Instead of trading in commodities futures, the Idea Futures marketplace trades in ideas and the likelihood that scientific and other claims or projections will come to pass. With nearly 2,000 traders, an intriguing premise, and a host of notions to trade on, this site promises to become one of the most interesting spots on the Web. You can bet on it. Now it's vying for a spot on the electronic newsstand with the kind of global coverage, British cheek, and great reporting that it's long been known for. Planet Science offers science news from around the world, book reviews, Net news, commentaries, and features in grand Web style.
Interactive bits allow readers to comment or contribute their own rants and raves.
While visitors can root around various sections of the site, full access requires a fairly innocuous and not too nosy registration form. Giving up an e-mail address for the pleasure of reading some New Scientist's reports is an easy enough trade. You may have noticed. If you're a bug fan, you'll probably enjoy these images and descriptions of several kinds of insects. The site has two primary destinations, Nature News Network, a roundup of the week in science, and a virtual rack of the latest and back-issue magazines, each with the standard intriguing cover and article summaries.