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This week's magazine

15 August 2020

Issue 3295

New Scientist issue 3295 cover
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On the cover

Features
The surprising ways little social interactions affect your health
News
First poison arrows may have been loosed 70,000 years ago in Africa
Strange lightning on Jupiter may be caused by ammonia snowballs
How covid-19 spawned a plastic pandemic – and what we can do about it
Deep-sea microbes survive on less energy than we thought possible
Bizarre fossil with an incredibly long neck was a marine hunter
Obesity may cause cancer simply because larger organs have more cells
Physicists have a massive problem as Higgs boson refuses to misbehave
Vaccine for major common cold virus could be ready for use by 2024
Menopausal woman gives birth after blood plasma injection in ovaries
If we ever make a covid-19 vaccine who should be first to get it?
Analysis
Fire and melting ice: The Arctic is having a terrifyingly bad year
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Editor's picks

Fire and melting ice: The Arctic is having a terrifyingly bad year

Environment

Fire and melting ice: The Arctic is having a terrifyingly bad year

News
We must think globally not nationalistically to beat the coronavirus

Health

We must think globally not nationalistically to beat the coronavirus

News
Can static electricity make chemistry more efficient – and greener?

Technology

Can static electricity make chemistry more efficient – and greener?

Features
Can we rely on tropical forests to stop runaway climate change?

Environment

Can we rely on tropical forests to stop runaway climate change?

Features
David Spiegelhalter: How to be a coronavirus statistics sleuth

Technology

David Spiegelhalter: How to be a coronavirus statistics sleuth

Features
The surprising ways little social interactions affect your health

Health

The surprising ways little social interactions affect your health

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

We must think globally not nationalistically to beat the coronavirus

Health

We must think globally not nationalistically to beat the coronavirus

THE covid-19 pandemic has exposed some major fault lines in public trust of science and medicine. From conspiracy theories about 5G phone masts, Chinese bioweapons and Bill Gates to some people's refusal to wear masks even when required to do so, it is clear that a significant minority of people are worryingly resistant to the …

News

News

poison arrows

Humans

First poison arrows may have been loosed 70,000 years ago in Africa

A hunting kit used by the San people and thought to be 150 years old Hunter-gatherers in Africa may have been using poison-tipped arrows for more than 70,000 years, according to a new analysis of ancient arrowheads. This would be the oldest known use of poison arrows in the world, says Marlize Lombard of the …

News

Space

Strange lightning on Jupiter may be caused by ammonia snowballs

News

Health

Disease-carrying animals thrive on our farmed land and in our cities

News

Environment

How covid-19 spawned a plastic pandemic – and what we can do about it

News

Life

Deep-sea microbes survive on less energy than we thought possible

News

Technology

In-ear nerve-stimulating device helps people learning a new language

News

Life

Bizarre fossil with an incredibly long neck was a marine hunter

News

Technology

Super-bright fluorescent solids can be 3D printed in any shape

News

Health

Obesity may cause cancer simply because larger organs have more cells

News

Life

Fruit flies have special neurons that sense the wind to aid navigation

News

Physics

Physicists have a massive problem as Higgs boson refuses to misbehave

News

Health

We don't know how accurate the UK's new rapid coronavirus tests are

News

Health

Vaccine for major common cold virus could be ready for use by 2024

News

Health

Menopausal woman gives birth after blood plasma injection in ovaries

News

Technology

Baby-mounted cameras teach AI to ‘see’ through a child’s eyes

News

Health

If we ever make a covid-19 vaccine who should be first to get it?

News

Health

Nations buying up covid-19 vaccine doses endanger pandemic efforts

News

Analysis

A Street mural memorial to Henrietta Lacks in Oak Park, Illinois

Health

Genetic privacy: We must learn from the story of Henrietta Lacks

A street mural memorial to Henrietta Lacks in Oak Park, Illinois Today is the 100 th anniversary of the birth of Henrietta Lacks , commonly referred to as “the mother of modern medicine”. Her cells have been used in experiments in laboratories around the world but were cultivated without her consent. Eventually, her story led …

News

Space

Why dark matter should be called something else

News

Environment

Fire and melting ice: The Arctic is having a terrifyingly bad year

News

Aperture

ESA's dazzling laser hunts for atmospheric pollution in the Antarctic

Space

ESA's dazzling laser hunts for atmospheric pollution in the Antarctic

Photo European Space Agency PIERCING through the winter sky, this green light looks like part of a dazzling natural phenomenon. In fact, the strikingly clear single beam is from a laser fired at the European Space Agency's research station in Antarctica to probe atmospheric conditions, including the impact of pollutants. The pulsed laser is part …

Regulars

Features

The surprising ways little social interactions affect your health

Health

The surprising ways little social interactions affect your health

Greeting neighbours or gossiping with a colleague can boost your health and well-being, but coronavirus lockdowns are putting that in jeopardy. Here’s how to stay connected

Features

Environment

Can we rely on tropical forests to stop runaway climate change?

Features

Technology

Can static electricity make chemistry more efficient – and greener?

Features

Technology

David Spiegelhalter: How to be a coronavirus statistics sleuth

Features

Culture

Coded Bias review: An eye-opening account of the dangers of AI

Technology

Coded Bias review: An eye-opening account of the dangers of AI

Computers are worse at recognising women and people of colour than white men. Documentary Coded Bias shows that the problems don't stop there

Culture

Humans

Superliminal review: This game will mess with your head

Culture

Humans

Don't Miss: Netflix film on dedicating your life to contacting aliens

Culture

More

Puzzle #72: Can you help two maths professors move house?

Puzzle #72: Can you help two maths professors move house?

#72 A long lane The mathematician Professor Numero lives at number 13 Long Lane, the same road as his good friend Professor Lemma, who is at number 156. The friends like that their house numbers when multiplied together are exactly divisible by the two numbers added together. However, Numero has always had his eye on …

Regulars

Tom Gauld on the rise and fall of a famous beetle

Regulars

Twisteddoodles delves into dubious study subjects

Regulars

Regulars

Why a winery is the best place to spot two solar eclipses

Humans

Why a winery is the best place to spot two solar eclipses

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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