麻豆传媒

Think maths

Is mathematics the grand design for the Universe, or merely a figment of the human imagination, asks Ian Stewart

Take a deep breath and blow

No pain, more gain

101 things to do with an old oil rig – Melt it down as scrap? Turn it into a casino? Slice it up and use the bits as oil tanks? Fred Pearce sorts through Shell’s options for disposing of Brent Spar

Is there anybody out there?

A tank of the cold stuff – Hydrogen has long been touted as the fuel of the future. If German car makers are to be believed, that future is just a few years away, says Rob Edwards

What goes up. . . – In 1998 NASA is planning the maiden flight of an experimental rocket-plane that must endure the intense heat of re-entry and take off again 24 hours after landing. Ben Iannotta reports

Racing to euphoria

Young blood NEW LIFE

How the parasite learnt to kill

Bacteria and viruses that cause disease today may not always have done so. Some had virulence thrust upon them, as Phyllida Brown finds out

Trails of destruction

Technology

Beaten in spades

Fish TV presents . . . – If you want to understand the tiny plants and animals of the plankton, you need to zoom in for the close-ups

The big thaw – For years, US Navy scientists have been the envy of their poorer civilian cousins. Now the caring, sharing Pentagon is unlocking some of its most closely guarded secrets