The upside to being down

This week's top stories from the web's No.1 science and technology news service 14 January 2009 Dear New Scientist Reader, welcome to the New Scientist newsletter. This week, we reveal how sadness can get you motivated, why brain scans aren't all they are cracked up to be, and why Dracula encourages people to work together... EDITOR'S CHOICE Celeste Biever, biomedical news editor Is It Really Bad To Be Sad? More and more people are taking antidepressants - not just to treat clinical depression, but to banish the kind of feelings that follow a failed relationship or a lost job. But medicating sadness away might mean that we're not driven to change our lives for the better, so maybe we should be glad to be gloomy...MORE TOP STORIES Virtual double flexes your muscles Doubts raised over brain scan studies Novels help to uphold social order Gallery: Twin rovers celebrate five years on Mars Why wind turbines aren't bat-friendly Model of surprise has 'wow' factor built in Magic reveals the brain's response to the impossible High hormone levels in women linked to unfaithfulness Ancient supercontinent was a diamond factory Top 11 compounds in US drinking water HRT may shrink women's brains Invention: Tree-hugging wind turbine AND FINALLY ... This week's Feedback reveals why George W Bush is key to understanding oral sex, the most expensive textbook in the world, and anti-baldness toothpaste...MORE LAST WORD   ALL THE JOBS Why do we grimace when we eat sour or bitter food? Find out, in this week's Last Word column...MORE NEW SCIENTIST JOBS incorporating SCIENCEJOBS.COM Visit our job site for the latest in science, engineering and technology. OUR TOP BLOG POSTS Buddhists welcome science into monasteries Swarmbots team up to transport child Last Word: Why do champion athletes sometimes lose between victories? Should a TV news doctor be US surgeon general? THIS WEEK'S PRINT EDITION FEATURES Our world may be a giant hologram Could our three dimensions be the ultimate cosmic illusion? A German detector is picking up a hint that we are all mere projections Did life originate in a pool of acidic gloop? Where and how did the building blocks of life arise? Douglas Fox visits a man playing God in a volcanic mud pool How to pump liquids in the nanoworld Build nanotubes in the right way and they'll work tirelessly to desalinate our water, clean up our air, and much more besides NEWS Eyes reveal health secrets of the brain Warmer climate stifles poor nations' economies Car exhaust causes lightning strikes SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER This newsletter has been sent to sekhargreen@gmail.com. If you would prefer not to receive this newsletter, you can unsubscribe by visiting: http://www.rbiforms.co.uk/nsnew.html. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. 2008 Disclaimer This message is intended only for the use of the person(s) (sekhargreen@gmail.com) to whom it is addressed. It may contain information, which is privileged and confidential. Accordingly any dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message or any of its content by any person other than the Intended Recipient may constitute a breach of civil or criminal law and is strictly prohibited. If you are not the Intended Recipient, please contact the sender as soon as possible. Reed Business Information Limited. Registered Office: Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS. Registered in England under Company No. 0151537