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Issue 19

NUCLEAR 2.0

NUCLEAR 2.0
Fusion could one day generate limitless cheap energy from little more than water, while emitting no greenhouse gases. Robin McKie assesses the future of fusion and its tempting promise as the ultimate power panacea for a warming world.

Cosmos Issue 19
FEATURES
Do you have to be nuts to be a genius?

DO YOU HAVE TO BE NUTS TO BE A GENIUS?

To see, to hear and to imagine what others cannot. But at a cost: to have dramatic mood swings, to be incapable of comprehending social norms or to lack the ability to express emotion. Branwen Morgan asks, is this what it takes to be a genius?

Science skin-deep

SCIENCE SKIN-DEEP

The beauty industry makes some wild, and seemingly scientific, claims about anti-ageing products. Elizabeth Finkel investigates how they hold up under the harsh light of science.

The colour purple

THE COLOUR PURPLE

China's Terracotta Army was unearthed more than three decades ago, but the mystery of a pigment detected on the warriors persists to this day. Fiona McMillan finds out why Han purple still intrigues archaeologists, chemists and physicists.

Who killed the Iceman?

WHO KILLED THE ICEMAN?

The murder of Ötzi the Iceman is perhaps the most challenging cold case in history. John Pickrell looks at the forensic methods archaeologists have used to piece together a remarkably detailed picture of his life - and death.

Sunset on the sturgeon

SUNSET ON THE STURGEON

On the trail of the world's finest caviar, Christopher Pala ventures to Kazakhstan, where he finds a surging black market, skyrocketing prices and an ancient fish pushed to the brink of extinction.

Unambiguously vague

UNAMBIGUOUSLY VAGUE

If language is about communication, why do we sometimes deliberately muddy things up? Steven Pinker explains.


REGULAR SECTIONS
FOREWORD
A word from the editor.
FEEDBACK
Letters from Cosmos readers.
PORTRAIT
Scott Cummins, marine ecologist.
EXPRESS: NEWS
The latest happenings in science.
SNAPSHOT
Stephen Pincock looks at the impact of invasive species on Australia.
IT'S ELEMENTARY, DR WATSON
Susan Greenfield points out the dangers of sloppy science.
NOT TO SCALE
Winners from the Nikon Small World 2007 photomicrography competition.
CRACKING FIND
Palaeontologist Jack Horner recounts his discovery of the first dinosaur eggs.
LIVE AND LET DIE
We can't save all endangered species, so which ones should we prioritise?
GOLD-DIGGERS
Recruiting Mother Nature to hunt for minerals.
GREEN SKIES AHEAD
Innovations in aircraft design to reduce environmental impact.
IN SEARCH OF PLANET V
Was a fifth rocky planet swallowed by the Sun in the Solar System's infancy?
DATING LIFE
The revolution of carbon dating.
THE REAL SHERLOCK HOLMES
Was Sherlock Holmes the original forensic scientist? Cosmos looks at the clues.
FICTION
"Loop" by Peter J. Bentley.
OMNIVORE
A browse through the latest in science books and DVDs.
FOOD MILE FALLACY
Caroline Saunders is not convinced that we should switch from air-freighted to locally grown food for the sake of the planet.
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