FEBRUARY 2002

This section features key science stories from The Daily Telegraph's online news service at www.telegraph.co.uk. Click on the links for the full story.

Beautiful equations to die for
Physicists searching for the fundamental theory of nature believe it is close - and that it will be like a work of art, reports Graham Farmelo

20 Feb 2002

A simple formula that will make a fitting epitaph
Roger Highfield on a grave matter

20 Feb 2002

GM spray 'prevents tooth decay for life'
A TECHNIQUE to stop tooth decay using a genetically modified mouth bacterium is to undergo clinical trials later this year.

18 Feb 2002

Hypnosis fools the brain into seeing what it believes
HYPNOSIS can make people see what they believe, producing changes in the brain that suggest the effects are real, according to a study presented to the world's largest general science meeting yesterday.

18 Feb 2002

Homeopathy 'is all in the mind'
THE effectiveness of homeopathic treatments is based on "belief and anecdote", not evidence, the association was told.

18 Feb 2002

Gene trials lift hope on haemophilia
SCIENTISTS have moved closer to curing haemophilia and other inherited diseases after success in using gene therapy to treat dogs suffering from the disease.

17 Feb 2002

Deep-frozen atoms stop beam of light in its tracks
AMERICAN scientists have succeeded in a feat that will boggle the minds of those who believe that nothing travels as fast as light: they have made light stop.

17 Feb 2002

. . . speaking English on the way
THE first interstellar colonists will probably speak English and practise the same faith but will have a strange new dialect if their descendants ever return to Earth after a 200-year round trip.

16 Feb 2002

Reach for the stars on a beam of light
MANKIND could soon make 200-year trips to Alpha Centauri in spaceships with diamond sails, says Nasa. Roger Highfield reports

16 Feb 2002

. . . but leaving the men behind
IN the earliest story about colonising a new world, all that was required was a man, a woman, an apple and a snake.

16 Feb 2002

Pond skaters' battle of sexes turns vicious
THE battle of the sexes has escalated to full-scale armed warfare for the pond skater, biologists revealed yesterday.

14 Feb 2002

Pollution 'to make days longer'
DAYS are going to last a little longer as a result of increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to pollution, according to a study.

13 Feb 2002

Cancer risk rises when pregnancy is delayed
WOMEN who delay having babies until their thirties, possibly until their careers are established, increase their risk of breast cancer, research confirmed yesterday.

13 Feb 2002

Night eating may be an illness
PEOPLE who raid the fridge in the middle of the night may be suffering from a genuine medical complaint and not just hunger pangs.

13 Feb 2002

Visions that inspire...
We are giving away £7,000 in cash prizes to the best images in the 2002 Novartis/Daily Telegraph Visions of Science photographic awards. David Derbyshire launches this year's competition

13 Feb 2002

The story behind last year's award-winning image
David Derbyshire talks to Frieda Christie

13 Feb 2002

Royal Society hits back at elitist tag
THE president of the Royal Society yesterday attacked the old Labour attitudes of the science select committee chairman who accused the society of being an elitist club.

06 Feb 2002

Pill to help reduce middle-age spread
A PILL that helps middle-aged men lose their spread has been developed by scientists.

06 Feb 2002

Sunbed tan 'can double the risk of cancer'
THE regular use of sunbeds more than doubles the risk of skin cancer, according to research published yesterday.

06 Feb 2002

'Science is sexy, absolutely sexy'
Forget the image of mad professors with wild hair scientists can be glamorous, as Nicole Martin discovered when they met the media

06 Feb 2002

Nobel prize from a black hole?
PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING'S chance of winning the Nobel prize has improved with the suggestion that it should be possible to test his theories by creating something like an event horizon - the rim of a black hole - in the laboratory

06 Feb 2002

Scare over measles as 27 children are tested
SCIENTISTS were completing tests yesterday on 27 suspected cases of measles. The results will show if England is facing a dangerous outbreak or experiencing normal winter activity.

06 Feb 2002

Fears for babies from GM milk
BOTTLE-FED babies could be undernourished if given genetically modified infant formula milk because of inadequate regulations and testing regimes for GM foods, leading scientists said yesterday.

05 Feb 2002

4 million work more than a 48-hour week
A SIXTH of employees are working more than 48 hours a week despite evidence that excessive overtime makes people ill, says a report published today.

04 Feb 2002

Cuttlefish gives clue for tank camouflage
SCIENTISTS have developed a gel that could help British tanks to survive for longer on the battlefield by mimicing the gift of camouflage bestowed on the cuttlefish.

03 Feb 2002

Bunnyphant sheds light on the brain
A PATIENT who thinks that an elephant is mythical while a blend of rabbit and elephant, called a "bunnyphant", is real has provided scientists with new insights into how the brain recognises objects.

02 Feb 2002

Space tickets for sale, liars need not apply
BRITISH space tourists can book tickets on a Nasa-approved rocket to the international space station from today but the American space agency has warned that delinquents, liars, drunks and the infamous will not be awarded a "space visa".

02 Feb 2002

Asthma risk greater if children play outside
CHILDREN who regularly play games outside in smoggy towns and cities are three times more likely to develop asthma than youngsters who shun outdoor exercise.

01 Feb 2002