Inside job THE strain of Escherichia coli that causes diarrhoea in infants hijacks the immune system to help it along. Lisa Higgins of the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry and her colleagues showed that a protein produced by E. coli binds to the immune system's T cells. This thickens the gut lining, providing fresh cells … News
The ultimate screen shaver THE usual way scientists tell the world that they've done something clever is to publish a paper. Liming Dai and his colleagues at the CSIRO Division of Molecular Science in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton had a better idea: they sent out Christmas cards. On their card was a micrograph of a molecule that looked … Opinion
Making a splash NEXT time you shed your everyday clothes and don your swimming costume, give a thought to the place you are about to enter. Once you're over the thrill of cold water rising past your thighs, look at the pool around you. Why are people there behaving in the way they are? How did the pool … Features
No boundaries Or if you are in London visit the Science Museum, where artist-in-residence Martha Fleming has gleaned wonderful objects from throughout the collections. Her sources range from objects on display, to unseen treasures, filing cards and photographs. She presents them in new and extraordinary ways in Atomism & Animism. Looked at closely, a case of books … Books & Arts
Feedback FEEDBACK is puzzled by the Australian Federal Police's choice of mascot. According to the website for the AFP's eponymous quarterly magazine, the platypus represents "the diverse requirements placed upon members in the execution of their duty". Among the reasons cited for choosing this particular role model are its tirelessness in its daily explorations, its knack … Regulars