New Scientist

A two-legged dinosaur that had a fin on its back has been discovered – but nobody knows what it was for

The hallmark of the human brain – its enormous cortex – can be traced back 600 million years to the ancestor of a primitive worm

A controversial observation suggests that a constant of physics actually varies in space – it could explain why our corner of the cosmos is just right for life

A Yale University experimental philosopher needs your help – take his online test if you want to find out how your mind works

All today's stories on newscientist.com at a glance, including: BP's report on the gulf spill, how to map the internet, and the shark soup massacre

Mining your brain's fundamental response to cinematic action could make movies more moving

The Large Hadron Collider could glimpse sparticles, diquarks and leptoquarks sooner than thought possible if new-found decay pathways are correct

Driverless cars are safer and they are the future, says Alberto Broggi, leader of an autonomous-vehicle expedition from Italy to China

In their book Man and Shark, photographers Paul Hilton and Alex Hofford reveal the extent of the bloody trade in shark fins, says Clint Witchalls

A long-awaited BP report lists eight reasons for the accident that caused its catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Crime scene investigators should take a closer look at the soil around a buried corpse to more accurately estimate when the person died

A "conching" dolphin captured on film suggests the marine mammal uses the massive shell to trap and stun fish

A new map of the internet, produced using the hyperbolic geometry employed by Escher, could help establish quicker routing options for online traffic

The peppermint shrimp changes from male to hermaphrodite – if nobody else will

Don't be embarrassed by your "ancient" push-button cellphone – turn it into a pseudo-touchscreen device

Is that cupcake an innocent indulgence? Or your next hit? We're finding that a sweet tooth makes you just as much an addict as snorting cocaine

Even without climate change, even without the decline of bees, pollination is in a downward spiral. And nobody knows why

Analysis of the genome of an Irishman reveals that his compatriots are genetically distinct from their European neighbours

A ghostly vortex in the constellation Pegasus is caused by a dying star that is circling an unseen companion

From jellyfish to algae, the creatures of the sea are being recruited for solar power cells