MAGAZINE ISSUE DATE: 15 MAY 2004 (Vol. 181 No 2447)

THE MAKING OF A SUICIDE BOMBERMothers and teenagers have now been among those who have killed themselves and others in suicide bombings. The popular assumption is that they are all suicidal maniacs or religious fanatics with little money or prospects. Yet anthropologists and psychologists who have studied them are coming to some startling conclusions: they are no more suicidal, irrational, religious or less educated than the rest of us. So why would a sane, well-off person do something so extreme? Most agree that the key lies with the organisation that recruits them. FEATURE Pages 34-37

TOO MUCH TESTOSTERONE BLIGHTS SOCIAL SKILLSLevels of testosterone in the womb may have profound effects on a person's social development. The British study may also explain why men are four times as likely as women to suffer from autism. In a study of 58 children, the team found that the children who had higher levels of testosterone in the womb are less developed socially, and the interests of boys are more restricted than girls. NEWS Page 11

MACHINES ROLL IN TO CARE FOR THE ELDERLYThe world's population over 60 is estimated to double by 2050, as people in the developed world live longer. The healthcare systems will be put under severe pressure. Technology experts believe the only choice will be to turn to gadgets to play an increasing role in helping the elderly to cope. NEWS Page 22

POWER PLAYTerrorists or anyone with a grudge don't need to target military installations to cause chaos: security experts have long known that the civilian infrastructure that keep our water and power flowing, are far more vulnerable to cyber attack. Most of these networks are controlled by software that has little security and can be accessed remotely. Duncan Graham-Rowe looks at the world's largest experiment being carried out on a mini community of fully functional network grids, designed to test a variety of different hacking attacks. But will it be enough to prevent total meltdown? FEATURE Pages 24-27

CELL ALCHEMY TURNS BONE MARROW INTO BRAIN CELLS A method for "priming" bone marrow cells to become specific kinds of brain cells, might help treat people with a range of conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The advantage of using such cells to treat disease is that there would be no problem with immune rejection. The researchers in Germany have already transplanted neural cells into mice with stroke damage, but the results are not yet clear. NEWS Page 13

SOLAR WIND WILL KEEP EARTH SAFEThere's no need to worry " the Earth will be safe when the magnetic field drops during the next reversal of magnetic poles. German researchers have shown that the solar wind will come to the rescue " wrapping itself around the Earth to act as a replacement field which will form in the upper atmosphere during the switch. NEWS Page 14

CAN GENE THERAPY BEAT HIV? Three people with drug-resistant strains of HIV have become the first to undergo a new form of gene therapy designed to block replication of the virus. The approach involves exposing a patient's immune cells with a modified form of HIV. The Maryland-based company say the results are so far encouraging. NEWS Page 10

WHALES, SEALS OR MEN? WHO TOOK ALL THE FISH?Debates over whether fishers or whales and seals are depleting precious fish stocks have raged for years. Now, the first global study of the habits of marine mammals and fishing fleets has some surprising answers. Provisional results suggest that marine mammals and fishing fleets rarely prey heavily on the same fish stocks. NEWS Pages 6-7

IN MEMORIAMWhen two graduates came up with the idea of a permanent genetic memorial to your loved ones " their proposal was taken seriously and awarded funding. The idea was to infuse the "biological essence" of a dead relative into the genome of an apple tree. This not only raises questions about the project's scientific credibility, but also of the distribution of public money and how GM is sold to the public, says James Randerson. COMMENT Page 17

GUIDELINES FOR REBURIAL OF OLD BONESControversial disputes over human remains excavated from Christian graves could now be avoided with new guidelines agreed by archaeologists and church leaders in the UK. NEWS Page 8

MICRO-SCULPTURES GIVE METAL THE VELCRO TOUCHBritish researchers have found a way to sculpt delicate projections on metal surfaces. The projections could act like an ultra-strong Velcro forming much tougher joints between metal and composite materials in aircraft and cars. NEWS Page 21

THE BODY ELECTRICEvery surface of your body from your skin to your cell membranes is humming with electricity. Recently there has been a revival in the importance of the biological effects of electric fields, and a group of researcher now believe that internal electric fields are involved in mapping out your body plan, wound healing and nerve regeneration. FEATURE Pages 38-41

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