New Scientist

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:NScover20041218.jpg New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. As well as covering current events and news from the scientific community, the magazine often features speculative articles, ranging from the philosophical to the technical.

It is not a peer-reviewed scientific journal, but it is widely read by both nonscientists and scientists as a way of keeping track of developments outside their own fields of study or areas of interest. Many science articles in the general press are based on its contents; and it is a popular method for artists who are interested in art-science links to get information about scientific innovations, material about how the brain works, and perception. The magazine also regularly includes features, news and commentary on environmental issues, such as climate change [1].

Based in London, New Scientist has U.S. and Australian editions as well as a British edition. Its website runs daily news stories along with some of the articles that appear in the print edition.

The magazine was founded in 1956. It is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier.

[edit]

Magazine layout

As of January, 2006, the magazine is laid out as follows:

News

  • Editorial - often offering a perspective on scientific topics which are current political issues.
  • Upfront - a summary of major news placed in a scientific perspective.
  • This Week - short articles on reports or results presented this week.
  • In Brief - a summary of research news and discovery.

Technology

  • Recent advances and developments in technology.
  • Trends - showing how new technology is altering the way we live our lives.

Image:NScover20050122.jpg Regulars

  • Comment and Analysis - Offering a personal commentary on a contemporary topic.
  • Letters
  • Essay or Interview - often with a pioneer of a scientific development or an influential political or business leader.
  • Perspectives/Second Sight - An alternative point of view on a pertinent piece of information.
  • Politics - Westminster or Washington diary, describing how science is done in the capital.
  • The Word - A short article, usually about a new scienitific idea.
  • Enigma - a mathematical puzzle
  • Histories - how our knowledge of a topic came to be.
  • The Insider - careers/courses section for professional scientists
  • Bookends - reviews.
  • Feedback - short commentaries on amusing topics; in the past this has featured Nominative Determinism (whereby someone has a name particularly appropriate for their job), product warning labels, and unusual units of measurements (such as the size of countries being measures in 'Frances', and icebergs sizes in 'Belgiums').
  • The last word - write-in questions and answers about scientific phenomena.

Features

[edit]

Website

Short articles can be viewed in full on the website (www.newscientist.com)as well as extracts from longer articles. New scientist have also started a free podcast, SciPod, which can be downloaded directly from their site or through iTunes.

While the information on New Scientist is plentiful, it should come with a warning. Many of their articles relating space and asteroids hint at an apocalyptic doomsday scenario, very similar to movies such as Deep Impact and Armageddon. Articles relating to drugs pronounce a very wide and liberal slant towards pro-legalization of drugs. While it is not explicity stated, New Scientist often hints that mind altering drugs such as marijuana and LSD increase human creativity. Althought no longer believed by anyone, an urban legend was circulated circa 2004 that New Scientist and High Times were owned by the same publishing company and their management staff often span both publications. Articles relating to artificial intelligence or robotics usually convey an inevitable future in which our currently reality is somehow transformed into something similar to the Matrix movies.

As with any information on New Scientist should be verified before believed. Although their numbers are few currently, there is a growing number of web savvy individuals becoming fedup with sensationalist slant that New Scientist tends to put in almost all their articles.

[edit]

External links

fr:New Scientist

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/New_Scientist"