Issue 3323 | Magazine cover date: 27 February 2021

27 February 2021

Issue 3323

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On the cover

Culture

Netflix's Space Sweepers review: A silly but profound space opera

Features

How to spend a trillion dollars to fix climate change and end poverty

The rise and fall of the mysterious culture that invented civilisation

News

Using mountains as 'water batteries' could cut UK's nuclear power need

First million-year-old DNA extracted from Siberian mammoth teeth

The US Army is building the most powerful laser weapon in the world

First real world covid-19 vaccine studies show 'spectacular' results

Perseverance rover has sent back stunning video and audio from Mars

First universal coronavirus vaccine will start human trials this year

Children are getting long covid and being left with lasting problems

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Humans

What could we do for the climate and health if money were no object?

News

Life

How to spend a trillion dollars to fix climate change and end poverty

Features

Humans

The rise and fall of the mysterious culture that invented civilisation

Features

Health

Metabolism myths: 7 things we get wrong about diet and exercise

Features

Leaders

Humans

What could we do for the climate and health if money were no object?

SOME readers might remember the 1985 movie Brewster's Millions . Richard Pryor's character has to spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit a $300 million fortune. This week, we update the conceit, inflating the sum to a cool $1 trillion, and set a few ground rules: the money has to be spent …

News

Sloy Power Station, Loch Lomond, Scotland

Environment

Using mountains as 'water batteries' could cut UK's nuclear power need

Sloy power station, Loch Lomond, Scotland Turning more of the UK’s mountains into massive “water batteries” could substantially reduce the need for new nuclear power stations and save the country hundreds of millions of pounds, researchers have estimated. New pumped hydro projects, which use off-peak electricity to pump water uphill and release it later to …

News

A tiny spider can spin different types of web for land, air and water

News

Life

Some frogs stop being able to jump if they become dehydrated

News

Life

Knifefish use electric fields to develop a complex social hierarchy

News

Space

Juno spacecraft spots meteor fireball lighting up Jupiter’s skies

News

Environment

Exclusive: On board the mission to one of the world’s largest icebergs

News

Life

First million-year-old DNA extracted from Siberian mammoth teeth

News

Life

Deepest land-dwelling microbes found at bottom of 5km hole in China

News

Humans

Soil safely filters 38 million tonnes of human waste each year

News

Technology

Sharing your route in advance could cut electric car charging queue

News

Technology

People can answer questions about their dreams without waking up

News

Space

Sun's bumpy magnetic fields might explain why its atmosphere is so hot

News

Technology

The US Army is building the most powerful laser weapon in the world

News

Humans

Australia's oldest known rock art is a 17,000-year-old kangaroo

News

Technology

Soft gel could power robot muscles that grow stronger with a workout

News

Space

We've spotted a neutrino blasted out by a black hole shredding a star

News

Health

First real world covid-19 vaccine studies show 'spectacular' results

News

Space

Perseverance rover has sent back stunning video and audio from Mars

News

Health

First universal coronavirus vaccine will start human trials this year

News

Health

Children are getting long covid and being left with lasting problems

News

Analysis

Humans

Why insulting people's intelligence is incompatible with open debate

We too often turn to insulting people’s brain power – and that closes off our ability to understand others, argues Melanie Challenger

News

Health

Is MSG bad for you or is mass aversion to it just a cultural oddity?

News

Aperture

Life

Amazing gecko photos captured using X-rays from a particle accelerator

Incredibly detailed images of the intricate insides of a gecko were created using high-energy X-rays emitted by a synchrotron particle accelerator

Regulars

Features

Health

Metabolism myths: 7 things we get wrong about diet and exercise

Despite what you might have heard, your body is not a simple calorie-burning engine you can tweak at will to keep trim and stay healthy. Here are seven metabolic misconceptions you need to know

Features

Life

How to spend a trillion dollars to fix climate change and end poverty

Features

Humans

The rise and fall of the mysterious culture that invented civilisation

Features

Culture

Jamie Dornan (left) and Anthony Mackie (right)

Mind

Synchronic review: A genuinely hair-raising time travel thriller

Jamie Dornan (left) and Anthony Mackie When they’re not busy being the darlings of indie horror cinema , Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are, by their own admission, armchair enthusiasts of astrophysics, philosophy and futurism. That heady cocktail of interests has influenced all their films to date, but perhaps none more so than Synchronic , …

Culture

The Echo Wife review: A darkly comedic look at the risks of cloning

Culture

Humans

Don't Miss: Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel about AIs and love

Culture

Space

Netflix's Space Sweepers review: A silly but profound space opera

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 #102: Can you figure out a number with amazing properties?

#102 Passport to success My nine-digit passport number has some remarkable properties. Not only does it use all the digits from 1 to 9, but if I label the number ABCDEFGHI, then: A is divisible by 1 AB is divisible by 2 ABC is divisible by 3 ABCD is divisible by 4 ABCDE is divisible …

Regulars

Environment

Top tips for stopping slugs and snails wrecking your garden every year

Regulars

Tom Gauld on when next door's robot is vastly superior

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on every academic article ever

Regulars

Even the AIs have started judging you on your bookcase backdrops

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

27 February 2021

On the cover

Humans

What could we do for the climate and health if money were no object?

Life

How to spend a trillion dollars to fix climate change and end poverty

Humans

The rise and fall of the mysterious culture that invented civilisation

Health

Metabolism myths: 7 things we get wrong about diet and exercise

Table of contents

Leaders

Humans

What could we do for the climate and health if money were no object?

News

Environment

Using mountains as 'water batteries' could cut UK's nuclear power need

A tiny spider can spin different types of web for land, air and water

Life

Some frogs stop being able to jump if they become dehydrated

Life

Knifefish use electric fields to develop a complex social hierarchy

Space

Juno spacecraft spots meteor fireball lighting up Jupiter’s skies

Environment

Exclusive: On board the mission to one of the world’s largest icebergs

Life

First million-year-old DNA extracted from Siberian mammoth teeth

Life

Deepest land-dwelling microbes found at bottom of 5km hole in China

Humans

Soil safely filters 38 million tonnes of human waste each year

Technology

Sharing your route in advance could cut electric car charging queue

Technology

People can answer questions about their dreams without waking up

Space

Sun's bumpy magnetic fields might explain why its atmosphere is so hot

Technology

The US Army is building the most powerful laser weapon in the world

Humans

Australia's oldest known rock art is a 17,000-year-old kangaroo

Technology

Soft gel could power robot muscles that grow stronger with a workout

Space

We've spotted a neutrino blasted out by a black hole shredding a star

Health

First real world covid-19 vaccine studies show 'spectacular' results

Space

Perseverance rover has sent back stunning video and audio from Mars

Health

First universal coronavirus vaccine will start human trials this year

Health

Children are getting long covid and being left with lasting problems

Analysis

Humans

Why insulting people's intelligence is incompatible with open debate

Health

Is MSG bad for you or is mass aversion to it just a cultural oddity?

Aperture

Life

Amazing gecko photos captured using X-rays from a particle accelerator

Features

Health

Metabolism myths: 7 things we get wrong about diet and exercise

Life

How to spend a trillion dollars to fix climate change and end poverty

Humans

The rise and fall of the mysterious culture that invented civilisation

Culture

Mind

Synchronic review: A genuinely hair-raising time travel thriller

The Echo Wife review: A darkly comedic look at the risks of cloning

Humans

Don't Miss: Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel about AIs and love

Space

Netflix's Space Sweepers review: A silly but profound space opera

More

Puzzle #102: Can you figure out a number with amazing properties?