Technology A heart of diamond Diamonds are now a cardiac patient's best friend (US 2003/69632). After a heart attack, surgeons can insert a stent – a short tube of metal scaffolding – into an artery to keep it open. But proteins in the blood soon stick to the stent's surface and narrow the flow. Four Belgian inventors, Ivan De Scheerder, … News
Humans Westminster diary JOHN NEWTON, the newly appointed chief executive of the UK Biobank project, impressed MPs when he spoke at a recent meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. In the long-term, the project promises to be the largest, most comprehensive population study of its kind in the world (Âé¶¹´«Ã½, 10 May, p 25) . Eventually … Opinion
Mind Breaking out of the straitjacket What was your view of human nature that let you take a fresh look at mental illness? We started with the fairly standard evolutionary psychology view that the mind consists of a large stock of modules, each crafted by natural selection to do certain jobs. Our idea is that the mind is a set of … Features
This is your life… HOW do you know who you are? Will you still be the same person tomorrow? How about in 30 years' time? In a lifetime the brain squirrels away a vast stash of facts, names, faces, sights, sounds and smells, records scores of events and their associated emotions, and helps us acquire countless skills, from tying … Inside Science
Feedback THE 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits nations from claiming the Moon or any other celestial body. However, in 1980 one Dennis Hope claimed he had found a loophole because the treaty said nothing that banned companies from filing claims. He formed a company called the Lunar Embassy and began selling lunar property an acre at … Regulars