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Saturday, 4 July 2009

How sticky is too sticky?

Spider WebWhen it comes to spider webs, stickier is not always better. Spiders cleverly optimise the stickiness so that large prey can escape without ruining the web, researchers have found. read more

Climate change shrinking Scottish sheep

Soay sheepMilder winter weather has caused a wild breed of Scottish sheep to shrink in size by around 5% over the last 25 years, and now experts think they understand why. read more

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COSMOS magazine: current issue

Cosmos Issue 24

On sale in newsstands now!

COSMIC ROULETTE

Was Charles Darwin the genius behind the great revolution in science, or did he merely state the obvious? Richard Conniff reads between the lines.

Also in this issue: THE END OF EVOLUTION - The forces that drive evolution are disappearing, says Steve Jones, who argues that we are undergoing a 'grand averaging', totally new in history.

Also in this issue: SNOWBALL EARTH - 800 million years ago, a climate lurch left Earth entombed in ice and almost devoid of life. But could it have been the catalyst for complex life?

Subscribe now to Cosmos magazine!

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Online features

Crocodile's diet may be key to survival

Salt Water Crocodileby Richie Hodgson | Crocodiles may have survived millenia, but they're facing threats from climate change to cane toads. A thorough understanding of their diet may be necessary to help them survive. read more

Future shock

Moon landing by Wilson da Silva | On a clear and warm night years ago, looking up at the beauty of a full Moon rising, my grandmother confided in me: “You know, they didn’t really go to the Moon.” read more

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Selected COSMOS magazine features

Tipping point?

by Wilson da Silva | Are we approaching a juncture where technology will accelerate exponentially and we'll merge with machines? We review the radical concept of the singularity. read more

We are the robots

by Rodney Brooks | A powerful artificial intelligence won't spring from a sudden technological 'big bang', it's already evolving symbiotically along with us. read more

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Fiction

The Noise Machine

The victims bore lifelike tattoos of clawed dragons. With human eyes. read more

Delivering Tomorrow, Today

At the Waldo and Magic Company, we have a long tradition of innovative thinking. In fact, innovation is the key to our great success. read more

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Reviews

Prehistoric Giants: the Megafauna of Australia

Imagine a scene where seven-metre-long goannas stalked rhinoceros-sized wombats, and marsupial lions roamed the bush. read more

Bad Science

Bad ScienceWish you had a better “bullshit detector”? Then read this book. read more

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