- Farmland birds still chirpy despite wind turbines
Unlike larger raptors, agile farmland birds seem to be little affected by the turbines' whirling blades - Martian fossils may be hiding inside white rocks
Sedimentary Earth rocks that were dropped into the atmosphere turned white – crucially, the fossils they contained survived the ordeal - Bad boys can blame behaviour on their hormones
The "stress hormone" cortisol may be responsible for aggressive antisocial behaviour in delinquent males, research suggests - Big babies at higher risk of breast cancer
A small increase in height or weight boosts a baby girl's odds of getting breast cancer in adulthood – growth hormones could be a factor - Arthritis supplements no better than placebo
Results that show placebos have as much effect on joint damage as two popular supplements back up earlier research - Do we all have some synaesthetic ability?
A condition that lowers the barriers between the senses – causing concepts to have, say, colour or taste – may be more common than thought - Invention special: Green technology
This week's new patent applications aim to make the world a cleaner place: from electricity generation by osmosis, to crops that refine biofuels, and nod-powered headsets - Fluttering robot could show Mars rovers the way
A robot dragonfly could study the Red Planet from above, flagging up interesting sites for land-based vehicles to investigate - Dragonfly robot could hunt out Mars highlights
A robot with flapping wings could study the Red Planet from above, flagging up interesting sites for land-based rovers to investigate - Virgin Galactic craft to help monitor climate
The plane designed to carry SpaceShipTwo flies higher than most others, allowing it to study greenhouse gases throughout the atmosphere - Hubble failure delays repair mission to 2009
A critical failure on the telescope has forced NASA to delay its upcoming mission to upgrade the observatory until at least February 2009 - Phoenix finds evidence of past liquid water on Mars
The ice underneath NASA's Mars lander might once have been a puddle of standing water - Phoenix finds evidence of past water on Mars
The ice underneath NASA's Mars lander might once have been a puddle of standing water - Marine 'dead zones' leave crabs gasping
Crustaceans are the first to gasp for air when oxygen levels get low – the finding suggests that low-oxygen zones are more widespread than thought - Hubble repair mission may be delayed to 2009
A problem with the telescope may prompt NASA to delay until next year a repair trip that had been due to launch in two weeks - Private rocket achieves orbit on fourth try
After three failed attempts, the private space firm SpaceX has successfully launched its Falcon 1 rocket into orbit - Fuel thinner turns diesel cars into greener machines
A cheap device that makes oily diesel flow more easily gives a less-polluting burn, as well as improved range in some models - Fuel thinner turns diesel cars into greener machines
A cheap device that makes oily diesel flow more easily gives a less-polluting burn, as well as improved range in some models - Carbon-trading scheme gets underway in US
The scheme selling permits to emit greenhouse gases in 10 US states was set up in an absence of federal guidance - Europe should spend now to avoid climate catastrophes
The continent is warming faster than average – desertification, floods and other problems need to be planned for, says a new report - Invisibility cloaks could take sting out of tsunamis
Waves could be steered around oil rigs or even islands by using rings of pillars – this could be the first real-world use of cloaking technology - In the language of love, money talks
Rich British men are less likely to be childless – the finding shows that people in industrialised nations are still subject to evolutionary pressures - Heroic ants pay the ultimate price to safeguard nest
Each night, a few selfless Brazilian ant workers take on the task of protecting their nest from predators by sealing it – from the outside - A wolf's dark pelt is a gift from the dogs
The gene for black fur was bred into Yellowstone wolves by hybridisation with dogs, but may have spread because female wolves find it sexy (full text available to subscribers) - China celebrates success of third crewed spaceflight
The country's third human space flight ended successfully on Sunday – the mission was the first to include a spacewalk
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13/08/2008Strategy/Policy
14/07/2008Best Practice