Issue 3311 | Magazine cover date: 5 December 2020

5 December 2020

Issue 3311

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On the cover

Culture

Christmas gift ideas: The 13 best science and technology books of 2020

Features

There are weird volcanoes everywhere we look in the solar system

The Scandinavian secrets to keeping positive in a covid-19 winter

Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related

News

Wasps in Australia are endangering planes by building nests on them

CRISPR gene editing of brain cells might prevent Alzheimer's disease

NASA can't decide whether astronauts should wash their underwear

Do Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine results stand up to scrutiny?

DeepMind's AI biologist can decipher secrets of the machinery of life

Analysis

How to minimise your risk of spreading coronavirus over Christmas

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Technology

The predictions of DeepMind’s latest AI could revolutionise medicine

News

Health

The Scandinavian secrets to keeping positive in a covid-19 winter

Features

Space

There are weird volcanoes everywhere we look in the solar system

Features

Mind

Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related

Features

Leaders

Technology

The predictions of DeepMind’s latest AI could revolutionise medicine

AlphaFold, DeepMind's new artificial intelligence, could accelerate drug development through its ability to predict the shape of the proteins that make up our bodies

News

Health

Mosquitoes carry more malaria parasites depending on when they bite

A Culex mosquito When a malaria-infected bird is bitten by mosquitoes over the course of 3 hours, the first insects to feed end up carrying fewer malaria parasites than those that feed later – and the same may apply when infected people are bitten. Malaria is caused by microbes of the Plasmodium group. It can …

News

Humans

Climate change has revealed a huge haul of ancient arrows in Norway

News

Life

Birds that rapidly moult feathers are more likely to become flightless

News

Space

Earth’s early atmosphere may have been toxic like the one on Venus

News

Life

Wasps in Australia are endangering planes by building nests on them

News

Health

The fluid in between your cells could help reveal health problems

News

Environment

Climate change may make autumn leaves fall early and store less carbon

News

Environment

Double climate disaster may have ended ancient Harappan civilisation

News

Technology

Google Earth reveals suspected nuclear weapons facility in Pakistan

News

Health

CRISPR gene editing of brain cells might prevent Alzheimer's disease

News

Space

NASA can't decide whether astronauts should wash their underwear

News

Health

Do Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine results stand up to scrutiny?

News

Physics

Armoured liquid marbles connected together in a chain 1.7 metres long

News

Life

We seem to find larger animals more charismatic than small ones

News

Technology

AI can turn spoken language into photorealistic sign language videos

News

Technology

DeepMind's AI biologist can decipher secrets of the machinery of life

News

Environment

Ivy is multiplying across Europe’s forests as the climate warms

News

Humans

Tiny island survived tsunami that helped separate Britain and Europe

News

Health

UK approves Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for rollout next week

News

Health

Did Europe's lockdowns work, and which countries got it right?

News

Health

How is China beating covid-19 and are the reported numbers reliable?

News

Analysis

Health

How to minimise your risk of spreading coronavirus over Christmas

If you plan to meet people over the festive season, there are many ways you can reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, says Clare Wilson

News

Space

Does a halo of mysterious dark matter swirl around every galaxy?

News

Aperture

Earth

The dazzling winners of the British Ecological Society’s photo awards

A Dalmatian pelican The striking photo above and the selection that follows celebrate the beauty and diversity of the natural world. Taken by ecologists and students worldwide, the images are among the winners, runners-up and highly commended entries from the British Ecological Society’s 2020 "Capturing Ecology" photography competition. The overall winner was Alwin Hardenbol at …

Regulars

Features

Space

There are weird volcanoes everywhere we look in the solar system

Bizarre volcanoes that ooze ice magma or explode like geysers reveal the geological rumblings beneath other worlds. Some might even provide the spark for alien life

Features

Health

The Scandinavian secrets to keeping positive in a covid-19 winter

Features

Mind

Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related

Features

Culture

Humans

Christmas gift ideas: The 13 best science and technology books of 2020

From The End of Everything by Katie Mack and How to Argue with a Racist by Adam Rutherford to Martha Wells’s Murderbot sc-ifi series, New Scientist’s 2020 gift guide has a book for everyone

Culture

Humans

Watch Dogs: Legion review – The perfect antidote to lockdown

Culture

Humans

How to use the dhungar technique to create delicious smoky food

Smoke has been used to preserve and flavour food for thousands of years. Try using the dhungar technique with ghee (a kind of clarified butter) to add a finishing touch to dishes like dal makhani, a rich lentil stew, says Sam Wong

Regulars

Puzzle #88: What’s the chance that Kate wins the shoot-out?

Regulars

Tom Gauld on when marketing chooses where to put research groups

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on when gravity gets you down

Regulars

The absurd logic of ‘this notice board is not in use’

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

5 December 2020

On the cover

Technology

The predictions of DeepMind’s latest AI could revolutionise medicine

Health

The Scandinavian secrets to keeping positive in a covid-19 winter

Space

There are weird volcanoes everywhere we look in the solar system

Mind

Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related

Table of contents

Leaders

Technology

The predictions of DeepMind’s latest AI could revolutionise medicine

News

Health

Mosquitoes carry more malaria parasites depending on when they bite

Humans

Climate change has revealed a huge haul of ancient arrows in Norway

Life

Birds that rapidly moult feathers are more likely to become flightless

Space

Earth’s early atmosphere may have been toxic like the one on Venus

Life

Wasps in Australia are endangering planes by building nests on them

Health

The fluid in between your cells could help reveal health problems

Environment

Climate change may make autumn leaves fall early and store less carbon

Environment

Double climate disaster may have ended ancient Harappan civilisation

Technology

Google Earth reveals suspected nuclear weapons facility in Pakistan

Health

CRISPR gene editing of brain cells might prevent Alzheimer's disease

Space

NASA can't decide whether astronauts should wash their underwear

Health

Do Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine results stand up to scrutiny?

Physics

Armoured liquid marbles connected together in a chain 1.7 metres long

Life

We seem to find larger animals more charismatic than small ones

Technology

AI can turn spoken language into photorealistic sign language videos

Technology

DeepMind's AI biologist can decipher secrets of the machinery of life

Environment

Ivy is multiplying across Europe’s forests as the climate warms

Humans

Tiny island survived tsunami that helped separate Britain and Europe

Health

UK approves Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for rollout next week

Health

Did Europe's lockdowns work, and which countries got it right?

Health

How is China beating covid-19 and are the reported numbers reliable?

Analysis

Health

How to minimise your risk of spreading coronavirus over Christmas

Space

Does a halo of mysterious dark matter swirl around every galaxy?

Aperture

Earth

The dazzling winners of the British Ecological Society’s photo awards

Features

Space

There are weird volcanoes everywhere we look in the solar system

Health

The Scandinavian secrets to keeping positive in a covid-19 winter

Mind

Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related

Culture

Humans

Christmas gift ideas: The 13 best science and technology books of 2020

Humans

Watch Dogs: Legion review – The perfect antidote to lockdown

More

Humans