Issue 3021 | Magazine cover date: 16 May 2015

16 May 2015

Issue 3021

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On the cover

Opinion

Panic, depression and stress: The case against meditation

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Health

Are you going too far in your quest to keep well?

Opinion

Life

Martian Magna Carta: Justice and freedom on the final frontier

Features

Life

Chainsaw sharks: The plight of the world's weirdest fish

Features

Life

Everyday drugs: Are we taking too many preventive pills?

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: The great statins debate

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: The truth about testosterone

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: The rise and fall of HRT

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: Problems with the pill

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: What's the latest on aspirin?

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: 7 you should know about

Features

Leaders

Health

Are you going too far in your quest to keep well?

Feel perpetually guilty that you’re not doing enough to stay healthy? Wellness is all the rage – but we don’t really know what it is. That's got to change

Opinion

News

Space

Mercury's magnetic heart was beating soon after its birth

What a view Mercury has always had a warm, gooey heart. Now NASA's Messenger spacecraft has revealed that the planet's iron core has been generating a magnetic field for the past 3.8 billion years or so, potentially making it the most persistent among the solar system's planets. Before deliberately crashing into Mercury last week , …

News

Health

Measles leaves you vulnerable to a host of deadly diseases

News

Life

Zoologger: Necrophiliac spider mite prefers its mate dead

News

Life

City living in Roman Britain meant longer lives but worse teeth

News

Technology

Autonomous truck cleared to drive on US roads for the first time

News

Space

A new Hope: first Arab Mars probe given mission to track water

News

Health

First baby born with IVF that uses stem cells to pep up old eggs

News

Space

Millions of missing galaxies found hiding in plain sight

News

Earth

Apparent slowing of sea level rise is artefact of satellite data

News

Earth

Sri Lanka first nation to promise full protection of mangroves

News

Technology

Robots can count apples on a tree – as long as it's night

News

Technology

Say hello to machines that read your emotions to make you happy

News

Technology

One Per Cent

News

Technology

Robot cleaner can empty bins and sweep floors

News

Space

Mars volcanoes launch dust storms like a skate ramp

News

Life

Genes have seasonal cycles that can play havoc with your health

News

Life

Brain-eating amoebas kill by turning your body against you

News

Earth

Nepal hit by second huge earthquake and more are still to come

News

Earth

Extreme El Niño expected to wreak havoc on weather this year

News

Little to celebrate at review of nuclear disarmament treaty

News

60 Seconds

News

Life

Pill of super-protective 'heavy' fat may be key to eternal youth

News

Life

Hold your breath to dampen the pain of an injection

News

Earth

Bjørn Lomborg's proposed Australian research centre sparks row

News

Space

Corkscrew planets spiral back and forth between two stars

News

Life

Mysterious beautiful blue crayfish is new species from Indonesia

News

Earth

Uganda's forests dwindle as illegal settlers hollow them out

News

Earth

UK's Conservatives to fight climate change but shun wind power

News

Opinion

Technology

Pop history's pivotal moments: Has big data settled the debate?

Snoop Dogg (Image: Simon Meaker/EMPICS Entertainment) We live in a world where big data is big news. It may come as no surprise, then, that scholars of data science have turned their attention to music. One result is a new paper that makes some pretty big claims. The evolution of popular music: USA 1960–2010 ( …

Opinion

Amanda Knox legal fight highlights fallibility of DNA forensics

Opinion

Earth

I'm building airships to fly over the Amazon

Opinion

Health

Panic, depression and stress: The case against meditation

Opinion

Analysis

Earth

Recharge pools could help quench future California droughts

Hard times for almond trees THE worst recorded drought in California's history has forced state regulators to restrict people's water use by a quarter. In the long-run, though, climate change and limited supply mean the state must radically change the way it manages water, particularly below ground. The state normally depends on winter storms to …

News

Aperture

Earth

Ice hunters lasso an iceberg to turn it into vodka

(Image: Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images Reportage) Fancy a vodka on the rocks? This Arctic iceberg could be heading for a luxury drink near you. Floating off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada, this massive chunk of ice is big business. Iceberg hunters like Ed Kean and Philip Kennedy (below) have found a way to cash …

Regulars

Features

Life

Martian Magna Carta: Justice and freedom on the final frontier

The demands of living in space mean that extraterrestrial colonists won't enjoy the same liberties as us. It's time to draw up a new bill of rights for them

Features

Life

Chainsaw sharks: The plight of the world's weirdest fish

Features

Life

Everyday drugs: Are we taking too many preventive pills?

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: The great statins debate

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: The truth about testosterone

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: The rise and fall of HRT

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: Problems with the pill

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: What's the latest on aspirin?

Features

Health

Everyday drugs: 7 you should know about

Features

Culturelab

<i>Mixed Messages</i>: Are our genes and culture at cross purposes?

Life

Mixed Messages: Are our genes and culture at cross purposes?

Why privilege genes over culture when people like South America’s Mbaya, who eschew sex and pass on their culture through adoption, seem to argue the opposite?

CultureLab

Life

Case of the Rickety Cossack reveals unease about our fossil past

CultureLab

Life

Life before death: How dying affects living minds

CultureLab

Today on New Scientist

Mysterious beautiful blue crayfish is new species from Indonesia Detective work has revealed that a colourful darling of the aquarium trade is a new species from a stream in West Papua, Indonesia Corkscrew planets spiral back and forth between two stars In some rare cases, a planet in a binary system may spiral around the …

Regulars

Feedback: Showbiz returns a topological compliment

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Showbiz returns a compliment OCCASIONALLY Feedback points at coverage of celebrities and, from the lofty viewpoint of mathematical and empirical rationality, giggles (for example, 23 January 2010) . It's nice to see the compliment returned. Returned, specifically, by Sophie Heawood …

Regulars

This week's magazine

16 May 2015

On the cover

Health

Are you going too far in your quest to keep well?

Life

Martian Magna Carta: Justice and freedom on the final frontier

Life

Chainsaw sharks: The plight of the world's weirdest fish

Life

Everyday drugs: Are we taking too many preventive pills?

Health

Everyday drugs: The great statins debate

Health

Everyday drugs: The truth about testosterone

Health

Everyday drugs: The rise and fall of HRT

Health

Everyday drugs: Problems with the pill

Health

Everyday drugs: What's the latest on aspirin?

Health

Everyday drugs: 7 you should know about

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

Are you going too far in your quest to keep well?

News

Space

Mercury's magnetic heart was beating soon after its birth

Health

Measles leaves you vulnerable to a host of deadly diseases

Life

Zoologger: Necrophiliac spider mite prefers its mate dead

Life

City living in Roman Britain meant longer lives but worse teeth

Technology

Autonomous truck cleared to drive on US roads for the first time

Space

A new Hope: first Arab Mars probe given mission to track water

Health

First baby born with IVF that uses stem cells to pep up old eggs

Space

Millions of missing galaxies found hiding in plain sight

Earth

Apparent slowing of sea level rise is artefact of satellite data

Earth

Sri Lanka first nation to promise full protection of mangroves

Technology

Robots can count apples on a tree – as long as it's night

Technology

Say hello to machines that read your emotions to make you happy

Technology

One Per Cent

Technology

Robot cleaner can empty bins and sweep floors

Space

Mars volcanoes launch dust storms like a skate ramp

Life

Genes have seasonal cycles that can play havoc with your health

Life

Brain-eating amoebas kill by turning your body against you

Earth

Nepal hit by second huge earthquake and more are still to come

Earth

Extreme El Niño expected to wreak havoc on weather this year

Little to celebrate at review of nuclear disarmament treaty

60 Seconds

Life

Pill of super-protective 'heavy' fat may be key to eternal youth

Life

Hold your breath to dampen the pain of an injection

Earth

Bjørn Lomborg's proposed Australian research centre sparks row

Space

Corkscrew planets spiral back and forth between two stars

Life

Mysterious beautiful blue crayfish is new species from Indonesia

Earth

Uganda's forests dwindle as illegal settlers hollow them out