SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS 13 = Ss nest Ca TBS) [te ere ae planet et a stalked the Earth — (And a chunk of it may still be out there) ee > os = APP MUL Ue} SUNY Pty) Teleke He erm se its ieee ie Mace arel elie steroids ‘ cmcnea then WAINPerey Could you take the next small step for mankind?Qrettines triceation ow. aewsceti.co lived ft, ded young? & NEWS TECHNOLOGY ‘ONTHE COVER ‘Theplanet that taled the arn, pge2 Tapping magma, page Drugsin port, pape ney therapy unplug cance, age 34 ino) REGULARS EDITORIAL itis have labelled New cent’, ‘xpos of how steroids athletesas Insaneand responsible. Who's ght? 3 ‘UPFRONT Fears over second wave of vD; Japan's latest nucleacaccdent; new contender forspacerace; peace pocess triggers ‘ino kings; another vacne, anther scare; fon dead of bomb-making; alienshave 0 yearstospotus 4 THis WEEK Why drugtestsan missthechets 6 How dinosausbeamegans 8 Coralswillsuniveglobal warming 9 Cosmicraysandcimatechange 10 IWF chldre'srisofaredisorer Socialite dlphinshold pods together 12 Gene with may givedoxtorsconol_ 12 oling laces tine to earthquakes 13 Antimaterdecaystasterthan mater 13 Mysterusspacejunkideotiied? Wy omenfsh pens pin down searise Wy oR Hologramscf signatures could finger forgets; dwarf galaxiesarecomplex; ty big bids chose small mates seismicsensorsspot asteroid shock 15 “oo sexy fr your mame? yourpace the pctingorder,vusinkto prostate cancer leeches seve skin anspants 16 Thewristwatch that never forgets 19 Real-time rewindonyourradia. 20 Shinkawapfor Martian astionauts 21 ‘TRENDS: END OF VIDEO PIRACY Enough is enough, say studios, ane this time they eallymean business FEATURES STALKER I SPACE ‘When rogue world began pursuing the young fart, twas bound to atfacksooner orate, rd chunks sfitarestillouthere 6 ‘May THE HiGH-TECH Wo Hasmode athletic’ dependence on technology slolen the soul ofspot z cuTTHEPOWER Anew way totes cancer— Convince tumours they esting through a blactout x ‘WHAT FRIES BELOW Hot rocks are old hat, Molten magma isthe latest geothermal target ~ butjustbewareot blowouts 38 Innocent suspects were scored as ‘deceptive’ in 47 per cent of cases. You'd barely get a better result with the flip of a coin" So whys potyzaph tetingso popula pgs 7 ‘COMMENT AND ANALYSIS Whatissoiresisibleabout the polygraph thatthe UKisplaningto seit help montarsex offenders Especial says Davi ken, when t doesnt work " errens Cteatinga renewables economy; may the besteagwin; fingrprintoly 2 renew Theaverage Amen eats way much meat saysRobert Lawrence, ‘one ofthe Usstop preventive edcine expt He want totum the tide using acanlroversalstartotheweek m2 Pouics Westninste diary: Tam Dalyell on howto ensueopennessin dusts, andfeasoverflameretadants WS ENIGMA 65 BOOKS ‘The splendour of seaweed; a tortuous lueasue hunt; geo-terror anc mass centintions; dinosaurs with feathers 46 FEEDBACK 56 ‘TWELAST WORD Ea sons w waupst200 Newser}Have New Scientist delivered direct to your door - Pea UE Na See RO Rca Beene ray Aen Cece aCe PRIORITY SUBSCRIPTION FORMow newsseti.om a Sport, lies and steroids Like it or not, it's time to uncover the truth about the drugs athletes use INSANE“ just irresponsible, What message does that send to young athletes?" These were typicalcomments voiced by opponents of a television programme to be broadeast internationally this week Initiated and co-developed by New Scfentst, the programme followsa study into the effets of testosterone con the performance of amateur athletes CCritlessay that this kind of study is pointless, because high-profile cases of op athletes being aught cheating already show that drigs work. Not so. Hite athletes “undergo more tests and are therefore more key tobe caughtout Wedo not know how ‘many aspiringathletesfallto make the grade despite rying various untested drugs prpethapseven see theirhealth and performancedeclineasa result The nly real way tofind out any drug works sto carry outa properly designed tial, ‘here neither volunteers nor scientists know ‘who got the drugor who got a placebo. That was how the testosterone study was conducted in Australiaand the results willbe submitted to peer reviewed journals. Studiesalso have tobe relevant. Even with medical drugs, which have been ‘rough clinical ral, theeffectson athletes’ performancesare notalways clear, Weknow human growth hormone boosts the growth of children with a deficiency oft for instance. Butsome experts doubt thas any effect when taken by healthy adults with normal levels. And despite what many athletes, chemstsand sports officials would have you believe, even less is known about most of the drags downed by sportsmenand women. Nobody knows how much ofan effect they have, ifany, whether they work foreveryone orjusta few, or what the side effects are. Itistrue that there was good reasonto (Chink testosterone would work, becaus fone ofthe very ew drugs where scentific trialshave tested itseffecton performancein young men. But the resultsof the latest study Pecans reveal just how tle we know. Even though the study was very smalland lasted only six weeks, it threw upa surprise: testasterone works even faster than thought. The biggest Increase in performance occurred ater just tree weeks (see p 6) ‘Theside effects observed were minima, but the study would not have got ethical approval had there been any “Thefactisthat —seriousrisktothe athletes involved. This Many people Formottestesterone are taking. hasalready been testosterone gedentmls already-and mate contraceptive, Motjust Olympic spinesaletyotlow athletes” ‘Much more remains tobediscovered Westill donot know exactly how testosterone boosts muscle siz, orhow long isefflexs last. Does anathlte who takes teststerone orother anabolie steroids fora few weeks stil have some residual advantage yeas later? ‘Theother main criticism ofthestudy i that {twill encourage athletes to take testosterone Itwould benaiveto think this may not happen. But itcould alsohelp drugiesterscatch the cheats And the acts that many people are taking testosterone already and not ust Olympie athletes. recent survey by the University of Michigan estimated that lst years s percent of teenagers inthe USuused anabolesteroidsona reglarbasis Surely proper studies on theeffees ofall the various oncoctionsare urgently required? ‘Tismagazine believes that people should be ven credibleand accurate information about drugs, not propaganda fostered by drug peddlers or people who oppose thelr use. That §pplles to supposed performance enhancing drugsas much ait does to Prozacand ecstasy Ignorance isnoanswer. © New Scientist's looking for an enthusiastic intern to work in out London offices tor thee to four Se see tT reese ‘anthusiasm forthe web, plus an ability to write dearly and simply. Send an immediate email to gadgets@newscientistcom telling us, in no more than 200 words, your if history and wit you Sas rete] Auust208 Newscerst3Newsin perspective RIVAL TEAM JOINS RACE FOR SPACE ‘The ace to commertiaie sac, Wi Fire wile ted to an atte and towin the $10 milion Anstix. of lometres bya helium Balloon vie has intensified. The Caradian launched from the pra around a Vine Project announced on August Kindersley in Saskatchewan, nada. ‘thatitwilty to lsuneh tsspacecat The -ionne, .88-metrelong spacecraft WildFieforthersttime on 2Ocober, ill hang720 metes blow the talioon and will doit again within two weeks, with ts ose angled upwards. When its asthe prize ules require. 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A ion Feeney Fre bet Sei the pliocomponent given Frankbrakewhoploncered_solarsystem,ButcableTV does No need to panic itnonssucariump. ” ——thesearehtoroxraerrestral not lesksigralsinto space, ANOTHER vaccine anotherscar. ""Mulipe vaccines may alsobe intelligence GET) madethis and not much aks rom diet ThistimeintheUX,wherethe saferforanotherseason says pointatHarvardUniversiiyon broadcast satelite that put out governmenthacannounced plans expertPaulOtitoftheChilen’s GAugust Mas Sectors us z0wats per channel sah tSinvoduceromseptembera. 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Butlast week was reported thatsomeonewithadiferent genotypehad been found tobe incubating afer cyingot ther causes (The Lancet, vl 364 ser) Hafof the population hat thesame genotype sothe dlacovery ominous "What hisfndingindlctesis thatthe largest genetic ubgroup issusceptibletothisinfecton Sayslames onside, directorot IREUK National iD Surveillance Unitin tanburgh, Ur, anda Imemberof the study team, “From “This indicates that the largest genetic subgroup is susceptible to the infection” fone case you can'textrapolate too far utit ems that many of them, are likely tobe infected” Based on the numberof cases sofar,epidemiologistshave estimated that there will only be another 50 1060 eases of vCID, ‘though inital findings froma survey of tonsils put the figure at 3800. The latest case suggests the toll might be even higher. Fourwere ied at kama ow. aewsseti.com Surge in poaching THE pace processes inSudanand the Demecratc Republi Congo have triggered a slaughter of game animals inGaramba National Parke The park inthenorth east Comer of BR isa UNESCO World Herltagesite and home othe ast known populationef norheen white rhinos 111960 there were around 2asoindividualsof the subspecies Speadactos fv lrcan tates, “Efforts to end the bloody conflict in Sudan may have sparked the rise in poaching” ‘Butpoachingand instability inthe region decimated the population leaving around30 animals, according toa survey last year. Since then things have got ‘worse. An intensive aerial survey inJuly estimated that just r7to22 thinos remain, despite thebisthof four new calves earlier this yea. Kes Hillman Smith ofthe Garamba National Park Project, says that, ronicallyeffortsto tend the bloody conflicts in Sudan and DRC may have sparked off the recent upsurgein poaching Anticipating that a new, more stable government would try to revitalise conservation efforts by restricting access tothe park, armed Sudanese groupsmay Fer than 2 remain have elzed the chanceto grab what they could, Hillman-Smith says. Elephants and other large ‘mammal populations have also suffered. Iran vindicated? JRAN’S insistence tha it has not been developing nuclear weapons hasbeen backed upby eviderice ‘uncovered by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Ageney (AEA. Ifconfirmed, it could defuse the long-running crisisoverIran’snuclear ambitions ‘Quoting authoritative sources, report by jane’ Defence Weekly says that inspectors had reached the" tentativeconclusion’ that particlesofenriched uranium, ound intranin2003.came from Pakistan ranhas always claimed thatthe particles, enriched for tuseina tomb had hitehed aride fon imported equipment. ‘Analysis has shoven that one particle, enriched to 54 per cent, ‘matched uranium produced by the Pakistani nuclexr programme, thereport says. Another, enriched 036 percent, had been made in Russia and imported by Pakistan, Bothare thought to have beenon equipment supplied by recently ‘uncovered nuclear smugglingring sunby former Pakistani nuclear chief scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, “The IAEA tefused to comment when contacted by New Scientist 60 SECONDS Return of the kid Inthe, expect rain, n Australia rough: € Wika ison his way In forcast eases on Aus, the (imate Prediction Centr in Camp Springs, Maryland, sai hat warm ‘surface waters near the equator ‘suggest Nit vl emerge nthe ‘cic oer the nex tree months. Shooting star display ‘Toei ty wl bet up by an ‘unusual sparkly show on Thursday, asthe Earth eporencesthePersid ‘meteor shomer. The year evet, his aus by dst from comet Svat iting the atnosphere, ‘sexperts to be xtra right his yar asthe fart ploughs into the densest partf the debris et bythe comet, Ostriches for the chop ‘nan fa has broken out among ‘stiches in South ca for he ist time, A east 30,00 birds wil be slaughtered to tp the bird ‘spreading to poultry and people, gual ofals announced on (gus. The stain, HSN, sel felted to HEM, the vrs that led 2% people and lions of chickens alr this yar in sia, Don'ttake a hike Aventure enthusiasts are spreading 2