Issue 3185 | Magazine cover date: 7 July 2018

7 July 2018

Issue 3185

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On the cover

Features

Asia’s mysterious role in the early origins of humanity

The brain’s secret powerhouse that makes us who we are

News

DNA reveals Romans helped spread TB across three continents

Leaders

Heatwaves show global warming is not just a future threat

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Life

It's ok that the public rejected GM food – after all, we did ask

News

Environment

Heatwaves show global warming is not just a future threat

News

Humans

Asia’s mysterious role in the early origins of humanity

Features

Environment

The climate change evangelist with God on her side

Features

Technology

The forgotten navigation system that could show GPS the door

Features

Humans

The brain’s secret powerhouse that makes us who we are

Features

Leaders

Environment

Heatwaves show global warming is not just a future threat

Better climate models and fast computers are helping us see how our carbon emissions are already causing severe weather events

News

Space

Mars could have been habitable 100 million years before Earth

It's a funny old world The solid surface of Mars formed 100 million years before Earth’s – meaning life would have had a head start to evolve on the Red Planet. Early Mars, like the other rocky planets, was covered in a global magma ocean. The top of that sea of molten rock eventually hardened …

News

Life

Bumblebees in cities are healthier than those in the countryside

News

Space

Enceladus is spewing out organic molecules necessary for life

News

Space

Interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua may be a comet, not an asteroid

News

Health

People who keep seeing the same doctor have lower death rates

News

Life

You can tell how tall or strong a person is by hearing them roar

News

Health

Heroin users’ brains hint at a new treatment for narcolepsy

News

Life

Female velvet ants are so scary no other animal dares eat them

News

Life

Bacteria have even evolved to live in the venom glands of snakes

News

Technology

Cuba has a hidden internet system based on trading USB sticks

News

Humans

How the weird scoring system in tennis gives underdogs a boost

News

Life

Some monkeys in Panama may have just stumbled into the Stone Age

News

Technology

The US has an anti-drone gun that shoots drones at other drones

News

Health

Polycystic ovary syndrome linked to mother's health in pregnancy

News

Health

Biggest study of vaginas shows there's no such thing as 'normal'

News

Chemistry

New form of gold is much golder than normal gold

News

Life

Freak accident created a massive army of super-fertile clones

News

Health

First attempt to get CRISPR gene editing working in sperm

News

Humans

DNA reveals Romans helped spread TB across three continents

News

Technology

First commercial DNA data storage service set to launch in 2019

News

Environment

Smoke from moorland wildfires may hold toxic blast from the past

News

Health

NHS England considers plans to cut some surgeries

News

Boys and football coach in Thai cave are medically stable

News

Technology

Facebook apologises after bug unblocks people who were blocked

News

Space

Trio of stars shows Einstein is still right about relativity

News

Analysis

A large ship on the ocean firing a purple laser beam at a drone

Technology

A new arms race threatens to unleash laser warfare in the skies

The increasing use of military lasers that can damage the eyes of pilots has opened a fresh front in low-level international conflict, says David Hambling

News

Humans

How old could humans get? We probably haven't hit the limit yet

News

Health

Is an AI chatbot really better than a human doctor?

News

Life

The second great battle for the future of our food is underway

News

Life

It's ok that the public rejected GM food – after all, we did ask

News

Aperture

Earth

The tiny oasis spared wrath of Hawaii's volcano

IT LOOKS like a minor miracle. A tiny stretch of road has escaped the lava flows from the latest eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, which is still menacing a corner of Big Island two months after it began. So frequent are such scenes in a place regularly scorched by volcanic activity that they have a …

Regulars

Features

Humans

Asia’s mysterious role in the early origins of humanity

Bizarre fossils from China are revealing our species' Asian origins and rewriting the story of human evolution

Features

Technology

The forgotten navigation system that could show GPS the door

Features

Humans

The brain’s secret powerhouse that makes us who we are

Features

Environment

The climate change evangelist with God on her side

Features

Culture

Health

Art that brings meaning to medicine

Edinburgh's Surgeons' Museums have launched their new art programme with a show by Chinese artist Zhang Yanzi that's at once sincere and spectacular

Culture

Earth

Globetrotting film sends scientists on "relay race" of inquiry

Culture

Life

Don't miss: immortality in New York, sulphur and science comedy

Culture

Technology

A friendly introduction to AI proves oddly unnerving

Culture

Technology

Old Scientist: Glancing at ads from the past

AS A great resource for those trying to find a career in science, New Scientist runs job recruitment pages every week. Some are a big deal. On 14 July 1966, we carried an advert for air traffic control officers. Around a million civil aircraft carrying 21 million passengers had overflown the UK in 1965, and …

Regulars

Feedback: Airflow test shows the force is not with X Wing pilots

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

7 July 2018

On the cover

Life

It's ok that the public rejected GM food – after all, we did ask

Environment

Heatwaves show global warming is not just a future threat

Humans

Asia’s mysterious role in the early origins of humanity

Environment

The climate change evangelist with God on her side

Technology

The forgotten navigation system that could show GPS the door

Humans

The brain’s secret powerhouse that makes us who we are

Table of contents

Leaders

Environment

Heatwaves show global warming is not just a future threat

News

Space

Mars could have been habitable 100 million years before Earth

Life

Bumblebees in cities are healthier than those in the countryside

Space

Enceladus is spewing out organic molecules necessary for life

Space

Interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua may be a comet, not an asteroid

Health

People who keep seeing the same doctor have lower death rates

Life

You can tell how tall or strong a person is by hearing them roar

Health

Heroin users’ brains hint at a new treatment for narcolepsy

Life

Female velvet ants are so scary no other animal dares eat them

Life

Bacteria have even evolved to live in the venom glands of snakes

Technology

Cuba has a hidden internet system based on trading USB sticks

Humans

How the weird scoring system in tennis gives underdogs a boost

Life

Some monkeys in Panama may have just stumbled into the Stone Age

Technology

The US has an anti-drone gun that shoots drones at other drones

Health

Polycystic ovary syndrome linked to mother's health in pregnancy

Health

Biggest study of vaginas shows there's no such thing as 'normal'

Chemistry

New form of gold is much golder than normal gold

Life

Freak accident created a massive army of super-fertile clones

Health

First attempt to get CRISPR gene editing working in sperm

Humans

DNA reveals Romans helped spread TB across three continents

Technology

First commercial DNA data storage service set to launch in 2019

Environment

Smoke from moorland wildfires may hold toxic blast from the past

Health

NHS England considers plans to cut some surgeries

Boys and football coach in Thai cave are medically stable

Technology

Facebook apologises after bug unblocks people who were blocked

Space

Trio of stars shows Einstein is still right about relativity

Analysis

Technology

A new arms race threatens to unleash laser warfare in the skies

Humans

How old could humans get? We probably haven't hit the limit yet

Health

Is an AI chatbot really better than a human doctor?

Life

The second great battle for the future of our food is underway

Life

It's ok that the public rejected GM food – after all, we did ask