SCI-TECH

All eyes are on private rocketeers after the latest problem with Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which is now the only means of sending crews to the International Space Station

An exceptionally preserved fossil has allowed biologists to reconstruct the sound of an extinct bush cricket. So what did it sound like?

All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: the revolution will be tweeted and robotic walking stick lends users some balance

Sculpting an entire replacement jawbone that's both fully functional and biocompatible is seen as a breakthrough for 3D printing

A 15-kilometre-long swathe of seagrass off the coast of Spain is at least 80,000 years old, making it the oldest known living organism on Earth

Walking sticks are being dragged into the robotics era thanks to dynamic balancing, super-strong motors and power-punching batteries

Mars Express has returned images of the Red Planet's Syrtis Major region, an area once thought to be an ocean – but did oceans once exist on Mars?

Alberto Contador has been banned for 2 years and stripped of his Tour de France title after he tested positive for the banned stimulant clenbuterol in 2010

In Connectome: How the brain's wiring makes us who we are, Sebastian Seung explores the mapping of our circuitry and how much it can tell us about ourselves

3D file-sharing makes copying "physibles" possible. It'll give companies a headache – but could kick-start a 3D printing revolution

Bird flu research is on hold after the creation of dangerous viruses in the lab, and important studies will be only partly published. What's going on?

Economic meltdown, pro-democracy revolts, protest camps – was it all really catalysed by social media and new technology? We ask BBC correspondent Paul Mason (full text available to subscribers)

Whether you want to smash a forehand like Federer, or just be an Xbox hero, there is a shocking short cut to getting the brain of an expert, says Sally Adee

Norwegian artist Svein Flygari Johansen uses computer programming alongside sticks and stones to explore the impact of human culture on Nordic landscapes

Brain scans of humans and monkeys while they watched a cowboy movie show that areas that are functionally similar aren't always in the same place

A flexible battery that can be woven unobtrusively into fabrics could one day provide electricity for your gadgets

Compounds of silver are as effective against breast and colon cancer cells as a leading chemotherapy drug and may result in fewer side effects

The model of atoms as mini solar systems was supplanted by quantum fuzziness – now atoms have been forced to act more like the classical systems

Planets orbiting one star in a stellar pair could get bounced from star to star repeatedly – until they fall into the great beyond

The hacktivist group managed to a listen in on a call between the FBI and law enforcement officials from several different European countries

All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: high time to welcome the friendly drones and malaria may kill far more people than we thought

Stuff spewed out of Io's hyperactive volcanoes make the rings of auroral light on Jupiter's poles grow and shrink

See how circles made up of tilted squares can warp your perception

Do you have the willpower to resist our survey? Take it and the results will be analysed by Roy F. Baumeister to check your self-control

A projection-based touchpad demonstrates the wide range of uses for a foldable touchscreen that can act like an iPad, or a book