Today on New Scientist: 18 May 2012

International Space Station enters 2001's star gate

An orbiting astronaut has used an amateur astronomer's trick to create an image worthy of the trippier sequences of 2001: A space odyssey

RNA breakthrough transforms idea of gene control

Never-before-seen changes to the genetic code give new insight into how the environment can affect our genes

Why the dino-dolphins got the bends

Ichthyosaurs, the dolphins of the dinosaur era, got decompression sickness, but only from the Jurassic period onwards - what happened?

When you eat beats what you eat in staying healthy

Mice that ate all their meals during an 8-hour window were healthier than mice that snacked throughout the day, even when they ate more fat

Number of asteroids that pose risk to Earth is doubled

The asteroid-tracking NEOWISE mission reveals that twice as many asteroids as previously thought are on low-inclination orbits that could hit our planet

Clothbot climbs the wrinkles in your clothes

A small robot capable of climbing clothes could be a pet or even a moving phone - if that's what you really want

Friday Illusion: Running man moves in two directions

Watch a running man swap directions in a new illusion presented at the Best Illusions of the Year Contest

GPS loss kicked off fatal drone crash

A fatal drone crash in South Korea followed a loss of GPS signal - which may have been due to jamming efforts by North Korea

Feedback: Bag that has no size

Dimensionless luggage, Apple encounters a chronosynclastic infundibulum, Dr Charlotte's almost magic wand therapy, and more

Monitoring tides could predict major quakes

As stresses build up in the Earth's crust, tidal forces can trigger minor earthquakes - a sign of big quakes to come

Power switch: A nuclear future without uranium

This week's book review round-up features a defence of thorium and an exploration of how we use technology for good or evil

Online friendships light up shadow social networks

The structure of an online social network can be used to deduce connections between people who don't use the service

Plutonium signature captured after 50 years of trying

The complex properties of radioactive plutonium-239 made its structure hard to analyse - until now. The result may improve methods for storing nuclear waste

Buried microbes exist at limit between life and death

Sediment 30 metres below the Pacific seafloor is so nutrient-poor that microbes barely fuel their cellular functions - yet they may be thousands of years old

New armoured lizard is first to get scanner ID check

A CT scan supported genetic data and other measurements to show that this armoured lizard is a previously unidentified species

Best illusions of 2012: The Exorcist illusion

Watch a spinning head and torso in this Exorcist-inspired illusion. A new twist on an old classic

Virtual reality provides relief from soldiers' trauma

Soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder show improvements in their symptoms through virtual simulations of combat

Space-filling solution could boost Wi-Fi security

Working out the minimum number of circles needed to fill a complicated shape could have applications in medicine and Wi-Fi security

Egypt: Arab Spring could be wasted in youthful nations

Autocracies with a median population age of over 30 years old are most likely to become liberal democracies - Egypt may need a few years to mature

'Label jars, not people': Lobbying against the shrinks

James Davies meets protesters who claim the American Psychiatric Association is over-diagnosing and turning the pain of everyday life into mental illness

Speckle-free lasers could power high-definition imaging

A way to make crisp, clear laser light could form the backbone of better projectors and medical imaging devices

Why geeks should be invited to the policy party

In The Geek Manifesto, Mark Henderson pleads for citizens who value science to force it onto the mainstream political agenda and other main walks of life

Phineas Gage brain pathways mapped for the first time

A detailed model of the brain of the world's most famous neuroscience patient may provide insight into degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's

Judge Mental: Saving justice from the unreliable mind

The foibles of the human mind can easily derail a fair trial. Yet some of the biggest flaws can be fixed - here's how

Kinect imaging lets surgeons keep their focus

New device lets surgeons check medical images during an operation without having to scrub out

How to send a letter to the International Space Station

Astronaut Donald Pettit has come up with a "space zip code" for sending letters beyond Earth's atmosphere

Trials highlight worrying flaws in psychiatry 'bible'

Testing psychiatry's new diagnostic handbook has flagged problems in diagnosing several mental disorders

Explosions cause brain damage through head movement

Brain trauma from explosions often experienced by soldiers are caused by sudden head movements rather than high-pressure shockwaves

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