Today on New Scientist: 28 December 2011

Death-defying comet lights up huge desert telescope

The newly discovered comet Lovejoy has been caught streaking across the southern skies over the Atacama desert following a close shave with the sun

Best videos of 2011: Magnet turns off speech

In at number 5, see how a powerful magnet interferes with words when applied to the scalp

'Opt-in' settings don't absolve internet companies

Google, Facebook, and other tech companies are hiding behind "opt-in" policies, says Evgeny Morozov

I'm a neo-Luddite and anti-technology

The Luddite spirit lives on in people like Kirkpatrick Sale, who thinks we are on a collision course with technology - although he now uses a computer

2011 review: The year in environment

Explore the biggest environment stories of 2011, including: the Japanese megaquake, Earth's ticking time bombs, and the first field tests of geoengineering

Smart Guide to 2012: Neutrinos may be tachyons

Next year, experiments will test claims of particles breaking the cosmic speed limit - but how to meld these misbehaving particles with the rest of physics?

Robot videojournalist uses cuteness to get vox pops

Boxie is a doe-eyed cardboard robot that elicits conversations from passers-by to gather material for a documentary

Beat the salad bar: Build the ultimate food tower

Watch a time-lapse that shows how to pack a bowl to make the most of a one-take salad buffet

Best videos of 2011: Zap your arm to learn guitar

At number 6, watch an electrical device hack a hand to play the strings

Miscarriage of justice points to fingerprint flaws

A miscarriage of justice has renewed pressure on print examiners to improve their methods, and two new studies reveal the extent of their fallibility

Spot of Culture: Tim Hunt loves...

Nobel prizewinning biochemist Tim Hunt tells CultureLab about a haven for the higgledy-piggledy

How the world might end in 2012 (or maybe later)

Is doomsday coming in 2012? Well, the world has got to end some time, says David Darling

Apps for apes: Orang-utans want iPads for Christmas

Forget bananas. The biggest hit in zoos this year is an Apple, though orangs have more of a geek streak than gorillas

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