NUCLEAR 2.0
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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
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
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?
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
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
If language is about communication, why do we sometimes deliberately muddy things up? Steven Pinker explains.
A word from the editor.
Letters from Cosmos readers.
Scott Cummins, marine ecologist.
The latest happenings in science.
Stephen Pincock looks at the impact of invasive species on Australia.
Susan Greenfield points out the dangers of sloppy science.
Winners from the Nikon Small World 2007 photomicrography competition.
Palaeontologist Jack Horner recounts his discovery of the first dinosaur eggs.
We can't save all endangered species, so which ones should we prioritise?
Recruiting Mother Nature to hunt for minerals.
Innovations in aircraft design to reduce environmental impact.
Was a fifth rocky planet swallowed by the Sun in the Solar System's infancy?
The revolution of carbon dating.
Was Sherlock Holmes the original forensic scientist? Cosmos looks at the clues.
"Loop" by Peter J. Bentley.
A browse through the latest in science books and DVDs.
Caroline Saunders is not convinced that we should switch from air-freighted to locally grown food for the sake of the planet.
