĞƌĂĐƟŽŶĂŶĚĐŽůůĂďŽƌĂƟŽŶůůĨĞůůŽǁƐĂůƐŽ

ƉƵƌƐƵĞƚŚĞƚǁŽǇĞĂƌ,ĂƌǀĂƌĚDĞĚŝĐĂů^ĐŚŽŽůŝŽŵĞĚŝĐĂů/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ

DD^Đ

dŚĞDD^ĐŝƐĂƉŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂůĚĞŐƌĞĞƉƌŽŐƌĂŵƚŚĂƚĐŽŶƐŝƐƚƐŽĨĐŽƵƌƐĞ

ǁŽƌŬĂŶĚŵĞŶƚŽƌĞĚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ&ĞůůŽǁƐŝŶŽƵƌƉƌŽŐƌĂŵĐŚŽŽƐĞĨƌŽŵ

ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ĨŽƵƌ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ƚƌĂĐŬƐ ůŝŶŝĐĂů /ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ" WŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ ,ĞĂůƚŚ

/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ"/ŵĂŐŝŶŐ/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ"ĂŶĚŝŽŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ

dŽůĞĂƌŶŵŽƌĞǀŝƐŝƚŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐŚŵƐŚĂƌǀĂƌĚĞĚƵ#

/ŶĂĚĚŝƟŽŶƚŽƚŚĞ/ZdƉƌŽŐƌĂŵƚŚĞĞŶƚĞƌĨŽƌŝŽŵĞĚŝĐĂů/ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐƐ

;D/ŽīĞƌƐĂŶƵŵďĞƌŽĨŽƚŚĞƌƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐĂŶĚƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ

&Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ĂďŽƵƚ ŽƵƌ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵƐ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ <ĂƚŚĞƌŝŶĞ

&ůĂŶŶĞƌǇ WƌŽŐƌĂŵ DĂŶĂŐĞƌ D/ Ăƚ <ĂƚŚĞƌŝŶĞͺ&ůĂŶŶĞƌǇΛŚŵƐ

ŚĂƌǀĂƌĚĞĚƵ

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH CANCER INSTITUTE

Faculty Position Translational Microenvironment/

Viral Oncology CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)

(www.upci.upmc.edu ) at the University of Pittsburgh has

developed a new center for Translational Microenvironment

and Viral Oncology (TMV) (www.upci.upmc.edu/tmv/)

and seeks to recruit faculty to develop outstanding research

programs that bring approaches complementing our existing

strengths. The TMV Center includes three areas of research:

&DQFHU FHOOVWURPDOLQÁDPPDWRU\ FHOO LQWHUDFWLRQV KRVW

response and biomarkers of progression in patients with

YLUXVDVVRFLDWHG PDOLJQDQF\ DQG LQÁDPPDWRU\ YLUDO DQG

VWURPDOVSHFLÀF WKHUDSHXWLF VWUDWHJLHV ,W LV DQWLFLSDWHG WKDW

the TMV Center will play a pivotal role in identifying novel

microenvironmental targets for therapeutic intervention

that will be tested in combination with more conventional

treatments in patients with a variety of cancers.

Candidates with a track record of independent funding and

publications in high impact journals will be given the highest

consideration. Successful candidates will be expected to run a

vibrant collaborative program supported by external funding.

A competitive salary and research start-up package will be

provided.

Applications will be reviewed and evaluated upon receipt of full applications on an ongo-

LQJEDVLV7KH8QLYHUVLW\RI 3LWWVEXUJK LVDQ$IÀUPDWLYH$FWLRQ(TXDO2SSRUWXQLW\

(PSOR\HU

Positions will be coordinated with Departments in the

8QLYHUVLW\ RI 3LWWVEXUJK DQG DUH WHQXUH WUDFN 7R DSSO\

SOHDVHVHQG\RXUFXUULFXOXPYLWDHDRQHSDJHVXPPDU\RI

\RXUUHVHDUFKSODQVDQGWKUHHOHWWHUVRI UHFRPPHQGDWLRQWR

the search coordinator:

Clayton MathisUPCI Research Pavilion

Hillman Cancer Center Suite 2.265117 Centre Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-1863email: [email protected]



The Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Wyoming

has an opening for an individual with demonstrated capabilities and

productivity in aerosol physics, aerosol measurement, and in analysis

of the impact of aerosol on atmospheric radiation and chemistry.

The successful candidate will have an earned Ph.D. in atmospheric

VFLHQFH RUD FORVHO\ UHODWHG ÀHOGZLOO KDYHGHPRQVWUDWHG UHVHDUFK

capabilities, and will have the potential to contribute to current

stratospheric balloon-borne measurement programs at the University

of Wyoming, through the collection of in situ measurements and their

VFLHQWLÀFDQDO\VLV

Applications should include a statement of research interests,

and accomplishments, curriculum vita, and the names and contact

information of three references. Send an electronic copy (PDF version

preferred) of your application materials to Search Committee,

Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, c/o

Terry Deshler: [email protected]. The search committee will begin

reviewing applications on 1 October 2013 and will continue until the

SRVLWLRQLVÀOOHG

More information about this position, the University, the City of Laramie

and its surroundings can be found at http://www.atmos.uwyo.edu/info/

WyoResSci/ and http://www.atmos.uwyo.edu/info/WyoPostDoc/

Research Scientist or Postdoctoral Opportunity

The Department of Neurobiology, in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences,

seeks to recruit two new tenure- track faculty members at the level of Assistant Professor. Applicants holding a Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree and demonstrating an outstanding record of scientific achievement will be considered. We are interested in individuals whose research addresses fundamental issues in neuroscience and who show significant potential for innovation, scholarship, and commitment to excellence in research and teaching.

Successful candidates will be expected to establish and maintain a high-profile research program attracting substantial extramural funding. The appointees will have access to state-of-the-art life science research support facilities and opportunities to interact with colleagues in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program consisting of over 130 faculty, the Feinberg School of Medicine, the McCormick School of Engineering, the School of Communication, as well the Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, the Institute for Complex Systems, the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, the Center for Reproductive Science, the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology, and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Applicants will submit (in PDF format) a cover letter, a CV, and a description of research plans. Applications must be submitted electronically. For details on preparing and submitting the application, please visit neurobiology.northwestern.

edu/openings. Please plan to request at least three letters of recommendation. Applications received by November 1, 2013 will be ensured full consideration.

All other inquiries may be directed to [email protected].

AA/EOE. Women and minority applicants are encouraged to apply.

Department of Neurobiology

Two Assistant Professor Positions

University of PennsylvaniaTenure Track Appointment in Evolution

The School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania seeks to add to the faculty of our newly formed Evolution Cluster. We invite applicants for a tenure-track assistant professor appointment in evolution, broadly interpreted. We are interested in exceptional scientists who will establish a research program to empirically study the evolution RIG\QDPLFDOSURFHVVHVXVLQJÀHOGRUODERUDWRU\H[SHULPHQWVor the construction and analysis of massive data sets. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: the evolution of neural, social, ecological or linguistic dynamics and networks; evolution of early life or exobiology; biochemical, neuronal, or cooperative interactions and exchange of information at the molecular, cellular, human, or ecosystems scales; directed evolution of organisms or processes; analyzing extant structures and networks, from molecules to populations, along with their evolutionary trajectories, including the development of new modalities to extract data from the geologic, genetic, or linguistic historical records. The successful candidate’s primary appointment will be in a single department in the natural sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Linguistics, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, or Psychology. Secondary appointments in other departments can be arranged, as appropriate. The successful candidate will have a strong interest in building a program that generates interaction with researchers from other disciplines who are working within the overarching theme of evolution and will teach courses in his or her home department and participate in the development of curricula pertinent to the Evolution Cluster (See http://evolutioncluster.sas.upenn.edu for more information). 7KH8QLYHUVLW\RI3HQQV\OYDQLDLVDQ$IÀUPDWLYH$FWLRQ(TXDO

2SSRUWXQLW\(PSOR\HUDQGLVVWURQJO\FRPPLWWHGWRHVWDEOLVKLQJ

DGLYHUVHIDFXOW\KWWSZZZXSHQQHGXDOPDQDFYROXPHV

YQGLYHUVLW\SODQKWPO

Applications should be submitted on-line at http://facultysearches.provost.upenn.edu/postings/23 and include a curriculum vitae, a research statement that includes the FDQGLGDWH·VSHUVSHFWLYHRQKRZVKHRUKHÀWVLQWRRQHRIWKHFRUHdepartments, links to no more than three journal publications, and the contact information for three individuals who will provide letters of recommendation. Review of applications will begin 1 November 2013 and will continue until the position is ÀOOHG


dŚĞE^WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂůWƌŽŐƌĂŵ;EWW"ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚƐE^#ƐŐŽĂůƚŽĞǆƉĂŶĚƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ

understanding of Earth and the universe in which we live.

Details

'ŶŶƵĂůƐƟƉĞŶĚƐƐƚĂƌƚĂƚΨϱϯϱϬϬǁŝƚŚƐƵƉƉůĞŵĞŶƚƐĨŽƌŚŝŐŚĐŽƐƚŽĨůŝǀŝŶŐĂƌĞĂƐ

ĂŶĚĐĞƌƚĂŝŶĚĞŐƌĞĞĮĞůĚƐ

'ŶŶƵĂůƚƌĂǀĞůďƵĚŐĞƚŽĨΨဒϬϬϬ

'ZĞůŽĐĂƟŽŶĂůůŽǁĂŶĐĞ

'&ŝŶĂŶĐŝĂůƐƵƉƉůĞŵĞŶƚĨŽƌŚĞĂůƚŚŝŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚƚŚƌŽƵŐŚƚŚĞƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ

'ƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚƐƌĞŶĞǁĂďůĞĨŽƌƵƉƚŽƚŚƌĞĞǇĞĂƌƐ

'ƉƉƌŽǆŝŵĂƚĞůǇဓϬ&ĞůůŽǁƐŚŝƉƐĂǁĂƌĚĞĚĂŶŶƵĂůůǇ

ƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶĞĂĚůŝŶĞƐ

dŚƌĞĞĞĂĐŚǇĞĂƌDĂƌĐŚϭ:ƵůǇϭĂŶĚEŽǀĞŵďĞƌϭ

dŚĞE^WŽƐƚĚŽĐƚŽƌĂůWƌŽŐƌĂŵŽīĞƌƐƵŶŝƋƵĞ

ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐƚŽĞŶŐĂŐĞŝŶE^ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶ

ĂƌƚŚƐĐŝĞŶĐĞƉůĂŶĞƚĂƌǇƐĐŝĞŶĐĞŚĞůŝŽƉŚǇƐŝĐƐ

ĂƐƚƌŽƉŚǇƐŝĐƐĂĞƌŽŶĂƵƟĐƐŚƵŵĂŶĞǆƉůŽƌĂƟŽŶ

ƐƉĂĐĞďŝŽƐĐŝĞŶĐĞĂŶĚĂƐƚƌŽďŝŽůŽŐǇ

ƉƉůǇĂƚŚƩƉ**ŶĂƐĂŽƌĂƵŽƌŐ*ƉŽƐƚĚŽĐ

+().)"%*%+*-%-(%#*#)

*$")%*""-*-,0%(,$*%$

%$,*$%(#$%*%##*(#$

*!$))&$*#%(*$.()$&()%$+$*"$".))

%,$#&%))".$%"%)

&(%,)$$%$%$$%"%)*%.$

"&,$ +)*

)*"*$%"%)%#(()

$%"%))$'+"#&"%.#$*&&%(*+$*./(#*,*%$#&"%.(

(#$*!$)(*(.()$&()%$

(#$*!$)


FEEDBACK

Linda Kopf sends a photo of a sign seen in

the village of Salunga in Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania, saying: “Private Sign. Do Not Read”

WHILING away a tea break, Feedback

was, initially, relieved to read that

the flavourings used in chocolate

cake slices from UK supermarket

Sainsbury’s “are made from natural

sources”. But that made us wonder:

which cakes use flavourings from

unnatural sources? What would

those be? Get thee behind us,

unnatural demon with your satanic

sauce. Say no to Ghoul Scratchings!

YOU have been warned. Searching for

“lead acid battery thermal runaway”

after he had made the mistake of

topping up a fully-charged battery

that had plates exposed to the air,

Steve Collins found an alternative

energy website with a section on

batteries at www.bigginhill.co.uk/

batteries.htm.

This told him that “Lots of hoses

interconnecting battery cells and

batteries can pose a serious safety

threat…” Eeek! How? “If one of the

cells goes into thermal run-away,”

it continues, “ignition from one cell

will almost instantaneously result in

ignition in all the rest of the cells as

the tubes will fill very quickly with

hydrogen gas which is extremely

combustible and explosive, i.e.

like the H bomb!”

“From now on,” says Steve, “I’ll

take extra care with the jump leads.”

WE SUSPECT that Geoff Mann is

not overly fond of politicians and

bankers. Commenting on our

report (6 July) of an announcement

at London’s Victoria station that

“unofficial pickpockets are

operating,” he suggests: “Official

pickpockets can certainly be found

on the Underground, most frequently

at the Westminster and Bank

stations.” These serve, respectively,

the Houses of Parliament and the City

of London financial district.

FINALLY, Feedback regrets that only

now can we tell you of a job with

Erewash Borough Council, the closing

date for which was 26 August.

Judging by your correspondence, a

minority of you would have enjoyed

working as an “anti-social behaviour

co-ordinator”.

Derek Woodroffe comments:

“It surely is bad enough having them

working alone, without them getting

assistance from the Council”.

You can send stories to Feedback by

email at [email protected].

Please include your home address.

This week’s and past Feedbacks can

be seen on our website.

For more feedback, visit newscientist.com/feedback

PA

UL

MC

DE

VIT

T

THE LAST WORD

Colour that stingsI recently made nettle wine using an

old recipe. Nettles (genus Urtica)

are green, yet when they were

boiled, as the recipe suggested, the

resulting liquid was red. Why? Was

this a property of the plants or of

the aluminium pan, or some residue

in the apparently clean pan?

Nothing else, such as wine-making

yeast, had been added at that stage.

Hot in the hay I have always assumed that the

belief that haystacks can burst into

flames spontaneously was a

convenient myth to cover for

careless farm workers having a

crafty cigarette break while

forgetting their surroundings, but a

friend insists that it can happen.

Surely, the only way hay can warm

up significantly is if it is wet and

bacteria begin to heat the stack as

part of the process of

biodegradation. But I’d be amazed if

this could generate temperatures

hotter than about 40 °C. So how else

could ignition take place?

(Continued)

This week’s questionALARMING NOISES

“Anthocyanins found in nettles are natural pH indicators and in acidic solutions they turn pink”

Last words past and present at newscientist.com/topic/lastword

Win £100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues

Why do wind turbines have such thin blades? Would it not be

more efficient for them to have wider blades in order to capture

and convert more of the wind’s energy?

Answers should reach us by 23.59 BST on 15 September 2013 to

[email protected] or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/

energy. Terms and conditions are also at this url.

The writers of answers published in the

magazine will receive a cheque for £25 (or

US$ equivalent). Answers should be

concise. We reserve the right to edit items

for clarity and style. Include a daytime

telephone number and email address if

you have one. We are pleased to

acknowledge financial support from

Statoil in producing The Last Word. New

Scientist retains total editorial control over

the content.

Reed Business Information Ltd reserves

all rights to reuse question and answer

material that has been submitted by

readers in any medium or in any format.

Send questions and answers to The

Last Word, New Scientist, Lacon House,

84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS,

UK, by email to lastword@newscientist.

com or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/

lastword (please include a postal address

in order to receive payment for answers).

Unanswered questions can also be found

at this url.

THE LAST WORD ON ENERGY

sponsored byy

Visit www.nobcche.org for more information or to register.

of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement

of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE ™)

Indianapolis, Oct. 1-4, 2013

Join us for the Annual Conference

Career Fair and Trade Show with more than 75 Exhibitors

Professional Development Workshops

Technical Sessions

Industry Awards

Symposiums

The opportunity to interact with hundreds of leaders and decision-makers from industry, government and academia.

Education

New scientist