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Last updated: February 2, 2009.

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December 2008

Mon, 22 Dec 2008: Automatic (glasses) for the (poor) people: An Oxford scientist has developed glasses that automatically correct your vision, aimed at a billion of the world's poorest people. Read more about lenses.

Mon, 22 Dec 2008: Blu-ray disks play in ordinary DVD player: Afraid you'd have to throw away your old DVD player and buy a new one for Blu-ray? Worry not: DVD players may soon play Blu-ray disks too. Read more about Blu-ray.

Mon, 22 Dec 2008: Non-stop gadgets: Wired trawls through the best gadgets of 2008.

Mon, 22 Dec 2008: Health fears for firework fallout: What happens when a firework explodes? Where do all the toxic chemicals go? You guessed it! Read more about fireworks.

Sun, 21 Dec 2008: Late praise for Galileo: The Pope has praised space pioneer Galileo Galilei, hundreds of years after the Italian first drew fire from the Catholic church. Read more about space telescopes.

Sun, 21 Dec 2008: The science of winter: MSNBC's Paige Williams explains the science of the solstice.

Sun, 21 Dec 2008: Big push on hybrid batteries: Battery companies are joining forces to push the boundaries of 21st-century electric vehicles. Read more about electric cars.

Sat, 20 Dec 2008: Barack hires climate specialists: US President elect Barack Obama has hired two noted climate science experts to his new team. Read more about global warming and climate change.

Sat, 20 Dec 2008: How and why our minds evolved: Scientific American questions the basic notions of evolutionary psychology and the reasons we think the way we do. Read more about the science of happiness.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: Pick of the gadget gear: Popular Science magazines presents its guide to holiday gadget gifts.

November 2008

Wed, 12 Nov 2008: More worries about nanotech safety: An official scientific commission in Britain signals the need for more studies of nanoparticle safety.

Wed, 12 Nov 2008: Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet: NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months.

Tue, 11 Nov 2008: New Oxford microscope goes live: BBC News takes us inside the Isis microscope that can probe details 10,000 thinner than a human hair.

Tue, 11 Nov 2008: Virtual telescopes get better and better: Too cloudy to see the sky? Try exploring the heavens with a virtual telecope. MSN reviews some of the best.

Tue, 11 Nov 2008: Looking forward to electronics in 2009: Wired looks forward to the new gadgets we'll be enjoying next year.

Mon, 10 Nov 2008: Spammers make big profits with small success: Researchers have discovered the secret of spam: even though only one in 12.5 million spams gets a reply, that still adds up to a huge profit.

Mon, 10 Nov 2008: Future of the poles: Scientific American explores the changing shape of the polar landscapes in a globally warming world.

Mon, 10 Nov 2008: How to test time: A gravitational wave detector in Germany is probing the fuzzy, fundamental secrets of time.

Fri, 7 Nov 2008: Earth in Sun tango: Science News looks at the "magnetic tango" between Earth and the Sun.

Thu, 6 Nov 2008: How ants avoid traffic congestion: Ants have evolved a cunning way to tell one another of traffic jams up ahead.

October 2008

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: Motorola launches "kravable" touch phone: The latest touch phone to hit your pocket? Motorola's Krave ZN4..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: How do electronic voting machines work?: This topical article by Mark Fischetti in Scientific American compares the various different voting-machine technologies used in different US states..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: How to make electricity with a moth: An insect-powered electricity generator is just one of the creative scientific ideas advanced by artists in the 10th International Digital Print Exhibition, organised by Art and Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI), and on display at the New York Hall of Science until January 25, 2009..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: Machine close to thinking: According to scientists in England, robots and computers are just a whisker away from passing the Turing test—and passing themselves off as humans..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: Why animal life is energy efficient: Kilo for kilo, all animals use roughly the same amount of energy..

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: Think: warfare: MSNBC reports on how the army is taking its first tentative steps to develop telepathic (thought-controlled) machines..

Sun, 12 Oct 2008: Why you don't need to visit China's Forbidden City: IBM has developed a virtual version of one of the world's great heritage sites, so save air fuel and greenhouse emissions and explore it at home..

Fri, 10 Oct 2008: Why you should judge a worm by its color: Earthworms come in different colors, believe it or not..

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: Electric cars steal the (Paris Motor) show: Electric cars with hub motors and battery power are all the rage in the latest concept cars..

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: Barack talks science: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama answers questions about the future of science in the United States for Nature magazine (his rival, John McCain, declined to reply)..

September 2008

Tue, 2 Sep 2008: Google launches new Web browser: Remember the 1990s browser wars between Netscape and Microsoft? They could be about to start up again with Google's bold decision to launch a powerful new Web browser all of its own.

Tue, 2 Sep 2008: Laser weapons move closer: According to a story in New Scientist, military experts believe laser weapons mounted on trucks and tanks will be on our battlefields inside five years.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: Jolly (climate) hockey sticks: An infamous graph that caused near riots among climate-change scientists and skeptics is proving to be correct after all.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: Solar pedal power: Forget all that pedalling, wired magazine reports on an electric tricycle that runs off built-in solar panels.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: Keep-fit addicts power their own gym: A cunning gym owner in Portland, Oregon has wired up exercise bicycles so they generate electricity to power his building!

August 2008

Fri, 29 Aug 2008: How science can keep your socks dry: Military technology is being used to design clothes that stay dry.

Fri, 29 Aug 2008: How photo printers work: How do those photo printers in drug stores print top quality photos while you wait? Scientific American explains all.

Fri, 29 Aug 2008: Bees go back in time: A 3000-year-old hive is the world's oldest example of beekeeping.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008: Cows make compasses obsolete: Scientists have discovered that cows, deer, and other animals tend to align themselves along Earth's magnetic field when they're grazing. It's great news for explorers all over the world: leave your compass at home and just take a cow with you in future?

Sun, 10 Aug 2008: The science of the Olympics: New Scientist looks at how science can help you win.

Sun, 10 Aug 2008: Nanomagnets latch on to cancer: Forget flakey stories about magnets and healing. Scientists have found a new way of using tiny magnets to target tumors.

Sun, 10 Aug 2008: Russians declare "electronic war" on Georgia: Computer hackers have joined in the conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Fri, 8 Aug 2008: Update on the fight against AIDS: Nature asks key scientists about progress in the fight against one of the world's deadliest diseases.

Fri, 8 Aug 2008: Large hadron collider moves closer to switch on: September 10 is the new switch-on date for the world's biggest and boldest particle physics experiment.

Fri, 8 Aug 2008: The science of table tennis: More Olympic sporting secrets revealed, this time from Popular Science magazine.

Fri, 8 Aug 2008: How not to get rich online: Some of the most lucrative online ideas started out as nothing of the sort, suggests Charles Arthur in The Guardian.

Fri, 8 Aug 2008: Libraries enter the digital age: Talk about moving with the times: libraries are now starting to offer digital downloads for free.

Wed, 6 Aug 2008: Bendy camera could revolutionize medicine: A new camera with a curved light detector could make machine vision more "animal" than "machine".

Wed, 6 Aug 2008: Surf while you fly: Delta Air Lines is soon to introduce Wi-Fi Internet access on its planes.

July 2008

Thu, 10 Jul 2008: Mobile Web has liftoff: Wireless Web users (many using cellphones) have helped the mobile Web to take off this year, especially in the United States.

Thu, 10 Jul 2008: The right to peer inside your iPod: Copyright obsessives want to take privacy invasion to new levels.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Electronic implant helps stroke victim talk again: There's new electronic hope for people who suffer brain injuries, though research is at a very early stage.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Solar racers feel the heat: Solar Challenge, the 2400-mile race for Sun-powered cars, is kicking off again in Texas.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Scientists get better at predicting earthquakes: US researchers are hopeful about a new technique for spotting stress changes in rocks.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: No drips in zero gravity: Artist Nasser Azam has made two large paintings in weightless conditions.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Looking closer at three dimensions: Scientific American probes the Leaning Tower and other optical illusions.

Tue, 8 Jul 2008: Rocketing Through Water: NASA scientists have been helping to develop a new space-age swimsuit in time for the Olympics.

Tue, 8 Jul 2008: Desire and dread are side by side: According to this fascinating article in Science News, there's only a matter of millimeters between the brain's centres of "desire" and "disgust".

June 2008

Mon, 23 Jun 2008: 35 million computers head for landfill: There are more than a billion computers working in the world now, but many will be junked in just a few use.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008: Climate change could bring mega-drought: Scientists are raising the spectre of a long period of dry and dusty weather in the United States.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008: Build your own Iron Man armor: If you're not feeling as safe as you might, Wired magazine has a modern-day spin on the suit of armor you can build.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008: The Future of the Environment: Dozens of "audacious ideas to save the planet" from Popular Science.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008: Computer game Darlings honored: Two "darlings" of the computer games business, David and Richard Darling, have been honored in the Queen of England's birthday honors.

Fri, 13 Jun 2008: Fixing ozone hole may make climate change worse: You might think a repaired ozone hole would be good news, but it ain't necessarily so.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008: Silence coming soon: Scientists are close to perfecting silence! Yes, you read it here first: we (almost) have the technology to shut out noise completely. Ah, bliss.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008: Garage fusion worth watching?: Low-tech experiments into fusion power are quietly pressing ahead.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008: What was there before the Big Bang?: Scientists are starting to answer a question that all science crazy kids ask sooner or later.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008:Sergei in space: Google's co-founder is planning to become a space tourist.

Thu, 5 Jun 2008:Are photographers really a threat?: Bruce Schneier stands up for happy snappers everywhere.

May 2008

Tue, 13 May 2008: Google makes the Web more social: Another new offering from our inventive friends at Google. This time, they're hoping to make more websites interactive and social.

Mon, 12 May 2008: Frozen robot in line for a prize: A robot system designed to monitor biological samples in freezing conditions has been nominated for a top engineering prize.

Mon, 12 May 2008: Scientists campaign for embryo research: Politicians, doctors, and scientists have lobbied the British parliament to allow embyro research into life-threatening diseases.

Mon, 12 May 2008: Making music from a building: David Byrne has converted a building into a giant interactive musical instrument.

Mon, 12 May 2008: Animals could lead to better human body parts: Better bionic body parts could soon be here, thanks to lessons scientists are learning from squids and moths.

Mon, 12 May 2008: When even clear skies are polluted: Invisible soot particles can dramatically increase the risk of deep-vein thrombosis and blood clots.

Sun, 11 May 2008: Computers make as much pollution as planes: Generating the electricity to power the world's computer equipment is apparently causing as much greenhouse emissions as airplanes.

Sun, 11 May 2008: Are those for you, son?: The Japanese have launched a vending machine that can detect young faces to stop children from buying cigarettes.

Fri, 9 May 2008: Why scientists always know better: Even when they're wrong, professional scientists are always better than amateurs, according to JR Minkel, writing in Scientific American.

Thu, 1 May 2008: Gone but not forgotten: New environmentally friendly forms of burial include turning your body into pencils and using it to generate power!

April 2008

Mon, 21 Apr 2008: Nanoscientists make chips one atom thick: Is there no limit to how small computers can become?

Mon, 21 Apr 2008: How virtual reality can help autistic children: MSN looks at how autistic children can learn about the unpredictable real world using a carefully controlled online environment.

Sat, 19 Apr 2008: Housework makes you... happy!: Another glimpse at the surprising science of happiness: picking up a mop can make you feel better.

Sat, 19 Apr 2008: Hackers target CNN over Tibet: Pro-Chinese activists planning to attack CNN's website over its coverage of the Tibet issue have postponed their cyber strike, but say they will attack again in future.

Sat, 19 Apr 2008: Garbage in, garden out: There's a really nice artwork here showing how a recycling plant turns your miscellaneous garbage into neatly sorted and reusable materials.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: Tune out, turn off, and disconnect: Are you addicted to online life? Popular Science worries about people who surf in their dreams and blog in their sleep.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: 58% of music is not paid for: New research shows most music in the US is copied rather than bought. Is that a sign of monumental fraud, or an indication that publishers need to wake up to new opportunities in the post-copyright world?

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: Keep the Net neutral, pioneers urge: We'll all lose if the Net is squeezed by commercial pressures, argue cyber pioneers like Lawrence Lessig.

Sat, 12 Apr 2008: Can we go on eating meat and fish?: Janet Raloff speculates on whether we'll end up eating ants, grasshoppers, and beetles.

March 2008

Sun, 30 Mar 2008: Short of water?: Nature publishes a special on the world water crisis to mark World Water Day 2008.

Mon, 24 Mar 2008: Touchy phones need more feedback: The lack of "touch" feedback on touchscreen phones slows users down, new studies have found.

Mon, 24 Mar 2008: Milking energy: An interactive look at how to make biofuel from spoiled milk and other waste food, from MSN.

Sat, 22 Mar 2008: Love lights and mantis shrimps: How a "simple shrimp" uses polarized light to find its mate.

Fri, 21 Mar 2008: Build your own ambient mood light: Popular Science magazine shows you how to build a simple electronic mood cube.

Thu, 20 Mar 2008: Is Mars covered in table salt?: The latest Nasa probe findings suggest a dusting of a suspiciously familiar chemical. Are Martians eating fish and chips?

Thu, 20 Mar 2008: How to buy happiness: According to a new study, the best way to buy happiness is to give your money away.

Thu, 20 Mar 2008: China warns on Net criticism: China welcomes closer international ties, but warns other countries of meddling in its affairs online.

Tue, 18 Mar 2008: University recruits on Second Life: Liverpool Hope University is holding an open day... online!

Tue, 18 Mar 2008: Apple: Rules are meant to be broken: This article in Wired explores how Steve Jobs got where he is by going his own way.

Tue, 18 Mar 2008: Researchers Say Arctic Sea Ice Still at Risk Despite Cold Winter: Using the latest satellite observations, NASA researchers and others report that the Arctic is still on "thin ice" when it comes to the condition of sea ice cover in the region.

February 2008

Tue, 19 Feb 2008: They shoot satellites, don't they?: Why is the US Department of Defense shooting down a satellite?

Mon, 18 Feb 2008: Future of video games: Video game makers are looking to the next generation this week in San Francisco.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008: Solar cell powered by water: A new solar fuel cell mimics the process of photosynthesis used in plants.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008: World's most powerful laser... is nothing much: It's over twice as intense as current lasers, but it's not much to look at.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008: Behind the scenes at the world's longest accelerator: Step inside and see how they "make" particles at Stanford University.

Sat, 16 Feb 2008: Machines will think like humans by 2029: Ray Kurzweil is predicting the arrival of super humans (or super machines) within decades.

Sat, 16 Feb 2008: There's plastic in your body: Long known about in animals, plastic residues are now turning up in humans.

Fri, 15 Feb 2008: How to trap lightning in a block: Make your own Lichtenberg patterns with not much more than a shaggy rug.

Fri, 15 Feb 2008: Science squares up to humanity's biggest challenges: What are the biggest problems challenging our survival and how can science help us tackle them?

Wed, 13 Feb 2008: Nanowires make power from your clothes: Fabrics in your clothes could soon make power for the gadgets you carry!

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• Science and technology news from 2007