Issue 3029 | Magazine cover date: 11 July 2015

11 July 2015

Issue 3029

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On the cover

Features

33 reasons why we can't think clearly about climate change

Alchemy machine: Conjuring new drugs at the click of a mouse

News

The rapid rise of neural networks and why they'll rule our world

First drug to help you live longer could go on trial next year

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New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

The human element is what's missing from artificial intelligence

Opinion

Technology

Alchemy machine: Conjuring new drugs at the click of a mouse

Features

Earth

33 reasons why we can't think clearly about climate change

Features

Technology

Doctor you: Home diagnosis gadgets are here for real

Features

Leaders

Earth

It's good that climate change is on the agenda for big business

(Image: Christoffer Relander) THE good news: we've finally stopped arguing about whether climate change is real. The bad news: we're still arguing over what to do about it. And the more we talk, the warmer the globe gets. So why do we keep arguing, rather than acting? Largely because humans can't think straight about climate …

Opinion

The human element is what's missing from artificial intelligence

Opinion

News

Space

Chasing Pluto's shadow in a Boeing 747

SOFIA is the world's largest airborne observatory (Image: NASA) The race is on. In a few hours, Pluto's shadow will tear across Earth's surface at 25 times the speed of a bullet. Our task: to manoeuvre a jumbo jet through the night sky so that it coincides with the shadow's path at the point that …

News

Earth

Modified mosquitoes begin blitz on dengue in Brazilian city

News

Winning formula reveals if your team is too far ahead to lose

News

Mystery plasma blobs lurk in deep space and no one knows why

News

Environment

Yup, it's true, ants do laze around while their nest mates work

News

Tetris blocks traumatic flashbacks even after the memory is fixed

News

Mind

Your brain wrinkles like a screwed-up ball of paper

News

Gene therapy works in cystic fibrosis for the first time

News

Zoologger: The lizard that changes its sex to suit the weather

News

Environment

Ocean-going spiders can use their legs to windsurf across water

News

Technology

Diving in the submarine set to democratise deep-sea exploration

News

Technology

The rapid rise of neural networks and why they'll rule our world

News

Technology

One Per Cent

News

Life

Bonobos use a range of tools like stone-age humans

News

Environment

North Sea cod make a comeback and Canada's are on their tail

News

Spy tech firm breach exposes extent of world surveillance market

News

Bolster health systems in poor countries or see another Ebola

News

Space

Pluto probe hiccup caused by overloaded computer

News

Health

Most women enjoy a tipple during pregnancy

News

New Zealand to take surprise lead in private space race

News

60 Seconds

News

Life

First drug to help you live longer could go on trial next year

News

Life

It's time to decide when to declare a planet lifeless

News

Earth

Climate change hits one in six world heritage nature sites

News

Everything's coming up roses after scent gene is found

News

Opinion

$New blow to UK fracking is a delay but not the end of the road$

Earth

New blow to UK fracking is a delay but not the end of the road

Opencast coal mines were once routinely delayed by local councils amid unfounded health concerns. The same is happening with fracking, warns a professor of energy engineering

Opinion

Earth

It's time for science to take a back seat on climate change

Opinion

Technology

Your nation's economy is a computer running on social networks

Opinion

Health

The doctor on a medical marijuana mission

Opinion

Analysis

Greece crisis: Better models can show how to stabilise eurozone

Where next after Greece's clear "no"? (Image: Credit) Read more: Click here to read the original, longer version of this story . EUROPE faces political uncertainty after the "no" vote in Greece's bailout referendum on 5 July. But a group of mathematicians and economists says we needn't have reached this point. With no reliable way …

News

Aperture

Retro-style photos of weird experiments put humans centre stage

(Image: Daniel Stier) HAS the man in the main image been plugged into a supercomputer or is he undergoing a bizarre form of torture? In fact it's neither – he's taking part in a study of how sound influences our spatial awareness, sitting in the midst of multiple arrays of speakers within a soundproof room …

Regulars

Features

Earth

33 reasons why we can't think clearly about climate change

Even people who want to do something about global warming often do nothing. What are the reasons – and what can we do about them?

Features

Technology

Alchemy machine: Conjuring new drugs at the click of a mouse

Features

Technology

Doctor you: Home diagnosis gadgets are here for real

Features

Culturelab

The winners of <i>New Scientist</i>’s 2015 Sci-Fi London competition

The winners of New Scientist’s 2015 Sci-Fi London competition

New Scientist readers came up with some intriguing lines for the festival’s 48 Hour Film Challenge. Find out who won and the nine runners-up, who win tickets to the festival

CultureLab

Life

Beyond Words: The selves of other animals

CultureLab

Regulars

Feedback: Glowing lamb highlights lab sabotage

(Image: Paul McDevitt) Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Laboratory saboteurs FEEDBACK is arrested by the news that Rubis, a lamb genetically engineered to contain fluorescent jellyfish protein, somehow found her way onto dinner plates in France after being sold to a local abattoir. The French …

Regulars

This week's magazine

11 July 2015

On the cover

The human element is what's missing from artificial intelligence

Technology

Alchemy machine: Conjuring new drugs at the click of a mouse

Earth

33 reasons why we can't think clearly about climate change

Technology

Doctor you: Home diagnosis gadgets are here for real

Table of contents

Leaders

Earth

It's good that climate change is on the agenda for big business

The human element is what's missing from artificial intelligence

News

Space

Chasing Pluto's shadow in a Boeing 747

Earth

Modified mosquitoes begin blitz on dengue in Brazilian city

Winning formula reveals if your team is too far ahead to lose

Mystery plasma blobs lurk in deep space and no one knows why

Environment

Yup, it's true, ants do laze around while their nest mates work

Tetris blocks traumatic flashbacks even after the memory is fixed

Mind

Your brain wrinkles like a screwed-up ball of paper

Gene therapy works in cystic fibrosis for the first time

Zoologger: The lizard that changes its sex to suit the weather

Environment

Ocean-going spiders can use their legs to windsurf across water

Technology

Diving in the submarine set to democratise deep-sea exploration

Technology

The rapid rise of neural networks and why they'll rule our world

Technology

One Per Cent

Life

Bonobos use a range of tools like stone-age humans

Environment

North Sea cod make a comeback and Canada's are on their tail

Spy tech firm breach exposes extent of world surveillance market

Bolster health systems in poor countries or see another Ebola

Space

Pluto probe hiccup caused by overloaded computer

Health

Most women enjoy a tipple during pregnancy

New Zealand to take surprise lead in private space race

60 Seconds

Life

First drug to help you live longer could go on trial next year

Life

It's time to decide when to declare a planet lifeless

Earth

Climate change hits one in six world heritage nature sites

Everything's coming up roses after scent gene is found

Opinion

Earth

New blow to UK fracking is a delay but not the end of the road

Earth

It's time for science to take a back seat on climate change

Technology

Your nation's economy is a computer running on social networks

Health

The doctor on a medical marijuana mission

Analysis

Greece crisis: Better models can show how to stabilise eurozone

Aperture

Retro-style photos of weird experiments put humans centre stage

Features

Earth

33 reasons why we can't think clearly about climate change

Technology

Alchemy machine: Conjuring new drugs at the click of a mouse

Technology

Doctor you: Home diagnosis gadgets are here for real

Culturelab

The winners of New Scientist’s 2015 Sci-Fi London competition

Life

Beyond Words: The selves of other animals