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This week's magazine

27 June 2015

Issue 3027

New Scientist issue 3027 cover
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Editor's picks

Sexism isn't just bad for scientists – it hurts science too

Life

Sexism isn't just bad for scientists – it hurts science too

Opinion
Gentle sex? Females just as feisty as males over reproduction

Life

Gentle sex? Females just as feisty as males over reproduction

Features
An inflamed brain may be a hidden cause of depression

Health

An inflamed brain may be a hidden cause of depression

Features
Get ready for the leap second – it could be the last one ever

Physics

Get ready for the leap second – it could be the last one ever

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

Sexism isn't just bad for scientists – it hurts science too

Life

Sexism isn't just bad for scientists – it hurts science too

The Tim Hunt furore is a stark reminder that inequality in the lab needs addressing. And not just for the important reason of social justice

Opinion

News

Crushing ivory stockpiles destroys vital evidence of poaching

Earth

Crushing ivory stockpiles destroys vital evidence of poaching

Burning ivory sends a strong message, but it also destroys criminal evidence (Image: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images) Destroying stockpiles of ivory sends a powerful anti-poaching message but it also obliterates vital forensic evidence contained within the DNA in the ivory. "Unfortunately, it destroys evidence," says Sam Wasser of the University of Washington in Seattle, whose …

News

Technology

Face recognition row over right to identify you in the street

News

Earth

IUCN list shows no new extinctions – but they loom large

News

Life

Laser 'tricorder' can diagnose malaria through the skin

News

Blood test for pancreatic cancer could catch disease in time

News

Grand Theft Sedna: how the sun might have stolen a mini-planet

News

DNA study backs Native American claim to Kennewick Man remains

News

Life

Algorithm zeroes in on origins of disease outbreaks

News

Life

IVF success lower than one-in-four for women in their late 30s

News

Silver coat lets Saharan ants withstand scorching desert heat

News

Zoologger: The fish that can vanish in 2 seconds flat

News

Technology

One Per Cent

News

Technology

How to spot home-grown ISIS recruits online before they leave

News

Health

Medical marijuana offers only weedy health benefits

News

One gene may drive leap from single cell to multicellular life

News

Don't fear apocalyptic asteroids: you're safer than you think

News

Life

Why 'RNA world' theory on origin of life may be wrong after all

News

Space

New Horizons snaps first infrared image of Pluto

News

Earth

Construction resumes on Hawaii's Thirty Meter Telescope

News

Technology

Taylor Swift forces Apple to bow over streaming royalty demands

News

60 Seconds

News

Grexit averted for now but network instability remains

News

Environment

Fighting climate change is opportunity to improve public health

News

Lava lakes spotted on Venus may be how it stays so blemish-free

News

Humans can bug-out to Mars without ruining search for life

News

Opinion

Filtered existence: Are we ready for a mute button in real life?

Technology

Filtered existence: Are we ready for a mute button in real life?

Wearable technology is bringing the ability to screen out things we don't want to hear or see. Should we be worried?

Opinion

Space

Our dream scenario for Philae – and mission finale for Rosetta

Opinion

Earth

Country air could be good for us because it's slightly poisonous

Opinion

Earth

Papa do preach: The pope is a key ally against climate change

Opinion

Aperture

One flasher you wouldn't mind being startled by

Life

One flasher you wouldn't mind being startled by

(Image: Michael Quinton/Minden) NORTHERN flicker sounds like something that might go wrong with your TV set in Manchester. In fact it is this spectacular North American woodpecker . If you spotted one on a tree, you'd see a handsome bird with brown and black plumage. It's only when they take to the air that they …

Regulars

Features

Gentle sex? Females just as feisty as males over reproduction

Life

Gentle sex? Females just as feisty as males over reproduction

Males compete for sex, females choose – ever since Darwin, we've assumed that's how nature works. Time for a rethink?

Features

Physics

Get ready for the leap second – it could be the last one ever

Features

Health

An inflamed brain may be a hidden cause of depression

Features

Culturelab

Unfair: The justice system is broken, can science fix it?

Unfair: The justice system is broken, can science fix it?

From false confessions to expert testimony that juries are ill-equipped to understand, our criminal justice system needs a radical refit, says a new book

CultureLab

Earth

Hope or despair? The highs and lows of saving seabirds

CultureLab

Health

How Our Days Became Numbered: Great data, wrong results

CultureLab

Regulars

Feedback: A Nobel calling in question

Feedback: A Nobel calling in question

(Image: Paul McDevitt) Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more A Nobel calling in question WHAT happens to some minds that win Nobel prizes? Does the gleam of the medal embolden them to air views no one else would dare? Are they more likely to be asked …

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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