Today on New Scientist: 19 August 2011
All today's stories on newscientist.com, including: A microchip based on the human brain, why penguins don't freeze, and the science of dating
The life hereafter: Funeral technology old and new
Six feet under is far from the only destination for the dead. New Scientist rounds up the unorthodox passing and preservation of corpses past and present
Penguins don't freeze, but they do get very, very cold
Juvenile king penguins appear to be able to conserve energy when they need to by allowing their body temperature to drop
Did quake or tsunami cause Fukushima meltdown?
Japanese nuclear safety watchdog rejects claims that the earthquake itself, not the tsunami, triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant
IBM unveils microchip based on the human brain
How to replicate the brain's squishy sophistication in hard metal and silicon? IBM thinks it's found a way, with new "cognitive computing" microchips
Slapstick science at the Edinburgh Fringe
Space, sex and snot are just a few of the subjects poked fun at during this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Mairi Macleod has her funny bone tickled
My chemical romance: The science of dating
To celebrate the launch of our new dating site, read about Darwinian dating and DNA attraction, or take our chat-up line quiz
Evolve your own objects for 3D printing
A new website called EndlessForms lets anyone create their own 3D-printable designs in just a few clicks
Feedback: Bottled bull
How to clean your cells from the inside out, the higher-dimensional theme park, Boston boiling, and more
Lottery wins come easy, if you can spot the loopholes
A spate of "lotto-hacker" revelations do not involve high-tech gadgets but a knack for exploiting common loopholes
Warning: Killer fungi could run amok again
If climate change weakens trees too much, fungi could attack - just as they did 250 million years ago
Does science support an insanity defence for Loughner?
The defence team for Jared Lee Loughner - who shot and killed six people and injured 13 - are looking to his family history to prepare an insanity defence
RoboBee speaks honeybee dance language
A simple robot can mimic the honeybee waggle dance, which tells other bees where to forage for food
British used bioweapon in US war of independence
In 1777, George Washington sent troops to Philadelphia to be vaccinated in the face of a British biowarfare threat: smallpox
Bendy 'plasmon' beams focus better than light alone
Light cannot squeeze down smaller than half its wavelength, but waves of electrons can - and now they can be steered in real time
Natural brain state is primed to learn
Learning and recall is easier when a region of the brain called the parahippocampal place area shows a less-than-typical level of activity
Ancient Egyptians believed in coiffure after death
Mummies wouldn't be caught dead without hair gel
Face recognition technology fails to find UK rioters
Within a few hours of last week's looting in English cities police attempting to track down those responsible found CCTV footage wasn't up to the job
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