Issue 3296 | Magazine cover date: 22 August 2020

22 August 2020

Issue 3296

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On the cover

Features

Inside the incredibly slow race to reinvent time

Stuart Ritchie interview: A deep rot is turning science into fiction

News

Magnetic levitation can be used to separate the living from the dead

Are pets at risk of getting covid-19 and can they spread it to people?

Everything you need to know about Russia's coronavirus vaccine claims

Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety

Borneo’s ‘carnivorous’ squirrel actually mainly eats one kind of seed

The fastest star in our galaxy moves at 8 per cent the speed of light

Rare plant may prevent the first lithium quarry in the US from opening

Hundreds of UK ambulances rely on software vulnerable to cyberattack

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It is time to do away with outlandish claims and make science duller

News

Humans

Stuart Ritchie interview: A deep rot is turning science into fiction

Features

Health

Prone to motion sickness? Your sex, diet and shoe size may be to blame

Features

Physics

Inside the incredibly slow race to reinvent time

Features

Leaders

It is time to do away with outlandish claims and make science duller

ONE of the special things about science is its inbuilt system of self-correction. There is no such thing as scientific truth, just a set of provisional truths that are subject to revision or rejection when new information comes in. That process isn't always quick or peaceful, but it usually gets to an answer in the …

News

Health

Magnetic levitation can be used to separate the living from the dead

A new device can separate living and dead cells using magnetism A form of magnetic levitation can separate living and dead cells without altering or damaging them in any way. The process could be used for everything from drug discovery to tissue engineering. Cells normally sink to the bottom of the fluid they are grown …

News

Health

Covid-19 lockdown means 115 million Indian children risk malnutrition

News

Life

Grey reef sharks hang out with the same friends year after year

News

Health

Are pets at risk of getting covid-19 and can they spread it to people?

News

Life

Treats are better than electric shocks for training badly behaved dogs

News

Health

Is Sweden's coronavirus strategy a cautionary tale or a success story?

News

Life

A chemical that encourages locusts to swarm could also help stop them

News

Physics

Blue whirl that consumes all fuel it encounters is three flames in one

News

Health

Everything you need to know about Russia's coronavirus vaccine claims

News

Humans

Earliest known beds are 227,000-year-old piles of grass and ash

News

Space

Snapped cable slashes a devastating hole in Arecibo radio telescope

News

Health

Fast food consumption is on the rise among US children and adolescents

News

Life

Plant protein responds to radio waves by making seedlings grow faster

News

Health

Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety

News

Life

Borneo’s ‘carnivorous’ squirrel actually mainly eats one kind of seed

News

Life

Trilobites living 429 million years ago had eyes like modern insects

News

Space

The fastest star in our galaxy moves at 8 per cent the speed of light

News

Technology

Virtual assistant will screen your phone calls to block spammers

News

Life

Rare plant may prevent the first lithium quarry in the US from opening

News

Health

Return of covid-19 to New Zealand shows that no one can relax

News

Health

Covid-19: How can we travel abroad safely during the pandemic?

News

Technology

Hundreds of UK ambulances rely on software vulnerable to cyberattack

News

Health

Has herd immunity really been achieved in some places?

News

Analysis

Health

We now have the technology to develop vaccines that spread themselves

Prevention is better than cure, so we should start using genetic techniques to stop dangerous animal diseases jumping to humans, say Scott Nuismer and James Bull

News

Environment

We should rewild the sky to restore the atmosphere to its former glory

News

Aperture

Humans

Fukushima surfers return nearly a decade after the nuclear disaster

While keen surfers take to the waves around Fukushima, plans are under way to dump contaminated water from the damaged nuclear power plant into the sea

Regulars

Features

Physics

Inside the incredibly slow race to reinvent time

The latest atomic clocks are so staggeringly precise that they are going to redefine the second. The only question now is when

Features

Health

Prone to motion sickness? Your sex, diet and shoe size may be to blame

Features

Humans

Stuart Ritchie interview: A deep rot is turning science into fiction

Features

Culture

Humans

We are in the midst of rewriting our understanding of Neanderthals

Kindred by Rebecca Wragg Sykes explains how modern techniques are helping us to better understand Neanderthals, as well as where we fit in to the family tree

Culture

Humans

Tesla review: A weird and imaginative biopic of a scientific great

Culture

Humans

Don't Miss: Invisibilia's sumptuous tales of scientific wonder

Culture

Humans

The World Engines series reveals the high cost of conquering space

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.

Puzzle 73: Does Private Perkins end up facing the right way on parade?

#73 Changing guard Fifteen members of the King's 99th Dragoons are standing on parade. "Right turn!" screams the sergeant, and each soldier makes a 90° turn. Unfortunately, many of the squad struggle to know their left from their right. After this manoeuvre, five soldiers end up facing left, including Private Perkins, who is in the …

Regulars

Tom Gauld's collection of weird warning signs

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on a maze that could fool rats and humans alike

Regulars

Humans

Frustration with Excel has caused geneticists to rename some genes

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

22 August 2020

On the cover

It is time to do away with outlandish claims and make science duller

Humans

Stuart Ritchie interview: A deep rot is turning science into fiction

Health

Prone to motion sickness? Your sex, diet and shoe size may be to blame

Physics

Inside the incredibly slow race to reinvent time

Table of contents

Leaders

It is time to do away with outlandish claims and make science duller

News

Health

Magnetic levitation can be used to separate the living from the dead

Health

Covid-19 lockdown means 115 million Indian children risk malnutrition

Life

Grey reef sharks hang out with the same friends year after year

Health

Are pets at risk of getting covid-19 and can they spread it to people?

Life

Treats are better than electric shocks for training badly behaved dogs

Health

Is Sweden's coronavirus strategy a cautionary tale or a success story?

Life

A chemical that encourages locusts to swarm could also help stop them

Physics

Blue whirl that consumes all fuel it encounters is three flames in one

Health

Everything you need to know about Russia's coronavirus vaccine claims

Humans

Earliest known beds are 227,000-year-old piles of grass and ash

Space

Snapped cable slashes a devastating hole in Arecibo radio telescope

Health

Fast food consumption is on the rise among US children and adolescents

Life

Plant protein responds to radio waves by making seedlings grow faster

Health

Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety

Life

Borneo’s ‘carnivorous’ squirrel actually mainly eats one kind of seed

Life

Trilobites living 429 million years ago had eyes like modern insects

Space

The fastest star in our galaxy moves at 8 per cent the speed of light

Technology

Virtual assistant will screen your phone calls to block spammers

Life

Rare plant may prevent the first lithium quarry in the US from opening

Health

Return of covid-19 to New Zealand shows that no one can relax

Health

Covid-19: How can we travel abroad safely during the pandemic?

Technology

Hundreds of UK ambulances rely on software vulnerable to cyberattack

Health

Has herd immunity really been achieved in some places?

Analysis

Health

We now have the technology to develop vaccines that spread themselves

Environment

We should rewild the sky to restore the atmosphere to its former glory

Aperture

Humans

Fukushima surfers return nearly a decade after the nuclear disaster

Features

Physics

Inside the incredibly slow race to reinvent time

Health

Prone to motion sickness? Your sex, diet and shoe size may be to blame

Humans

Stuart Ritchie interview: A deep rot is turning science into fiction

Culture

Humans

We are in the midst of rewriting our understanding of Neanderthals

Humans

Tesla review: A weird and imaginative biopic of a scientific great