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Explore the most exciting new ideas and emerging concepts in science, health, technology and the environment with Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s exclusive in-depth articles, interviews and long reads.

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Pictures displayed by a new generation of television sets will bring the quality of cinema film into our living rooms, says the broadcasting industry. But not unless manufacturers quickly develop a better screen

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Sailing by software: More than 30 yachts started racing three months ago for the right to compete in sailing’s most prestigious event, the America’s Cup, off San Diego. Now there are just two – but the real winner will actually be the computer

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The race to detect dark matter: Dark matter makes up most of the Universe, but no one knows what it is. Now physicists around the world are competing to detect new exotic particles that could explain all

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Do animals feel pain?: By drawing analogies between humans and other animals, researchers tentatively conclude that fish and octopuses can feel pain, but insects can’t. But the cutoff point is inevitably fuzzy

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Telltale signs of a stressful life: Experiments have often deliberately caused stress to animals. The findings should now be used to improve their lot

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Computing the cost of health care: Britain’s NHS is spending more than ever before on information technology to improve auditing and record keeping. But is it getting the best value for its money?

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The power behind the flower: What makes a plant flower? The event that poets down the ages have struggled to capture in words, molecular biologists are now seeking to define in the language of genes

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Physics

The origin of mass

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Is your experiment really necessary?: Animals are used only when strictly required, researchers claim. But there are no clear rules to guide them

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Mobile phones fit for the future: Chaos and confusion reign in mobile communications as competing systems fight for our custom. Several networks have failed for lack of users, so how will the survivors fare against the expected newcomers

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Choices for tomorrow’s chips: Can the information technology revolution of the past two decades repeat itself? Much depends on how the next generation of electronic chips is made

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Imperfect mirrors of the Universe

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Making maths make money: Will analytical models of complex systems in nature also predict the movements of financial markets? Mathematicians in the US are hoping to get rich while they find out

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The secret world of animal experiments: Despite the 1986 act, the public still has little say on what is done in animal experiments. Ethical committees could give lay people a voice

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