Less than five months after the largest oil spill in US history, another fire has occurred on an oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico

A panel of physicists recommends keeping Fermilab's Tevatron collider alive for an extra three years, but others worry about collateral damage

Cyanobacteria survived strong UV exposure for a billion years – the secret to their success could be key to new sunscreens and "anti-ageing" products

There is much more to the cosmos than meets the eye. Astrophysicist Michael Rowan-Robinson explores what invisible rays from radio to gamma have shown us

Future spacecraft could change their orbits simply by unfurling electrically conducting tethers – Japan has now tested one in a suborbital mission

All today's stories on NewScientist.com including: the flaws in criminal profiling, a birds-eye view of hurricane Earl and weird water inside planets

An astronaut on the International Space Station has captured a serene-looking view of hurricane Earl – but things aren't so calm down below

By storing power for when it's needed most, speakers that plug into a USB port can produce high-quality sound without the need for mains power

Stephen Hawking's new book is the biggest science news story of the day. Has he suddenly given up a religious belief, asks Roger Highfield

Congress could find a way around the shock court ruling that has frozen US government support for work on human embryonic stem cells

In his new book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking argues that there is no single theory of reality because there is no single reality

A form of water deep within Uranus and Neptune may behave like a liquid and a solid simultaneously, explaining the planets' bizarre magnetic fields

Throughout September New Scientist is running a photo competition – we want your photos on the theme of movement and science

Lasers can bring down remote-piloted aircraft – but a new demo shows they can also keep the craft airborne

Fifteen children in Finland were diagnosed with narcolepsy after receiving swine flu vaccine – but it could have occurred by chance

In the last of his posts about photographing the eclipse, Dan Falk compares his analogue and digital images. But which does he think is best?

The first advert for medicinal cannabis was aired on television this week in California. Is this a sign of things to come, asks Catherine de Lange

It's a staple of cop shows, but the jury's still out on claims that a criminal's identity can be deduced from their modus operandi

People who engage in mental challenges may stave off symptoms of Alzheimer's, but decline more quickly if subsequently diagnosed

With trials showing positive results from the treatment of cancer to alcohol addiction, could illegal drugs be heading for the medical mainstream?