THE DROWNED REEF

What may be the world’s largest fossil has been found off the coast of Australia. A reef perhaps as long as the Great Barrier Reef, it was drowned long ago by rising seas. John Pickrell joins scientists seeking to understand this mysterious structure.

NICOTINE: CAN IT SAVE YOUR BRAIN?

Is it a scourge on society or a blessing in disguise? As Becky McCall discovers, public enemy number one may soon be a treatment for cognitive diseases.

INSECT CUISINE

It might be a while before McDonald’s offers, “Grasshoppers with that?”, but munching on so-called ‘mini-livestock’ is well established in many parts of the world. Janet Raloff finds out why.

CARBON BUSTERS

As carbon dioxide levels creep ever higher, scientists are working to put the greenhouse gas in its place. Sid Perkins investigates the options for carbon sequestration.

A NEW BOTTOM LINE

What is the collective impact of 6.7 billion human beings on one planet? David Suzuki ponders the problem of exponential population growth.

RICHARD DAWKINS

He is a towering figure in evolution, a ferocious debater and a fervent champion of science who skewers creationists for sport. He may not suffer fools, but was kind enough to talk with Robin McKie.

PORTRAIT: Chris Fulton
For this marine biologist, swimming on the Great Barrier Reef is just another day at the office.

EXPRESS
A round-up of all the latest happenings in science.

GALLERY
Scientists first peered down microscopes some 400 years ago, and discovered another world hidden in nature. We take a look at some of the fascinating images more recently created at the University of Sydney.

POSTCARD: Seal of approval
While he was working in a windowless basement one day, Roger Hill’s career took an unexpected turn that swept him to the ice floes of Antarctica.

TRAVELOGUE: Shipwrecked
A remarkable archaeological relic lies at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Michael Dumiak joins divers on a mission to encase it in silicon so archaeologists can cast a replica on land.

FICTION: Letting go
The Hole was two metres wide, stretching from Mare Serenitatis straight down to the core. Big Betsy was chewing one long tunnel through lunar rock, the longest ever dug, nearly seven thousand kilometres from one side of the Moon to the other. An original science fiction story by David Walton.

OMNIVORE
A browse through the latest in science books and DVDs.

OPINION: The certainty principle
From evolution to climate change, the real culture wars are about language, not science. To win these wars, says Clive Thompson, science needs to change the way it talks about knowledge.