Issue 3405 | Magazine cover date: 24 September 2022

24 September 2022

Issue 3405

Previous issue Next issue

On the cover

Features

Vegan pet food: Can cats and dogs be happy and healthy without meat?

Nature, nurture, luck: Why you are more than just genes and upbringing

Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw confront the black hole information paradox

News

The fastest way to soothe a crying baby, according to science

Einstein's gravity principle still correct, finds most precise test

Saturn's rings could have come from a destroyed moon named Chrysalis

DNA clocks suggest ageing is pre-programmed in our cells

Radical lupus treatment uses CAR T-cell therapy developed for cancer

Analysis

Defining what constitutes a 'new' species isn't straightforward

Access our magazine content direct via our website, app or print magazine

View in the app

Check out this magazine in our easy-to-navigate mobile app

Buy this issue in print

You can purchase our magazines on back-issue from the last 4 months

Find a previous edition online

Search through our digital archive of over 30 years of magazines

Isolated hand with green four leaf clover, sign of luck, sign of great fortune. closeup Clover four; Shutterstock ID 2025931979; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Humans

Luck may influence us more than nurture, so let's give parents a break

News

Dogs holding green vegetables in their mouths

Environment

Vegan pet food: Can cats and dogs be happy and healthy without meat?

Features

Humans

Nature, nurture, luck: Why you are more than just genes and upbringing

Features

Physics

Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw confront the black hole information paradox

Features

Leaders

Humans

Luck may influence us more than nurture, so let's give parents a break

Emerging research suggests that, alongside genes and environment, much of who we become is down to chance occurrences in the developing brain. Does that mean parents are off the hook?

News

Loab, a digital cryptid produced by an AI

Technology

Why do AIs keep creating nightmarish images of strange characters?

Image-generating AIs seem to produce mythical characters that look consistently recognisable – but their appearance has a rational explanation

News

Space

Weird ‘failed star’ seen blasting off its outer layers for first time

News

Health

The fastest way to soothe a crying baby, according to science

News

Environment

Bangalore floods highlight how cities must adapt to climate change

News

Physics

Einstein's gravity principle still correct, finds most precise test

News

Space

Saturn's rings could have come from a destroyed moon named Chrysalis

News

Humans

Hunter-gatherers kept animals for food before they farmed crops

News

Health

DNA clocks suggest ageing is pre-programmed in our cells

News

Health

Antimicrobial drug derived from tree sap could treat chronic wounds

News

Technology

AI climate negotiators can debate 100 years worth of policy in seconds

News

Environment

Plant-based hot foam kills weeds as effectively as chemical spray

News

Technology

Plan to cut Ethereum energy use sees miners switch cryptocurrencies

News

Health

Radical lupus treatment uses CAR T-cell therapy developed for cancer

News

Space

The Perseverance rover is finding more and more organic matter on Mars

News

Mind

Brain scans reveal the areas that light up when we look at food

News

Health

Covid-19 pandemic linked to early onset of puberty in some girls

News

Environment

Global warming could kill many of the tree species that cool cities

News

Space

Closest black hole to Earth is just 1500 light years away

News

Health

The omicron coronavirus variant may protect against flu

News

Space

James Webb Space Telescope captures its first pictures of Mars

News

Space

NASA is ready to knock an asteroid off course with its DART spacecraft

News

Analysis

Comment

To encourage sustainability, we must remember we are apes, not angels

If we want to change our consumerist society, we need greener status signals that appeal to our animal instincts, says Solitaire Townsend

News

Life

Defining what constitutes a 'new' species isn't straightforward

Comment

Aperture

Space

Astronomy Photographer of the Year photos are out of this world

These images are some of the winning and shortlisted entries for this year’s competition, organised by the Royal Observatory in London

Regulars

Features

Environment

Vegan pet food: Can cats and dogs be happy and healthy without meat?

Emerging research suggests vegan pet food may be able to keep dogs and even cats healthy and happy, reducing the massive impact that traditional pet food has on the environment

Features

Humans

Nature, nurture, luck: Why you are more than just genes and upbringing

Features

Physics

Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw confront the black hole information paradox

Features

Culture

A Frozen Planet II team set up to film inside a mountain glacier in Iceland

Earth

Frozen Planet II review: David Attenborough's sequel dazzles

The spectre of climate change hangs over David Attenborough’s follow-up to Frozen Planet, while two new nature documentary series, Epic Adventures With Bertie Gregory and Super/Natural, are no match for the veteran presenter

Culture

Humans

Vesper review: Exquisite dystopian sci-fi has a Brothers Grimm edge

Culture

Humans

Don't Miss: Galwad, a multimedia climate-responsibility experience

Culture

Humans

Two provocative new novels inject some fantasy into the sci-fi outlook

Culture

Physics

Show children how to make a simple electric motor with a magnet

Using just a magnet, a battery, a nail and a piece of copper wire, this is the simplest electric motor you can make, says Alom Shaha, but it is utterly delightful and children will love it

Regulars

Puzzle #186: Can you crack the safe’s code?

Regulars

Tom Gauld on a mathematician in jail

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on missing electrons

Regulars

Comment

Ig Nobel prizes 2022: The unlikely science that won this year's awards

From how constipation affects the mating prospects of scorpions to an analysis of what makes legal documents unnecessarily difficult to understand, this year's Ig Nobel prizes, for “achievements that first make people laugh, then make them think”, are unveiled

Regulars

This week's magazine

24 September 2022

On the cover

Humans

Luck may influence us more than nurture, so let's give parents a break

Environment

Vegan pet food: Can cats and dogs be happy and healthy without meat?

Humans

Nature, nurture, luck: Why you are more than just genes and upbringing

Physics

Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw confront the black hole information paradox

Table of contents

Leaders

Humans

Luck may influence us more than nurture, so let's give parents a break

News

Technology

Why do AIs keep creating nightmarish images of strange characters?

Space

Weird ‘failed star’ seen blasting off its outer layers for first time

Health

The fastest way to soothe a crying baby, according to science

Environment

Bangalore floods highlight how cities must adapt to climate change

Physics

Einstein's gravity principle still correct, finds most precise test

Space

Saturn's rings could have come from a destroyed moon named Chrysalis

Humans

Hunter-gatherers kept animals for food before they farmed crops

Health

DNA clocks suggest ageing is pre-programmed in our cells

Health

Antimicrobial drug derived from tree sap could treat chronic wounds

Technology

AI climate negotiators can debate 100 years worth of policy in seconds

Environment

Plant-based hot foam kills weeds as effectively as chemical spray

Technology

Plan to cut Ethereum energy use sees miners switch cryptocurrencies

Health

Radical lupus treatment uses CAR T-cell therapy developed for cancer

Space

The Perseverance rover is finding more and more organic matter on Mars

Mind

Brain scans reveal the areas that light up when we look at food

Health

Covid-19 pandemic linked to early onset of puberty in some girls

Environment

Global warming could kill many of the tree species that cool cities

Space

Closest black hole to Earth is just 1500 light years away

Health

The omicron coronavirus variant may protect against flu

Space

James Webb Space Telescope captures its first pictures of Mars

Space

NASA is ready to knock an asteroid off course with its DART spacecraft

Analysis

Comment

To encourage sustainability, we must remember we are apes, not angels

Life

Defining what constitutes a 'new' species isn't straightforward

Aperture

Space

Astronomy Photographer of the Year photos are out of this world

Features

Environment

Vegan pet food: Can cats and dogs be happy and healthy without meat?

Humans

Nature, nurture, luck: Why you are more than just genes and upbringing

Physics

Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw confront the black hole information paradox

Culture

Earth

Frozen Planet II review: David Attenborough's sequel dazzles

Humans

Vesper review: Exquisite dystopian sci-fi has a Brothers Grimm edge

Humans

Don't Miss: Galwad, a multimedia climate-responsibility experience