Issue 3214 | Magazine cover date: 26 January 2019

26 January 2019

Issue 3214

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On the cover

Features

8 ways to keep your brain young and stave off mental decline

Human or hybrid? The big debate over what a species really is

What's inside nothing? This laser will rip it up to find out

Analysis

Fatbergs: Everything you wanted to know but were too disgusted to ask

News

Mathematician's record-beating formula can generate 50 prime numbers

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Environment

Fatbergs: Everything you wanted to know but were too disgusted to ask

News

Life

Is the idea of species now more trouble than it is worth?

News

Health

8 ways to keep your brain young and stave off mental decline

Features

Life

Human or hybrid? The big debate over what a species really is

Features

Physics

What's inside nothing? This laser will rip it up to find out

Features

Leaders

Mind

In a world of baffling complexity, a scientific mindset offers help

US sitcom The Good Place reveals how our choices can unknowingly or unthinkingly harm the world. Thinking scientifically can help us reach a better place

News

Life

Is the idea of species now more trouble than it is worth?

News

Life

Robot version of our distant ancestor hints at how we learned to walk

OroBOT could tell us about locomotion millions of years ago A robotic version of a creature that lived about 290 million years ago may lead us to rethink an important evolutionary event in our past. It suggests animals with four legs could have gained advanced walking skills before they had fully turned their backs on …

News

Life

Long penises help hermit crabs avoid being robbed during sex

News

Life

How hagfish can make enough slime to clog a shark's jaws in seconds

News

Technology

Robot dog taught itself to get back up when people kick it over

News

Space

Saturn’s rings formed in a smash-up less than 100 million years ago

News

Technology

Songwriter AI emulates the Beatles with a little help from its friends

News

Environment

Huge spinning ice disc in river provides a carousel for ducks

News

AI chemist figures out how to legally clone expensive patented drugs

News

Health

Engineered bacteria could mop up toxic ammonia in the human gut

News

Space

Moon craters reveal surprise rise in asteroid shrapnel pelting Earth

News

Space

We've seen methane rain gleaming on the icy plains of Titan

News

Health

Silencing brain cells in mice can make them no longer care about pain

News

Technology

Global leaders warn of ecological collapse and technological meltdown

News

Space

Astronauts could use fish and human waste to grow food on long trips

News

Health

We’ve discovered a new type of blood vessel in our bones

News

Environment

Every bottle of prosecco may erode 4.4 kilograms of Italian hillside

News

Humans

The last Neanderthals may have died out much earlier than we thought

News

Health

Common vaccine may protect children from developing type 1 diabetes

News

Environment

France and others plan to tackle air pollution in Mediterranean sea

News

Humans

Exclusive: DNA solves Rudolf Hess doppelgänger conspiracy theory

News

Health

Researcher who created gene-edited babies has been fired

News

A meteorite hit the moon during a total lunar eclipse

News

Life

Exclusive: 600-million-year old blobs are earliest animals ever found

News

Technology

Algorithm that can see around corners could help autonomous cars

News

Mathematician's record-beating formula can generate 50 prime numbers

News

Analysis

Comment

Why CERN's plans for a €20 billion supersized collider are a bad idea

The research potential of a proposed massive particle smasher that would dwarf the Large Hadron Collider doesn’t justify its huge price tag

News

Health

Could a diet save the planet? Only if we pay the real cost of food

News

Environment

Fatbergs: Everything you wanted to know but were too disgusted to ask

News

Comment

To feed 11 billion people, we must share crop seeds as a common good

News

Features

Health

8 ways to keep your brain young and stave off mental decline

Want to defy ageing and keep your mind sharp? From the right diet to your dental hygiene and social life, here are the best ways to keep your brain fighting fit

Features

Life

Human or hybrid? The big debate over what a species really is

Features

Physics

What's inside nothing? This laser will rip it up to find out

Features

Culture

Technology

All I Know is What's on the Internet review: The shocks don't work

How has our visual culture adapted to the digital age? All too well, according to this show at The Photographers' Gallery, London. Is the internet losing its ability to surprise?

Culture

Space

Thousands of Elite Dangerous players embark on epic space voyage

Culture

Health

Behind the Sheet review: Eye-opening play follows slaves’ story

Culture

Technology

Don't miss: Immersive memories, DIY starships and the secret of life

Culture

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.

Cryptic crossword #2

ACROSS 1 Split resistor into four terminal leads (4) 3 Star desiccates small objects (8) 9 Boston University to organise most of excavation in African country (7) 10 School revolutionary Asian country about hydrogen (5) 11 The air and climate changed, losing energy, to do with numbers (12) 13 Journalist is working for inventor (6) …

Regulars

Feedback: Why Mona Lisa's famous gaze has wandering eyes

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

26 January 2019

On the cover

Environment

Fatbergs: Everything you wanted to know but were too disgusted to ask

Life

Is the idea of species now more trouble than it is worth?

Health

8 ways to keep your brain young and stave off mental decline

Life

Human or hybrid? The big debate over what a species really is

Physics

What's inside nothing? This laser will rip it up to find out

Table of contents

Leaders

Mind

In a world of baffling complexity, a scientific mindset offers help

Life

Is the idea of species now more trouble than it is worth?

News

Life

Robot version of our distant ancestor hints at how we learned to walk

Life

Long penises help hermit crabs avoid being robbed during sex

Life

How hagfish can make enough slime to clog a shark's jaws in seconds

Technology

Robot dog taught itself to get back up when people kick it over

Space

Saturn’s rings formed in a smash-up less than 100 million years ago

Technology

Songwriter AI emulates the Beatles with a little help from its friends

Environment

Huge spinning ice disc in river provides a carousel for ducks

AI chemist figures out how to legally clone expensive patented drugs

Health

Engineered bacteria could mop up toxic ammonia in the human gut

Space

Moon craters reveal surprise rise in asteroid shrapnel pelting Earth

Space

We've seen methane rain gleaming on the icy plains of Titan

Health

Silencing brain cells in mice can make them no longer care about pain

Technology

Global leaders warn of ecological collapse and technological meltdown

Space

Astronauts could use fish and human waste to grow food on long trips

Health

We’ve discovered a new type of blood vessel in our bones

Environment

Every bottle of prosecco may erode 4.4 kilograms of Italian hillside

Humans

The last Neanderthals may have died out much earlier than we thought

Health

Common vaccine may protect children from developing type 1 diabetes

Environment

France and others plan to tackle air pollution in Mediterranean sea

Humans

Exclusive: DNA solves Rudolf Hess doppelgänger conspiracy theory

Health

Researcher who created gene-edited babies has been fired

A meteorite hit the moon during a total lunar eclipse

Life

Exclusive: 600-million-year old blobs are earliest animals ever found

Technology

Algorithm that can see around corners could help autonomous cars

Mathematician's record-beating formula can generate 50 prime numbers

Analysis

Comment

Why CERN's plans for a €20 billion supersized collider are a bad idea

Health

Could a diet save the planet? Only if we pay the real cost of food

Environment

Fatbergs: Everything you wanted to know but were too disgusted to ask

Comment

To feed 11 billion people, we must share crop seeds as a common good

Features

Health

8 ways to keep your brain young and stave off mental decline

Life