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This week's magazine

6 August 2022

Issue 3398

New Scientist issue 3398 cover
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Editor's picks

Untangling life's molecular mysteries using AI is a welcome advance

Humans

Untangling life's molecular mysteries using AI is a welcome advance

News
How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Humans

How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Features
How kids are winning the fight against dengue fever in a Rio favela

Health

How kids are winning the fight against dengue fever in a Rio favela

Features
The hunt for hidden impact craters that could reveal Earth’s deep past

Earth

The hunt for hidden impact craters that could reveal Earth’s deep past

Features
How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Humans

How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

Untangling life's molecular mysteries using AI is a welcome advance

Humans

Untangling life's molecular mysteries using AI is a welcome advance

"It has not escaped our notice..." With those famous words published in 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick described the fundamental genetic significance of the double-helix structure of DNA, based on work by Rosalind Franklin . It was a pivotal moment in biology, allowing us to understand for the first time how living organisms store …

News

News

The rise of SpinLaunch, the company planning to hurl things into space

Space

The rise of SpinLaunch, the company planning to hurl things into space

In the desert of New Mexico, a centrifuge taller than the Statue of Liberty is being tested as an energy-efficient way to send satellites to space

News

Technology

Voice jammer stops anyone from recording you speak

News

Technology

Hackers can turn computer cables into antenna to steal sensitive data

News

Technology

DeepMind's protein-folding AI cracks biology's biggest problem

News

Life

Birds wearing tiny trackers reveal migration routes in amazing detail

News

Physics

Physicists calculate highest dives most humans can safely withstand

News

Life

Moths are more important for pollination than we thought

News

Technology

Flexible robot hand with precise grip lifts 1000 times its own weight

News

Society

Dental X-rays likely to be used to assess asylum seeker ages in UK

News

Health

Women more likely to have lasting taste issues after covid-19 than men

News

Space

JWST keeps breaking its own record for the most distant galaxy ever

News

Life

Pobblebonk frogs have a weird trick for surviving very acidic pools

News

Health

Chronic fatigue syndrome may be caused by mini blood clots

News

Chemistry

Forensic fingerprinting technique could help spot document fraud

News

Technology

Fraudsters able to get material for a ‘dirty bomb’, finds US watchdog

News

Health

Could next-generation vaccines finally end the covid-19 pandemic?

News

Space

JWST could soon tell us what exoplanets' surfaces are made of

News

Space

JWST has spotted a weird, distant galaxy with almost no heavy elements

News

Analysis

3D shape of a protein

Life

AlphaFold: Why DeepMind’s protein-folding AI is transformational

Understanding proteins and their complex 3D shapes is key to understanding life, and especially for developing drugs

News

Environment

A public information campaign on the climate crisis is urgently needed

News

Space

Why general relativity is known as a background independent theory

Comment

Aperture

Astonishing photos of potential new species from the Pacific seabed

Humans

Astonishing photos of potential new species from the Pacific seabed

An expedition recovered 55 specimens of marine megafauna from the seabed of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean, 39 of which may be species new to science

Regulars

Features

How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Humans

How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Much of the world’s first writing, carved into clay tablets, remains undeciphered. Now AI is helping us piece together this ancient Mesopotamian script, revealing the incredible stories of men, women and children at the dawn of history

Features

Earth

The hunt for hidden impact craters that could reveal Earth’s deep past

Features

Health

How kids are winning the fight against dengue fever in a Rio favela

Features

Humans

How the secrets of ancient cuneiform texts are being revealed by AI

Features

Culture

The k??k??p?? is a nocturnal, flightless parrot. And its strangeness doesn't end there. It's critically endangered and one of New Zealand???s unique treasures.Sirocco is a charismatic k??k??p??, national treasure and media superstar. He's also New Zealand's official Spokesbird for conservation.

Life

Wilder review: A compelling look at how lost species are restored

The challenge of reintroducing near-extinct species to countries that have been affected by conflict adds complexity to Millie Kerr's rewilding story

Culture

Humans

Nightmare Fuel review: The psychology that underpins horror films

Culture

Humans

Don't Miss: Nope, a chilling new sci-fi thriller from Jordan Peele

Culture

Humans

Explorer review: The amazing story of adventurer Ranulph Fiennes

Culture

More

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 #179: How many people should be in the first Mars cohort?

#179 Martian food It is the year 2100 and the Mars pioneers have built an agri-bubble in which they will be able to cultivate their own food. The crop is a form of grass that grows at a steady rate and can be harvested and turned into nutritious protein snacks (yum!). Now it is time …

Regulars

Humans

How to make a delicious chilli hot sauce by harnessing fermentation

Regulars

Tom Gauld: Scientists on holiday

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on @evilqueen's followers

Regulars

Regulars

Pink Sauce provokes social media savaging

Humans

Pink Sauce provokes social media savaging

Feedback investigates the powerful reach of a proprietary condiment, while also looking into the chess robot that broke its opponent’s finger - and a disturbing update to the latest Sims video game

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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