If you subscribe to the print edition, you can also use the comprehensive New Scientist Archive for free. It offers every article from the past ten years of New Scientist magazine. A free 7-day trial of the archive is available. This may or may not be directly related to the magazine. The shaded panel on the right hand side of the home page tells about web-only material, or you can use the site contents page.
Daily news appears at the top of the home page.
That's all very interesting, but I still can't find the article I want. In that case, it's probably because that article was never published on the web site. New Scientist subscribers can use an online Archive of New Scientist magazine. There are as yet no plans to introduce an email address for back issues. I found and read the article I was interested in, and now I want to know more about it.