Issue 3327 | Magazine cover date: 27 March 2021

27 March 2021

Issue 3327

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On the cover

Features

Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too

Huge rogue waves rise from nowhere to sink ships. Can we predict them?

Kate Crawford interview: How AI is exploiting people and the planet

News

Perseverance’s first month on Mars has yielded new sights and sounds

There's a global shortage of computer chips – what's causing it?

Horses may recognise themselves in a mirror, hinting at self-awareness

Europeans get cold feet over covid-19 vaccines as third wave hits

Mistrust fuels covid-19 vaccine doubts in Colombia's Indigenous groups

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is declining as global roll-out ramps up

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Health

We must reinvent urban spaces to improve the health of city dwellers

News

Earth

Huge rogue waves rise from nowhere to sink ships. Can we predict them?

Features

Technology

Kate Crawford interview: How AI is exploiting people and the planet

Features

Environment

Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too

Features

Leaders

Health

We must reinvent urban spaces to improve the health of city dwellers

IN 2007, give or take, came a watershed moment in the 300,000-odd-year history of Homo sapiens . For the first time, more of us were living in urban settings than in small communities embedded in largely natural environments. Urbanisation has been a driver of human cultural and material development since the first cities arose some …

News

Space

A Japanese spacecraft bombed an asteroid and it barely flinched

The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft shot the asteroid Ryugu with a lump of copper in 2019 In 2019, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft bombed the asteroid Ryugu, using explosives to shoot it with a 2.5-kilogram lump of copper to create an artificial crater. Scientists expected this impact to shake the ground, but its actual effect was far …

News

Life

Bizarre 'manta shark' slowly cruised the oceans 93 million years ago

News

Life

Male toadfish protect the eggs in their care with antibacterial fluid

News

Humans

Your leg muscles automatically act to stop you falling when you trip

News

Space

Satellite that can clean up space junk with a magnet about to launch

News

Health

Human skin cells altered to mimic early stage of embryo development

News

Health

Women with senior jobs sleep better in countries with gender equality

News

Health

Parasites may make dogs smell good to disease-spreading sandflies

News

Environment

Recent Australian wildfires led to record atmospheric pollution

News

Life

Giant armoured dinosaur may have dug in the ground for food and water

News

Health

Hybrid coronaviruses from merged variants are spreading between people

News

Health

Ebola may persist in the body for years before sparking new outbreaks

News

Space

Perseverance’s first month on Mars has yielded new sights and sounds

News

Technology

There's a global shortage of computer chips – what's causing it?

News

Space

NASA’s InSight lander has measured the size of Mars’s molten core

News

Technology

The US Navy has a mechanical battery that could power laser weapons

News

Life

Horses may recognise themselves in a mirror, hinting at self-awareness

News

Technology

Reading about Firefox makes it seem a faster web browser than Chrome

News

Life

Llamas and alpacas carry genes from mysterious ‘ghost’ relatives

News

Health

Embryos reverse ageing to become younger than when they first formed

News

Life

Microbe somehow survives without key proteins for replicating its DNA

News

Health

Europeans get cold feet over covid-19 vaccines as third wave hits

News

Health

Mistrust fuels covid-19 vaccine doubts in Colombia's Indigenous groups

News

Health

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is declining as global roll-out ramps up

News

Analysis

Health

In Ghana, covid-19 feels like just another familiar health threat

Understanding how covid-19 has been perceived in West African nations like Ghana is crucial to tackling it, says Ama de-Graft Aikins

News

Health

Does local honey really work as a hay fever cure?

News

Aperture

Life

This cloud of bats in Thailand could help us probe covid-19's origins

Photographer Adam Dean's striking shot of bats emerging from a Thai cave highlights research into the key question of whether covid-19 originates in bats

Regulars

Features

Environment

Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too

We’re beginning to understand just how vital access to natural space is for our mental well-being – with implications for how we design cities worldwide

Features

Earth

Huge rogue waves rise from nowhere to sink ships. Can we predict them?

Features

Technology

Kate Crawford interview: How AI is exploiting people and the planet

Features

Culture

Humans

The World Before Us review: A gripping account of Earth's other humans

The Neanderthals, Denisovans and many others once shared Earth with us. What happened – and where are they now? Archaeologist Tom Higham has written a great insider account

Culture

The Hunt for Planet B review: Tracking the James Webb Space Telescope

Culture

Humans

Don’t Miss: The Best of World SF, with tales old and new

Culture

Humans

An Impossible Project review: Heartfelt film about Polaroid's saviour

Culture

Environment

How to create a garden that's perfect for pollinators

MOST people are aware that bees are in trouble. Due to factors including habitat loss, use of pesticides and a mysterious phenomenon called colony collapse disorder – when most of a hive's workers just buzz off – many bee species are seeing downturns in their numbers worldwide. There have also been declines in other pollinating …

Regulars

Puzzle #106: What's the best strategy for our darts player?

Regulars

Tom Gauld tells a quantum physics joke (and simultaneously doesn't)

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on the thousands of species science is yet to find

Regulars

The rise of 'experiential units' that are impossible to understand

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

Regulars

This week's magazine

27 March 2021

On the cover

Health

We must reinvent urban spaces to improve the health of city dwellers

Earth

Huge rogue waves rise from nowhere to sink ships. Can we predict them?

Technology

Kate Crawford interview: How AI is exploiting people and the planet

Environment

Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

We must reinvent urban spaces to improve the health of city dwellers

News

Space

A Japanese spacecraft bombed an asteroid and it barely flinched

Life

Bizarre 'manta shark' slowly cruised the oceans 93 million years ago

Life

Male toadfish protect the eggs in their care with antibacterial fluid

Humans

Your leg muscles automatically act to stop you falling when you trip

Space

Satellite that can clean up space junk with a magnet about to launch

Health

Human skin cells altered to mimic early stage of embryo development

Health

Women with senior jobs sleep better in countries with gender equality

Health

Parasites may make dogs smell good to disease-spreading sandflies

Environment

Recent Australian wildfires led to record atmospheric pollution

Life

Giant armoured dinosaur may have dug in the ground for food and water

Health

Hybrid coronaviruses from merged variants are spreading between people

Health

Ebola may persist in the body for years before sparking new outbreaks

Space

Perseverance’s first month on Mars has yielded new sights and sounds

Technology

There's a global shortage of computer chips – what's causing it?

Space

NASA’s InSight lander has measured the size of Mars’s molten core

Technology

The US Navy has a mechanical battery that could power laser weapons

Life

Horses may recognise themselves in a mirror, hinting at self-awareness

Technology

Reading about Firefox makes it seem a faster web browser than Chrome

Life

Llamas and alpacas carry genes from mysterious ‘ghost’ relatives

Health

Embryos reverse ageing to become younger than when they first formed

Life

Microbe somehow survives without key proteins for replicating its DNA

Health

Europeans get cold feet over covid-19 vaccines as third wave hits

Health

Mistrust fuels covid-19 vaccine doubts in Colombia's Indigenous groups

Health

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is declining as global roll-out ramps up

Analysis

Health

In Ghana, covid-19 feels like just another familiar health threat

Health

Does local honey really work as a hay fever cure?

Aperture

Life

This cloud of bats in Thailand could help us probe covid-19's origins

Features

Environment

Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too

Earth

Huge rogue waves rise from nowhere to sink ships. Can we predict them?

Technology

Kate Crawford interview: How AI is exploiting people and the planet

Culture