This week's magazine

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

To fight the coronavirus pandemic effectively we need lots more data

Evidence from China suggests the way to get on top of the covid-19 outbreak is through rapid testing, isolation and quarantine rather than lockdowns and big travel restrictions

News

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News

Life

Bacteria sacrifice themselves when under attack to save their colonies

Some strains of E.coli can self-destruct in the presence of a competitor's toxins Some bacteria self-destruct when their colony is attacked by rivals, but the reason was unclear. Now it seems they sacrifice themselves to save their relatives, just as some insects give their lives to defend their colonies. This kind of sacrifice is rare …

News

Life

Brazilian toads that eat scorpions can survive the venom of 10 stings

News

Environment

Amazon deforestation looks set to hit a record high in 2020

News

Space

Liquid iron rain spotted on super-heated exoplanet WASP-76b

News

Health

Half of people in the US would sell their genetic data for $95

News

Space

Comet 67P is hiding nitrogen that could solve a solar system mystery

News

Health

Type 1 diabetes may be two conditions that need different treatments

News

Life

Every Arabica coffee plant may come from a single common ancestor

News

Space

Solar flares and cosmic rays may make Proxima b warm enough for life

News

Humans

‘Bonehenge’: Stone Age structure of mammoth bones discovered in Russia

News

Space

Mars may once have had right conditions for RNA to develop into life

News

Humans

Our ancestors may have run a million years earlier than we thought

News

Health

We have to respect the coronavirus – and learn as the disease evolves

News

Health

AI pollution monitor could forecast harmful particles in the air

News

Countries around the world adopt strict coronavirus measures

News

Health

We're beginning to understand the biology of the covid-19 virus

News

Technology

AI hotel assistant persuades guests to use less water and electricity

News

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Analysis

Environment

All the reasons why organic food doesn’t deserve such bad press

Negative headlines about organic farming’s carbon footprint are missing the bigger picture about its environmental benefits, say Christel Cederberg and Hayo van der Werf

News

Environment

Many plants may soon be illegal in France and no one knows what to do

News

Health

Is your salad going to kill you?

News

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Aperture

Space

Mysterious crater on Mars could be a good place to look for life

Photograph MarsReconnaissance Orbiter Agency NASA RAVAGED by the largest dust storms in the solar system and with temperatures that can fall to around -125°C, the surface of Mars is a hostile place. But what about beneath the ground – what might lurk there? This image of an unusual crater on the slopes of Mars's Pavonis …

Regulars

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Features

Humans

The stunning east Asian city that dates to the dawn of civilisation

The mysterious Liangzhu civilisation was a neolithic "Venice of the East", rivalling ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia with its engineering marvels

Features

Life

Wasps may benefit us as much as bees. Could we learn to love them?

Features

Health

How soon will we have a coronavirus vaccine? The race against covid-19

Features

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Culture

Physics

Radioactive review: A reimagining of Marie Curie's luminous legacy

Scientific stars: Marie and Pierre Curie (Rosamund Pike and Sam Riley) Film Radioactive Marjane Satrapi The release of  Radioactive  has been postponed until later in the year THE seriously famous always pose a problem for anyone wanting to re-explore their life and legacy. What is there left to say that someone hasn't said before? For …

Culture

Humans

Don't Miss: Sci-fi suburbia, star woman and London Games Festival

Culture

Humans

Westworld season 3 review: Five-star TV where nothing is what it seems

Culture

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More

Humans

How to make noodles: the art and science of manipulating gluten

It's easy and fun to make hand-pulled noodles, especially if you understand how gluten is acting inside the dough to make it stretch y and elastic, says Sam Wong

Regulars

Puzzle #51: Birthday candles

Regulars

Technology

Why people become strangely attached to their robot vacuum cleaners

Regulars

Sponsored

The Truth About Equality In STEM

Advertising

Twisteddoodles on the art of small talk

Regulars

Tom Gauld stumbles upon a decades-long academic feud

Regulars

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Regulars

Why you shouldn’t use Tito vodka to make your own hand sanitiser

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

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word