Today on New Scientist: 28 December 2012

Best videos of 2012: Rare view of Challenger tragedy Watch a rare amateur video of the Challenger explosion, our most-viewed video of the year Strong jet stream super-charged US Christmas storms Record snowfall and dozens of tornadoes snarled holiday travel as a powerful winter storm plowed across much of the US, while rainstorms battered the UK 2012 review: The year in life science The year's...

Read More..

Cyclone tears roofs off houses in Solomon Islands

SUVA: Freshly formed Cyclone Freda whipped roofs off houses and flattened trees in the Solomon Islands as it gathered strength en route to New Caledonia, forecasters said on Saturday.There was also flooding from rising rivers as winds of up to 130 kilometres an hour (80 mph) blew in, but there were no reports of deaths or injuries, Solomon Islands Meteorological Service officer Manoah...

Read More..

Senate leaders tackle fiscal cliff deal

STORY HIGHLIGHTSChiefs of staff for the Senate's top Democrat and Republican will lead fiscal cliff talksMcConnell hopes there will be a plan to present to the Senate "as early as Sunday"If there isn't one, Reid says that he'll put an Obama-backed bill up for a voteSome congressmen say Americans have a right to be frustrated by the stalemate As the fiscal cliff looms, what's your New Year's message...

Read More..

Police ID man pushed to death at NY subway station

Updated 10:27 PM ET NEW YORK New York City police have identified a man they say was shoved to his death in front of a subway train by a woman. Police said Friday that Sunando Sen was pushed from the platform the night before. The 46-year-old Sen was from India and lived alone in Queens. Investigators identified him through a smartphone and a prescription pill bottle he was carrying when he was...

Read More..

Epic Journey: Did Moses' Exodus Really Happen?

In the Bible, he is called Moses. In the Koran, he is the prophet Musa.Religious scholars have long questioned whether of the story of a prophet leading God's chosen people in a great exodus out of Egypt and the freedom it brought them afterwards was real, but the similarities between a pharaoh's ancient hymn and a psalm of David might hold the link to his existence.Tune in...

Read More..

2012 review: The year in technology

Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year" Controlling robots with thought alone could open up a new world for people with locked-in syndrome, while both health and education are heading in exciting new directions...

Read More..

Temasek raises stake in Olam to 19%

SINGAPORE: Singapore-listed Olam International said its second-largest shareholder Temasek Holdings has further increased its stake to 19 per cent, from 18 per cent.This is the third time in a month that the Singapore investment firm had boosted its shareholdings in the commodities group, which has been the target of short-seller Carson Block and his research firm Muddy Waters.In a filing...

Read More..

Obama, congressional leaders to meet Friday

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: McConnell's spokesman says Obama should give details of his proposalBoehner, Reid, Pelosi and McConnell will meet at the White House on FridayThe Senate returns to work; the House will be back in session Sunday Without a deal, taxes go up and spending gets slashed in the new yearWashington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will discuss the looming fiscal...

Read More..

Another NYC "subway push" death

NEW YORK A mumbling woman pushed a man to his death in front of a subway train on Thursday night, the second time this month someone has been killed in such nightmarish fashion, police said. The man was standing on the elevated platform of a 7 train in Queens at about 8 p.m. when he was shoved by the woman, who witnesses said had been following him closely and mumbling to herself, New York Police...

Read More..

White House Says It Has No New Fiscal Cliff Plan

The White House said today it has no plans to offer new proposals to avoid the fiscal cliff which looms over the country's economy just five days from now, but will meet Friday with Congressional leaders in a last ditch effort to forge a deal.Republicans and Democrats made no conciliatory gestures in public today, despite the urgency.The White House said President Obama would...

Read More..

Shiver me timbers: the coolest warship ever made

* Required fields * First name * Last name * Country * Email address * Password Password must contain only letters and numbers, and be at least 8 characters * Confirm password...

Read More..

Duke-NUS governing board chairman to step down

SINGAPORE: Mr Tony Chew Leong-Chee is to step down as Chairman of the Duke-NUS' governing board on Monday.The business leader has been at the helm for seven years.He remains on the Duke-NUS Board till the end of February 2013. Ex-banker Mr Kai Nargolwala, who joined the Duke-NUS Board in January this year, will assume the appointment of Chairman from 1 January 2013.Mr Nargolwala is the...

Read More..

Decluttering before the New Year

Time off work during the holidays is a perfect time to tidy up your home and work spaces to start the New Year right.STORY HIGHLIGHTSDo your New Year's resolutions include a push to clean up? Here are some tips to startBeing organized is about being in control, says professional organizer Susan FleischmanCleaning clutter can eliminate the need to buy what you simply can't find(CNN) -- Whatever other...

Read More..

Former President Bush in ICU

Updated 6:40 p.m. ETA "stubborn" fever that kept former President George H.W. Bush in a hospital over Christmas has gotten worse, and doctors have put him on a liquids-only diet, his spokesman said Wednesday, describing Bush's condition as guarded to CBS News. Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, had said earlier in the day that the fever had gone away, but he later corrected himself. "It's...

Read More..

Okla. Senator Could Prevent Gun Control Changes

If there's one person most likely to keep new gun-control measures from passing Congress swiftly, it's Sen. Tom Coburn.Conservatives revere the Oklahoma Republican for his fiscal hawkishness and regular reports on government waste. But he's also a staunch gun-rights advocate, and he's shown a willingness to obstruct even popular legislation, something in the Senate that a single...

Read More..

2013 Smart Guide: Hot computing for a cool billion

Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year" It has been called science's X Factor: six mega-projects vying for two prizes, each worth a cool €1 billion. ...

Read More..

NParks steps up checks to prevent falling trees during storms

SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) has stepped up measures to ensure that fewer trees fall during storms. In the last five years, an average of 300 trees fell a year in bad weather. To ensure public safety, NParks has increased the number of checks on trees since the beginning of last year. Checks on trees near busy roads are now made once every 12 months, up from once every...

Read More..

Top celebs

updated 9:20 AM EST, Thu December 20, 2012CNN readers' favorites: Celebrity womenNo. 10: Sandra BullockNo. 9: Angelina JolieNo. 8: Katy PerryNo. 7: Taylor SwiftNo. 6: Sofia VergaraNo. 5: Carrie UnderwoodNo. 4: Jennifer LawrenceNo. 3: Jennifer Aniston No. 2: AdeleNo. 1: Catherine, Duchess of CambridgeCNN readers' favorites: Celebrity menNo. 10: Justin TimberlakeNo. 9: Jeremy RennerNo. 8: Brad PittNo....

Read More..

Obama cuts Hawaii trip short to address "fiscal cliff"

KAILUA, Hawaii President Barack Obama is cutting short his traditional Christmas holiday in Hawaii to return to Washington as lawmakers consider how to prevent the economy from going over the so-called fiscal cliff, the White House said Tuesday. Obama will fly back to the nation's capital Wednesday night, just five days after arriving in Hawaii, White House officials said. In the past, the president's...

Read More..

Winter Storms Spawn Tornadoes Across South

A nasty Christmastime storm system spawned blizzard conditions in some states and at least 15 reported tornadoes in the South, damaging homes, taking out power lines and dangerously snarling holiday travel.Severe weather swept across the United States during the Christmas holiday, bringing tornadoes and intense thunderstorms to the Gulf Coast, while dumping heavy snow and freezing...

Read More..

New Scientist 2012 holiday quiz

Continue reading page |1 |2 THIS was the year we held our breath in almost unbearable anticipation while we waited to see whether physicists at the Large Hadron Collider would finally get a clear view of the Higgs boson, so tantalisingly hinted at last December. Going a bit blue, we held on through March when one of the...

Read More..

Syria peace envoy Brahimi meets opposition

DAMASCUS: International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Tuesday in Damascus with three opposition groups tolerated by the regime, a day after holding talks with President Bashar al-Assad, an AFP correspondent said.Brahimi, the UN-Arab League's special envoy to Syria, arrived in the country on Sunday to launch a fresh bid to end the country's spiralling conflict, which in almost two years...

Read More..