Issue 3076 | Magazine cover date: 4 June 2016

4 June 2016

Issue 3076

Previous issue Next issue

On the cover

Features

Your explosive guide to the end of the universe

Meet the new Earthlings who will take over our planet

No disease, no natural conception, no mind of your own. Excited?

What happens when society crumbles and progress stops

Analysis

Brexitology: What science says about the UK’s EU referendum

Access our magazine content direct via our website, app or print magazine

View in the app

Check out this magazine in our easy-to-navigate mobile app

Find a previous edition online

Search through our digital archive of over 30 years of magazines

Brexitology: What science says about the UK’s EU referendum

News

Technology

Free speech has met social media, with revolutionary results

News

Space

Your explosive guide to the end of the universe

Features

Technology

What happens when society crumbles and progress stops

Features

Life

Life amid death at Australia's new body farm

Features

Technology

No disease, no natural conception, no mind of your own. Excited?

Features

Earth

Meet the new Earthlings who will take over our planet

Features

Leaders

Technology

Free speech has met social media, with revolutionary results

A free-speech revolution? "IT'S confusing the public, it's impoverishing political debate...the public are thoroughly fed up with it." That was the verdict last week by the chairman of the UK's Treasury Select Committee on the war being waged over the country's European Union membership, which he says has become an "arms race of ever more …

News

Life

Compare the meerkat: Animals size each other up in race to top

Who's in charge? Meerkats have a real hunger to succeed. In the race to the top of the breeding group they pig out to boost their own growth in response to a rival gaining weight. In the strict social hierarchy of meerkats , a dominant pair all but monopolises breeding responsibilities . Up and comers …

News

Life

This deep-sea creature could be the world's oldest living animal

News

Humans

Neanderthals built mystery underground circles 175,000 years ago

News

Space

Bloated baby black holes spotted in the distant universe

News

Earth

Mongol hordes gave up on conquering Europe due to wet weather

News

Life

Invasive trash-eating jackals save Europe €2 million a year

News

Space

Rare cosmic balancing act makes Perseid meteor showers brighter

News

Physics

Schrödinger's cat alive and dead even after you saw it in half

News

Health

See-through brains reveal memory pathways for pleasure and fear

News

Life

Blogging cells tell their stories using CRISPR gene editing

News

Technology

Controversial software claims to tell personality from your face

News

Space

Building blocks of life spotted around comet for the first time

News

Technology

Drop in Google searches reveals success of chickenpox vaccine

News

Health

UK to trial HPV vaccine in gay men but no plans yet for all boys

News

Health

Vaccines might be able to stop Alzheimer’s plaques from forming

News

Technology

Prisoners' code word caught by software that eavesdrops on calls

News

Technology

Study of 1 million sites shows just how closely we're watched

News

One Per Cent

News

Life

‘Agitated’ gorilla had to be shot as it was acting unpredictably

News

Health

Relax - your phone probably isn’t going to give you cancer

News

Technology

Google plans to replace smartphone passwords with trust scores

News

Humans

Britain’s oldest writing found buried near London Tube station

News

Earth

First commercial carbon-capture plant set to open in Switzerland

News

Health

WHO warned there will be more Zika cases if Olympics go ahead

News

Technology

Microsoft and Facebook plan to lay internet cable under the sea

News

Life

60 Seconds

News

Technology

NHS could soon use smart outfit to diagnose epilepsy

News

Analysis

Brexitology: What science says about the UK’s EU referendum

With reliable information hard to come by, what will swing the vote to Remain or Leave?

News

In a world of cross-border cooperation, Brexit will harm the UK

News

Vote Brexit and British science will still be a powerhouse

News

Humans

There are better ways to decide the big issues than referendums

News

Aperture

Life

Eider duck caught diving beneath the Norwegian waves

THIS is how eider ducks get their lunch. The common eider ( Somateria mollissima ) flocks to the Norwegian coast in winter to surf the waves and feed in the protected bays and fjords. Pål Hermansen has been photographing the birds along Norway's central Trøndelag coast for three years, but he is mostly working blind. …

Regulars

Features

Space

Your explosive guide to the end of the universe

Our sun will swell, our galaxy will collide with its neighbour and the universe could suddenly be swallowed by a vacuum bubble

Features

Earth

Meet the new Earthlings who will take over our planet

Features

Technology

No disease, no natural conception, no mind of your own. Excited?

Features

Technology

What happens when society crumbles and progress stops

Features

Life

Life amid death at Australia's new body farm

Features

Culture

Earth

The Oracle of Oil: The man who predicted peak oil

M. King Hubbert was a smart geologist with canny ideas about oil that no one listened to at the time. Can a fascinatingly flawed book rescue his legacy?

Culture

Humans

It's not funny being female: A famous comic examines womanhood

Culture

Life

This is Your Brain on Parasites: strong stories, shaky science

Culture

Regulars

Feedback: All hands on deck as Noah's ark resurfaces in Kentucky

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more

Regulars

This week's magazine

4 June 2016

On the cover

Brexitology: What science says about the UK’s EU referendum

Technology

Free speech has met social media, with revolutionary results

Space

Your explosive guide to the end of the universe

Technology

What happens when society crumbles and progress stops

Life

Life amid death at Australia's new body farm

Technology

No disease, no natural conception, no mind of your own. Excited?

Earth

Meet the new Earthlings who will take over our planet

Table of contents

Leaders

Technology

Free speech has met social media, with revolutionary results

News

Life

Compare the meerkat: Animals size each other up in race to top

Life

This deep-sea creature could be the world's oldest living animal

Humans

Neanderthals built mystery underground circles 175,000 years ago

Space

Bloated baby black holes spotted in the distant universe

Earth

Mongol hordes gave up on conquering Europe due to wet weather

Life

Invasive trash-eating jackals save Europe €2 million a year

Space

Rare cosmic balancing act makes Perseid meteor showers brighter

Physics

Schrödinger's cat alive and dead even after you saw it in half

Health

See-through brains reveal memory pathways for pleasure and fear

Life

Blogging cells tell their stories using CRISPR gene editing

Technology

Controversial software claims to tell personality from your face

Space

Building blocks of life spotted around comet for the first time

Technology

Drop in Google searches reveals success of chickenpox vaccine

Health

UK to trial HPV vaccine in gay men but no plans yet for all boys

Health

Vaccines might be able to stop Alzheimer’s plaques from forming

Technology

Prisoners' code word caught by software that eavesdrops on calls

Technology

Study of 1 million sites shows just how closely we're watched

One Per Cent

Life

‘Agitated’ gorilla had to be shot as it was acting unpredictably

Health

Relax - your phone probably isn’t going to give you cancer

Technology

Google plans to replace smartphone passwords with trust scores

Humans

Britain’s oldest writing found buried near London Tube station

Earth

First commercial carbon-capture plant set to open in Switzerland

Health

WHO warned there will be more Zika cases if Olympics go ahead

Technology

Microsoft and Facebook plan to lay internet cable under the sea

Life

60 Seconds

Technology

NHS could soon use smart outfit to diagnose epilepsy

Analysis

Brexitology: What science says about the UK’s EU referendum

In a world of cross-border cooperation, Brexit will harm the UK

Vote Brexit and British science will still be a powerhouse

Humans

There are better ways to decide the big issues than referendums