Love special: Six ways to woo your lover
Need help guiding Cupid's arrow to your target? A bunch of red roses is just the start

A universal translator in your pocket
Until now, computers have been notoriously bad at languages - could this be about to change?

LOX holds a key to curbing cancer's spread
The LOX protein is identified as vital to the spread of tumours, and blocking its function stopped cancer spread in mice - offering hope for human treatments

China struggling to catch its breath
China's reliance on burning coal is fuelling an economic boom, but the enormous amounts of pollution are suffocating its people

Tattoos made of 'disappearing' ink
New tattoo inks that are safer to use, and far easier to remove if you have a change of heart, are set to be launched next year

For women, food is food for thought
Food is a sensitive issue for many western women, but it now seems this is showing up in how female brains react to food

Self-medicating sheep shake off the 'stupid' label
Can sick sheep stick to their own prescriptions? Almost, since it seems that sheep can select the correct medicine to treat a specific ailment

Will a flying carpet take us to Pluto?
A giant flexible solar panel that is unfurled into space like a carpet could one day make long-haul spaceflight possible without nuclear propulsion

'Starquake' explosion rips neutron star open
Astronomers have measured the thickness a neutron star's crust for the first time, thanks to a breach which spewed a fireball of particles into space

Only drugs and vaccines will deflect bird flu pandemic
Shutting borders and stopping travel will buy afflicted countries just a few weeks at most, according to the latest pandemic simulations

Take out a killer asteroid - with a tame one
A small captured asteroid could be used deflect a large one zooming in on Earth - the idea highlights the need to devise strategies for this doomsday scenario

New software can break dance down
A computer system that recognises dance moves could synchronise music and lighting with a performer, or enrich interactive computer games

Invention: Apple's all-seeing screen
This week's patents include an electronic display screen that acts as a video camera, and a flashy new way of judging a person's age

AND FINALLY ...
This week's Feedback column boasts instantaneous microwave cookery, declares "faeces" a poor word to have pun with, and survives a "Catastrophic failure" unscathed...MORE