Today on New Scientist: 18 December 2012

Violent polar storms help control the world's weather Without the mini-hurricanes which form over the Arctic, the world could face massive weather disruptionAncient city of Troy rebranded itself after war Changing styles of pottery 3200 years ago show the Trojans were quick to align themselves with the region's new political powerCourt ruling will clarify end-of-life decisions Canada's supreme...

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Samsung is top 2012 phone brand

WASHINGTON: Samsung has overtaken Nokia as the top mobile phone brand for 2012 and has opened up a decisive lead over Apple in the smartphone market, a research firm said Tuesday.This will mark the first time in 14 years that Finnish-based Nokia will not sit atop the global mobile phone business on an annual basis, according to IHS iSuppli.Samsung is expected to account for 29 per cent...

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New details surface as most Newtown schools reopen

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: The NRA says it is "prepared to offer meaningful contributions"For Sandy Hook kids, school won't begin again until January Funerals Tuesday for 6-year-olds Jessica Rekos and James Mattioli Investigators are so far unable to retrieve data from computer taken from the gunman's homeWatch CNN's LIVE TV coverage of the Connecticut elementary school shooting as the story continues to...

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Cops: 2 inmates escape from Ill. federal prison

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 18: Crime scene tape surrounds the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in the Loop after two convicted bank robbers escaped on December 18, 2012. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)/Scott Olson (AP) CHICAGO - Authorities say two men being held on bank robbery charges have escaped from a downtown Chicago federal prison.PICTURES: Inmates escape Chicago prison Chicago Police...

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Gunman's Computer Damaged, Drive Possibly Ruined

A computer at the Connecticut home where Newtown, Conn., school shooter Adam Lanza lived with his mother was badly damaged, perhaps smashed with a hammer, said police who hope the machine might still yield clues to the gunman's motive.The computer's hard drive appeared to have been badly damaged with a hammer or screw driver, law enforcement authorities told ABC News, complicating...

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Fungal frog killer hops into crayfish

Crayfish are vulnerable to the same fungus that is killing frogs all over the world. The discovery helps explain how the disease spreads even after all the amphibians in an area have been wiped out. Worryingly, chemicals released by the fungus may alone be enough to kill. ...

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Big turn-out at Punggol East Meet-the-People Session

SINGAPORE: While a typical Meet-the-People Session (MPS) at Punggol East would see about 50 residents seeking their Member of Parliament (MP) each week, Monday night's session - the first since former MP Michael Palmer resigned last week over an extramarital affair - saw a queue of about 50 people even before the session began. The Monday night's MPS was conducted by Deputy Prime Minister...

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Watch Dallas Mavericks try to sing

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Ex-babysitter: Lanza's mother warned me about him

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. A man who says he once babysat for Newtown, Conn., gunman Adam Lanza says he recalls Lanza's mother warning him never to turn his back on the boy - not even to go to the bathroom. Ryan Kraft now lives in Hermosa Beach, in Southern California. But, he tells CBS station KCBS in Los Angeles, he was once a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and babysat...

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Conn. Shooter Had Hundreds of Rounds

Adam Lanza had hundreds of rounds and used multiple high capacity magazines when he went on a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 first graders and six adults, Connecticut State Police said today.After shooting at victims in two classrooms and a hallway with a high-powered semi-automatic rifle, he put a bullet into his own head with a handgun."The weapon that...

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