Exploring the weird places that gravity forgot

This week's top stories from the web's No.1 science and technology news service 18 February 2009 Dear New Scientist Reader, welcome to the New Scientist newsletter. This week, we reveal the weird holes in space that gravitation forgot, how HIV could be wiped out once and for all, and how mole rats hold the secret to long life... EDITOR'S CHOICE David Shiga, physical sciences reporter Do Gravity Holes Harbour Planetary Assassins? Later this year, NASA will send spacecraft to explore two strange regions of space, where the gravity fields of our planet and the sun cancel out. They are the belly buttons of the solar system, trapping rocky debris that falls into them - and that may make them reservoirs of killer asteroids...MORE TOP STORIES Gene therapy promises one-shot treatment for HIV Mars could be running with liquid water Anatomy gallery: Cabinet of curiosities Ocean survey reveals hundreds of 'bipolar' species Sun-powered device converts CO2 into fuel New kind of epilepsy shakes up memory Less is more approach to fertiliser could boost farmers Evidence is mounting that Iran used beefed-up rocket Transgenes escape into the wild from GM farms Innovation: Robotic faces... for humans AND FINALLY ... This week's Feedback reveals an ad seeking help triggering a nuclear explosion, why you should immediately tell your doctor if you pass out, and the threat posed by carnivorous cows...MORE LAST WORD   ALL THE JOBS What would create a white rainbow? Find out, in this week's Last Word column...MORE NEW SCIENTIST JOBS incorporating SCIENCEJOBS.COM Visit our job site for the latest in science, engineering and technology. TOP VIDEOS When controlling a computer is child's play Gadget reads users' minds from their grip OUR TOP BLOG POSTS How to hunt for shadow life Charles Darwin the Buddhist Water-powered jetpacks on sale soon Last Word: How do Grands Prix have such accurate weather forecasts? THIS WEEK'S PRINT EDITION FEATURES Could bad sleeping habits be driving us mad? We've always assumed that poor sleep was a symptom rather than a cause of mental illness - now the opposite seems true Could we be about to eradicate AIDS? Astonishingly, we could use existing drugs to wipe out HIV, just as we did smallpox. So what's holding us back? New Scientist investigates Exposing the links between doctors and Big Pharma Republican senator Chuck Grassley believes it is time to shake up the cosy relationship between doctors, researchers and the pharmaceutical industry Superhuman: The secrets of the 'ice man' How do you survive swimming in sub-zero water wearing nothing but swimming trunks? New Scientist asks a man who has made it a habit NEWS Flexible electronic books to hit market soon Shortest route through the internet is via hyperspace Mole rats hold secret to long life SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER This newsletter has been sent to sekhargreen@gmail.com. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, you can unsubscribe by visiting: http://www.rbiforms.co.uk/nsnew.html. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. 2008 Disclaimer This message is intended only for the use of the person(s) (sekhargreen@gmail.com) to whom it is addressed. It may contain information, which is privileged and confidential. Accordingly any dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message or any of its content by any person other than the Intended Recipient may constitute a breach of civil or criminal law and is strictly prohibited. If you are not the Intended Recipient, please contact the sender as soon as possible. Reed Business Information Limited. Registered Office: Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS. Registered in England under Company No. 0151537