[BBC News]
A prototype solar device has been unveiled which mimics plant life, turning the sun's energy into fuel.

[BBC News]
Scientists say an entirely separate type of human identified from bones in Siberia co-existed and interbred with our own species. The ancient humans have been dubbed "Denisovans" after the caves in Siberia where their remains were found. According to the researchers, this provides confirmation there were at least four distinct types of human in existence when anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) first left their African homeland. Along with modern humans, scientists knew about the Neanderthals and a dwarf human species found on the Indonesian island of Flores nicknamed "The Hobbit".

[Guardian.co.uk]
Fossil hunters uncover complete 252 million-year-old underwater world. A spectacular haul of 20,000 fossils including plants, carnivorous fish and large reptiles, has been found in a hillside in Luoping, southwestern China.

[Salon.com]
Dan Gillmor: The neutering of the internet is now the unofficial policy of the Federal Communications Commission.

[Scientific American]
The brain generates an electric field that influences its own activity.

[Guardian.co.uk]
Google's ChromeOS means losing control of data, warns GNU founder Richard Stallman.

[Scientific American]
In his new book, evolutionary biologist Robin Dunbar argues that our ability to manage such complex social connections—love lives, work colleagues, childhood buddies and friendly acquaintances—is what drove humans to develop such large brains in the first place.

[Scientific American]
Intelligent people live longer—the correlation is as strong as that between smoking and premature death. But the reason is not fully understood. Beyond simply making wiser choices in life, these people also may have biology working in their favor. Now research in honeybees offers evidence that learning ability is indeed linked with a general capacity to withstand one of the rigors of aging—namely, oxidative stress.

[PhysOrg.com]
A large genetic study of people with major depression has found that a duplicated region of DNA on chromosome 5 predisposes people to the disorder. The gene involved plays an important role in the development of nerve cells, adding to evidence that disruptions in neurotransmission networks form a biological basis for depression.

[Guardian.co.uk]
Scientists reveal a bacterium that can live on arsenic instead of phosphorus, a discovery that could change the way we think about life—both extraterrestrial and terrestrial.

But not so fast!

[Heavens Above]
Want to know when the ISS or satellites will pass overhead?

[Guardian.co.uk]
Ten questions science must answer: For 350 years, the Royal Society has called on the world's biggest brains to unravel the mysteries of science. Its president, Martin Rees, considers today's big issues, while leading thinkers describe the puzzles they would love to see solved.