New Scientist

Three-quarters of the fish in the sea have a freshwater ancestor. The finding highlights how important rivers and lakes are as a source of new species

Charged particles called cosmic rays zapped the computer inside Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe, which plunged into the ocean last month

Traditional hard drives record data using magnetic fields, but it turns out short bursts of heat could be hundreds of times faster

Its bright red colour makes this ladybird stand out, but predators should be warned: the redder the bug, the more deadly its poison

All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: entire genome of extinct human reconstructed and mind control could be future of warfare

Would-be US astronauts seem as hopeful as ever about making it to space; Russia is banking on similar enthusiasm

Wars may be fought through manipulation of people's minds, and technology such as mind-machine interfaces, warns the Royal Society

A new 3D film explores how humans have trashed space with satellite litter, and the technologies we need to start the clean-up

Watch an award-winning video of an embryo's heart and blood vessels in action

From moon rocks to a sea monster's skin, some of science's most prized finds are lost – and with them, secrets of life on Earth and where humans came from

A tarsier could be screaming its head off and you would never know it. Uniquely among primates, some of its calls are made up of pure ultrasound

A new genome of the extinct Denisovan hominin is so complete that it contains fewer errors than genomes generated using samples from living people

With drugs for rare diseases, regulators need to balance the consequences of side effects against the demands of patients with no other options

The vast lake more than 3 kilometres below the ice may have been breached, but debates about life below will keep on raging

Strips of land linking wildlife reserves are one of the most widely used tools in conservation. Shame nobody checked that they work, says Fred Pearce (full text available to subscribers)

Early anatomists overcame a lack of human cadavers to study with paper and glue. Meet the clownish, veined, shiny face of 19th century anatomy lessons

Images of a black hole could test general relativity as well as prove they exist, says astronomer Dan Marrone

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