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This week's magazine

2 February 2019

Issue 3215

New Scientist issue 3215 cover
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Editor's picks

pregnant woman

Health

People are seeking sperm donors online, but are the risks worth it?

News
life artwork

Life

Asking the biggest questions is the very essence of science

News
The truth behind Boston Dynamics' viral robot videos

Technology

The truth behind Boston Dynamics' viral robot videos

Features
kinesin molecule

Life

Life’s secret ingredient: A radical theory of what makes things alive

Features
This stunning map shows why everyone is fighting over the Arctic

Environment

This stunning map shows why everyone is fighting over the Arctic

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

bacteria

Health

Alzheimer's bacterial link reiterates the importance of our microbiome

A bacterium seems to cause Alzheimer's as well as gum disease, hinting that our microbial denizens may be involved in many diseases we thought weren't infectious

News

Life

Asking the biggest questions is the very essence of science

News

News

Black rat

Health

Powerful whole-species gene editing tool fails first tests in mice

Pest populations of black rats and other rodents might eventually be eradicated with gene drives When it comes to mammals, both the optimism and the fears about gene drives are overblown. So say a team who have tested the concept in mice for the first time. Their studies in mice suggests that existing gene drives …

News

Humans

Africans may have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar 4000 years ago

News

Humans

People appear to sleep much better when rocked throughout the night

News

Space

The moon’s violent birth may have given Earth the ingredients of life

News

Health

Tumour-killing virus could stop a childhood eye cancer and save vision

News

Health

Married people have stronger hands than those who are single

News

Physics

Megawave recreated in the lab looks just like Hokusai's Great Wave

News

Health

We may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s – and how to stop it

News

Technology

Terrible drivers could teach autonomous cars how to avoid crashes

News

Health

Gum disease may be the cause of Alzheimer's - here's how to avoid it

News

Comment

Should we rename some cancers to make them sound less scary?

News

Health

Staying slim isn't just about what you eat - it's about your DNA too

News

Technology

DeepMind AI thrashes human professionals at video game StarCraft II

News

Technology

Battling AI algorithm tested on a quantum computer for first time

News

Health

Women could use their own uteruses as incubators for IVF embryos

News

Physics

The emptiness of space has a structure we could use to send messages

News

Some snails wear jackets made of algae to protect them from the sun

News

Humans

Siberian cave reveals secrets of its mysterious Denisovan inhabitants

News

Analysis

A person looking at a book

Humans

Can scanning books really reveal if the US is becoming more tolerant?

A team analysed 200 years' worth of books The words used in millions of books show how US culture has generally become more permissive, leading to both innovation and risky behaviour. That is according to an analysis of books published in the US between 1800 and 2000. However, the study overlooks the fact that books …

News

Health

People are seeking sperm donors online, but are the risks worth it?

News

Comment

So long, veganuary: Here’s how to consume consciously year round

News

Health

Gum disease and Alzheimer's: Your questions answered

News

Aperture

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.

Life

Monarch butterflies' beautiful wing scales enable their epic migration

THIS may look like the folds of a snake but don't be fooled — it is actually an extreme close-up of a monarch butterfly wing. To capture the entire wing, California-based photographer Chris Perani took 2100 separate exposures, each just 3 micrometres apart, and then stitched them together. The hefty magnification is achieved using a …

Regulars

Features

kinesin molecule

Life

Life’s secret ingredient: A radical theory of what makes things alive

How does inanimate matter come to breathe, thrive and reproduce? Explaining this magic means overhauling nature’s laws, says physicist Paul Davies

Features

Technology

The truth behind Boston Dynamics' viral robot videos

Features

Environment

This stunning map shows why everyone is fighting over the Arctic

Features

Culture

stone inscription

Physics

Time Tries All Things review – Take time out to enjoy a dreamlike show

String theory, triangulation, relativity - who cares if physicists trying to explain time have reached an impasse? A new show presses pause on hunting for answers

Culture

Life

Don't miss: Space thrills, wooden guts and the rise of esports

Culture

Life

Chasing the Sun review: Light's power over life charted

Culture

More

From the archives: Does dowsing really help you find water?

Earth

From the archives: Does dowsing really help you find water?

The ancient practice of water divining is still used across the world to locate water sources. Forty years ago, we wondered whether it might actually work

Regulars

Regulars

garbage cartoon

Feedback: Planting a flag in great Pacific plastic patch

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

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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