News for Scientists.... and non-Scientists (New Scientist)

Member Name: PanTaLemon

Product:	New Scientist
Date:	16/06/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unrivalled articles in all areas of science

Disadvantages: Fairly expensive without a subscription, Some of the magazine taken up with ads

Far from being texts for the scientific elite, New Scientist offers the latest in cutting edge science in a concise and fully readable format, regardless of your scientific status. As a student I have been a subscriber to New Scientist for some time, yet the beauty of this unique periodical arises from the fact that you don't need a degree in Supervolcanics to understand this weeks article on Mount St Helens (for example). Indeed the only prerequisite to an enjoyable read is a keen interest in science in general.

The magazine opens with a short editorial giving a brief introduction to some of the principle articles followed by the more succint columns "Upfront," "This week" and "In Brief." Perhaps my favourite part of the magazine is the "Technology" section which can cover anything from robotic-octopuses to radio controlled bullets. What follows are the main cover stories of the week which present cutting edge science in a user friendly, and more importantly, understandable format. At the end of the magazine there is the "Last word" section, where users can pose questions for feeback from other readers (and which has spawned numerous compilaton books of the best and most interesting questions - see Do Polar Bears Get Lonely?).

Throughout the magazine, the articles are adorned with truly stunning photography and artwork - one only has to look at New Scientist on the shelf next to the other magazines to realise how visually brilliant these are. As well as this, other gems are scattered throughout the magazine which makes New Scientist truly unique - check out the sounbites, histories, and books and arts sections. As well as this, NS often offers extra commodities such as posters and the much revered graduate recruitment articles and, once a year, booklet.

Around a third to a half of New Scientist is taken up by job advertisements, some academic and some industrial, which can somewhat detract from the apparant value of the magazine for non subscribers (currently priced at £3.25 in the UK).

Subscription (definitely reccomended) to New Scientist also allows access to the vast online archive, spanning back over 15 years, and in considering cost is definitely the best option for prolific readers. Students can bag NS for a mere 50% of the cost (studentsubscriptionservice.co.uk) and non-students can also subscribe for a reduced cost.

Summary: A definite must for anyone interested in cutting edge science