Issue 3324 | Magazine cover date: 6 March 2021

6 March 2021

Issue 3324

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On the cover

Culture

For All Mankind season 2 review: The cold war is raging on the moon

Features

The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us

How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like covid-19 more likely

Did time flow in two directions from the big bang, making two futures?

News

Face masks needed in the UK until 2022, says poll of disease experts

A warp drive that doesn't break the laws of physics is possible

Most life on Earth will be killed by lack of oxygen in a billion years

Neanderthal ears were tuned to hear speech just like modern humans

How much of a threat is the Brazil variant of coronavirus to the UK?

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Health

The covid-19 pandemic makes plain the consequences of abusing nature

News

Mind

The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us

Features

Physics

Did time flow in two directions from the big bang, making two futures?

Features

Health

How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like covid-19 more likely

Features

Leaders

Health

The covid-19 pandemic makes plain the consequences of abusing nature

We may never know how the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from another animal to humans, but we know that our mistreatment of nature made it possible – it is time to clean up our act

News

A man wearing a face mask travels on a London tube

Health

Face masks needed in the UK until 2022, says poll of disease experts

A man travelling on the London Underground railway system Mandatory wearing of face masks in shops and on public transport will probably stay in place in the UK until at least 2022, predict a majority of infectious disease experts polled by New Scientist . Expectations are similar for UK government guidance on physical distancing, with …

News

Space

Crew of mock lunar 'biosphere' grew food and made oxygen for 200 days

News

Humans

Earliest American dog hints pets accompanied first people in Americas

News

Life

Whales and dolphins can resist cancer and their DNA reveals why

News

Technology

Electrostatic de-icing could make it easier to defrost car windows

News

Humans

Earliest human ancestors may have swung on branches like chimps

News

Technology

AI smashes video game high scores by remembering its past success

News

Life

Pufferfish blink by pulling in their eyeballs and puckering their skin

News

Technology

Virtual computer chip tests expose flaws and protect against hackers

News

Life

A shadow snake has been rediscovered in Ecuador after 54 years

News

Life

Male lyrebirds imitate a flock of birds to scare females into mating

News

Environment

Climate targets at risk as green tech triggers higher energy demands

News

Technology

Google uses underwater fibre-optic cable to detect earthquakes

News

Health

What you eat is influenced by the food choices of people you dine with

News

Technology

Wikipedia has seen a spike in people editing pages during the pandemic

News

Environment

Dolphins that help humans catch fish are being disturbed by ship noise

News

Humans

Conversations go on too long because people are too polite to end them

News

Physics

A warp drive that doesn't break the laws of physics is possible

News

Environment

Most life on Earth will be killed by lack of oxygen in a billion years

News

Humans

Neanderthal ears were tuned to hear speech just like modern humans

News

Health

How much of a threat is the Brazil variant of coronavirus to the UK?

News

Health

Repeated coronavirus lockdowns are taking a severe toll on children

News

Analysis

Space

We may have to rewrite our understanding of gravity

There is a mismatch between two ways of measuring galactic mass. Dark matter is one way to solve it, but so is rewriting the laws of gravity, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

News

Health

Coronavirus variant names are too confusing - there is a better way

News

Aperture

Health

Unexpected beauty of cancer research revealed in competition shortlist

These strikingly beautiful images are shortlisted in the UK Institute of Cancer Research’s Science and Medical Imaging Competition and show a wealth of techniques at work

Regulars

Features

Mind

The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us

Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar has found that our friendships are governed by secret rules, based on everything from your sex to your sleep schedule. Our unique social fingerprints help determine who we are drawn to, which friendships last and why some friends are ultimately replaceable

Features

Health

How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like covid-19 more likely

Features

Physics

Did time flow in two directions from the big bang, making two futures?

Features

Culture

Elja is given a strange cube in Tribes of Europa

Technology

Netflix’s Tribes of Europa review: Games of Thrones, but with Brexit

Elja is given a strange cube in Tribes of Europa Tribes of Europa Netflix, from 19 February What would it take to completely destroy our society, and how long would it take? In Netflix’s series Tribes of Europa , the world as we know it has collapsed in a mere 45 years, following a catastrophe …

Culture

Humans

From Satanic panics to QAnon: A guide to fake news and conspiracies

Culture

Humans

Don't miss: Sci-fi shoot-em-up Boss Level with Naomi Watts

Culture

Humans

For All Mankind season 2 review: The cold war is raging on the moon

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 #103: Can you figure out the broken coffee machine?

Can you solve this week’s tricky puzzle Trouble brewing? Plus the answer to puzzle #102

Regulars

Tom Gauld on when autocorrect lacks pizzazz

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on the voyage of an unread document

Regulars

Health

Become a dangerous diseases hunter by tracing cell structures online

Regulars

At least the Mary Anning coin doesn’t have a tripod with four legs

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

6 March 2021

On the cover

Health

The covid-19 pandemic makes plain the consequences of abusing nature

Mind

The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us

Physics

Did time flow in two directions from the big bang, making two futures?

Health

How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like covid-19 more likely

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

The covid-19 pandemic makes plain the consequences of abusing nature

News

Health

Face masks needed in the UK until 2022, says poll of disease experts

Space

Crew of mock lunar 'biosphere' grew food and made oxygen for 200 days

Humans

Earliest American dog hints pets accompanied first people in Americas

Life

Whales and dolphins can resist cancer and their DNA reveals why

Technology

Electrostatic de-icing could make it easier to defrost car windows

Humans

Earliest human ancestors may have swung on branches like chimps

Technology

AI smashes video game high scores by remembering its past success

Life

Pufferfish blink by pulling in their eyeballs and puckering their skin

Technology

Virtual computer chip tests expose flaws and protect against hackers

Life

A shadow snake has been rediscovered in Ecuador after 54 years

Life

Male lyrebirds imitate a flock of birds to scare females into mating

Environment

Climate targets at risk as green tech triggers higher energy demands

Technology

Google uses underwater fibre-optic cable to detect earthquakes

Health

What you eat is influenced by the food choices of people you dine with

Technology

Wikipedia has seen a spike in people editing pages during the pandemic

Environment

Dolphins that help humans catch fish are being disturbed by ship noise

Humans

Conversations go on too long because people are too polite to end them

Physics

A warp drive that doesn't break the laws of physics is possible

Environment

Most life on Earth will be killed by lack of oxygen in a billion years

Humans

Neanderthal ears were tuned to hear speech just like modern humans

Health

How much of a threat is the Brazil variant of coronavirus to the UK?

Health

Repeated coronavirus lockdowns are taking a severe toll on children

Analysis

Space

We may have to rewrite our understanding of gravity

Health

Coronavirus variant names are too confusing - there is a better way

Aperture

Health

Unexpected beauty of cancer research revealed in competition shortlist

Features

Mind

The hidden rules that determine which friendships matter to us

Health

How our abuse of nature makes pandemics like covid-19 more likely

Physics

Did time flow in two directions from the big bang, making two futures?

Culture

Technology

Netflix’s Tribes of Europa review: Games of Thrones, but with Brexit

Humans

From Satanic panics to QAnon: A guide to fake news and conspiracies