This week's magazine

Table of contents

Leaders

Environment

The covid-19 pandemic has reignited questions about population size

A pandemic assisted by our incursions into nature has given questions about human population size a renewed focus, but advocates for limiting population also have questions to answer

News

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News

Space

Weird space radio signal tracked to its source for the first time

Illustration of a magnetar's magnetic fields and a burst of radiation For the first time, we have tracked a strange blast of radio waves – called a fast radio burst – back to its source, solving a major cosmic mystery. The burst came from a magnetar, which is a neutron star with a strong magnetic …

News

Life

Squid-like creature that looked like a giant paperclip lived 200 years

News

Space

There could be around 5 billion habitable planets in the Milky Way

News

Technology

Dash of potassium could help make long-lasting electric car batteries

News

Humans

Men and women in early Americas shared hunting duties equally

News

Environment

Iceberg the size of Cyprus on collision course with Atlantic island

News

Life

Wallabies spotted roaming the UK on nearly 100 occasions

News

Technology

European weather services hit by storm of malicious email attacks

News

Life

We may finally have figured out which group of animals evolved first

News

Space

Jupiter’s moon Europa has ice that may glow green in the dark

News

Technology

Robots can now understand what you are saying to follow commands

News

Environment

Most whales and sea turtles seem to have plastic in their bodies

News

Health

What a Biden presidency means for covid-19, climate change and tech

News

Health

Pfizer covid-19 vaccine: Is it the breakthrough we've been hoping for?

News

Health

Animals infected with covid-19 could undo efforts to stop the pandemic

News

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Analysis

Environment

Here’s why it is so hellishly hard to give up your car to go green

I got rid of my car months ago in an effort to be kinder to the environment, but it has been much harder than I expected and I’m reluctantly driving again, writes Graham Lawton

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Aperture

Life

Image of herons nesting high in the treetops wins drone photo award

Photographer Dmitrii Viliunov, Drone Photo Awards TAKEN 30 metres up in the air, this shot of a great white heron and grey heron in their respective nests also provides a bird's-eye view of Russia's expansive forests, which cover almost half of the country. Dmitrii Viliunov took the photo near the city of Smolensk using a …

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Features

Environment

The population debate: Are there too many people on the planet?

The world population is 7.7 billion. What do our growing numbers mean for economic security, climate change, environmental destruction and the likelihood of pandemics?

Features

Humans

Evolution explains why social distancing due to covid-19 is so hard

Features

Environment

How are sand dunes formed and why do they even exist?

Features

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Culture

Earth

Ammonite review: Here's the true story of palaeontologist Mary Anning

Mary Anning (Kate Winslet, left) and Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan, right) in Ammonite Ammonite , a new film about fossil hunter  Mary Anning  from Francis Lee (the director of 2017's much-praised God's Own Country ), is unhurried in a way that won't be everyone’s cup of tea. But then again, neither was the fieldwork essential …

Culture

Humans

Culture Warlords review: An undercover examination of white supremacy

Culture

Don’t Miss: Netflix’s Alien Xmas features a tiny alien with big plans

Culture

Humans

Escape Pod anthology review: Do the unexpected and rethink your foes

Culture

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More

Space

The Orion Nebula is now visible in the sky - here’s how to find it

From November to February, the Orion Nebula can be seen with the naked eye. But with a pair of binoculars you can get a much more detailed view, says Abigail Beall

Regulars

Puzzle #85: Chopping Board

Regulars

Tom Gauld's attempts to create a sarcastic AI are really genius

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on the moon's attemtps to encourage visitors

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Regulars

Will unboxing videos mixed with ASMR be the latest PR craze?

Unboxing brain orgasms, plus pencils that circumnavigate the world and energy from neutrinos, in Feedback’s weird weekly round up

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Letters

Regulars

The last word