Issue 3444 | Magazine cover date: 24 June 2023

24 June 2023

Issue 3444

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On the cover

Culture

The best new sci-fi books to escape into on your next holiday

Features

How a radical redefinition of life could help us find aliens

Farming destroyed UK rivers to meet food demand – here's how we fix it

Tumour-dwelling microbes: A startling new frontier in cancer treatment

News

Fastest star in the galaxy clocked at 2285 kilometres per second

Weird stink bug with forked horns and tusks discovered in Australia

Analysis

Why 2023 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record

Regulars

The easy way to make pasta at home

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2H57CRH Real zero no net zero placard, Global Day of Action for Climate Justice demonstration, London, UK. 6th November 2021

Environment

Net-zero aim shouldn't be used to delay action on carbon emissions

News

Life

How a radical redefinition of life could help us find aliens

Features

Health

Tumour-dwelling microbes: A startling new frontier in cancer treatment

Features

CF2MRN Sheep grazing on the banks of the River Till at Twizel, a tributary of the River Tweed.

Environment

Farming destroyed UK rivers to meet food demand – here's how we fix it

Features

Leaders

Environment

Net-zero aim shouldn't be used to delay action on carbon emissions

For executives or politicians with an eye on the next financial quarter or electoral cycle, net zero has clear appeal. But we shouldn't use it as a way to delay action on tackling climate change

News

Physics

Scandium superconducts at the highest temperature for a pure element

Two independent teams of researchers found that putting the silvery metal scandium under extreme pressure makes it into a superconductor at a temperature higher than any other element on its own

News

Life

Male flies are better at mating after fighting off a robotic rival

News

Mind

Brain activity 'barcodes' may be linked to specific memories in birds

News

Life

Extinct lizard was a bizarrely supersized version of modern skinks

News

Humans

Fossils in Laos cave imply modern humans were in Asia 86,000 years ago

News

Technology

IBM quantum computer beat a supercomputer in a head-to-head test

News

Life

Ancient plant's leaves didn't follow golden rule as modern ones do

News

Space

Fastest star in the galaxy clocked at 2285 kilometres per second

News

Health

'Smart drugs' don't make people better at a problem-solving test

News

Health

Exposing C-section babies to vaginal fluid boosts their development

News

Technology

Cosmic rays help navigate underground in first real-world test

News

Health

What are 'synthetic embryos' and why are scientists making them?

News

Space

A star has been eating an orbiting planet for 85 years

News

Environment

Wildfire smoke in North America could be creating clouds over Europe

News

Life

Weird stink bug with forked horns and tusks discovered in Australia

News

Technology

AIs will become useless if they keep learning from other AIs

News

Technology

Tiny robot could stop bleeding from inside the body using heat

News

Earth

Humans have pumped so much groundwater, we’ve shifted Earth’s axis

News

Technology

Solar-powered fuel cell recycles plastic waste and carbon dioxide

News

Life

Ancient reptiles' long necks made them vulnerable to decapitation

News

Technology

Quantum computers could slash the energy use of cryptocurrencies

News

Life

Chimpanzees can prepare for alternative futures

News

Analysis

Environment

Shell can't say it backs net zero while still betting on fossil fuels

Like its rival BP, Shell claims it is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 despite planning to increase its output this decade, but experts say this doesn’t add up

News

Environment

Why 2023 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record

News

Physics

The massive problem of trying to fully explain what mass actually is

Comment

Health

Why medical studies of diverse populations benefit humanity as a whole

News

Aperture

Aklima Parvin (19) keeps har face covered as she stands in a boat stranded on a mud flat. She faces discrimination due to her skin discolouration and pigmentation. She stopped going to college and spends her days alone since many of her friends are now married and have left the area.

Comment

Revealing images from the front line of climate change in Bangladesh

People are increasingly grappling with the impacts of a shifting climate in Bangladesh, something that journalist Fabeha Monir has captured in a series of photos

Regulars

Features

Life

How a radical redefinition of life could help us find aliens

Sara Imari Walker, who developed Assembly Theory with chemist Lee Cronin, explains how the theory's definition of life might help us find it on other planets

Features

Environment

Farming destroyed UK rivers to meet food demand – here's how we fix it

Features

Health

Tumour-dwelling microbes: A startling new frontier in cancer treatment

Features

Culture

Summer - girl reads a book on a picnic in a meadow in the forest. ; Shutterstock ID 1774750949; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Best science books and must-reads for your next break

Travelling is a great time for a rethink, whether it's about the human mind or the evolution of cats – or even the importance of red algae for Earth. Our selection of great books has it covered

Culture

Comment

Scientists and thinkers pick the books they are taking on holiday

Culture

Comment

The best new sci-fi books to escape into on your next holiday

Culture

Comment

Best science books and science fiction stories for kids

Culture

Ostuni, Puglia, Italy - 05 20 2022: Preparation of typical handmade pasta called

Comment

The easy way to make pasta at home

You don’t need eggs, flour and special gadgets to make your own pasta – semolina, water and a good knead will do it, says Sam Wong

Regulars

Puzzle #227: How did Max the Magnificent pull off his card trick?

Regulars

Tom Gauld: The nanotech team is here

Regulars

What happens if you give Froot Loops to a rat and study its penis

Feedback lifts the lid on a study into stressed rats and the effects of 'comfort food' on their 'penile morphology', and explores an essay which sets out to debunk the Dunning-Kruger effec

Regulars

This week's magazine

24 June 2023

On the cover

Environment

Net-zero aim shouldn't be used to delay action on carbon emissions

Life

How a radical redefinition of life could help us find aliens

Health

Tumour-dwelling microbes: A startling new frontier in cancer treatment

Environment

Farming destroyed UK rivers to meet food demand – here's how we fix it

Table of contents

Leaders

Environment

Net-zero aim shouldn't be used to delay action on carbon emissions

News

Physics

Scandium superconducts at the highest temperature for a pure element

Life

Male flies are better at mating after fighting off a robotic rival

Mind

Brain activity 'barcodes' may be linked to specific memories in birds

Life

Extinct lizard was a bizarrely supersized version of modern skinks

Humans

Fossils in Laos cave imply modern humans were in Asia 86,000 years ago

Technology

IBM quantum computer beat a supercomputer in a head-to-head test

Life

Ancient plant's leaves didn't follow golden rule as modern ones do

Space

Fastest star in the galaxy clocked at 2285 kilometres per second

Health

'Smart drugs' don't make people better at a problem-solving test

Health

Exposing C-section babies to vaginal fluid boosts their development

Technology

Cosmic rays help navigate underground in first real-world test

Health

What are 'synthetic embryos' and why are scientists making them?

Space

A star has been eating an orbiting planet for 85 years

Environment

Wildfire smoke in North America could be creating clouds over Europe

Life

Weird stink bug with forked horns and tusks discovered in Australia

Technology

AIs will become useless if they keep learning from other AIs

Technology

Tiny robot could stop bleeding from inside the body using heat

Earth

Humans have pumped so much groundwater, we’ve shifted Earth’s axis

Technology

Solar-powered fuel cell recycles plastic waste and carbon dioxide

Life

Ancient reptiles' long necks made them vulnerable to decapitation

Technology

Quantum computers could slash the energy use of cryptocurrencies

Life

Chimpanzees can prepare for alternative futures

Analysis

Environment

Shell can't say it backs net zero while still betting on fossil fuels

Environment

Why 2023 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record

Physics

The massive problem of trying to fully explain what mass actually is

Health

Why medical studies of diverse populations benefit humanity as a whole

Aperture

Comment

Revealing images from the front line of climate change in Bangladesh

Features

Life

How a radical redefinition of life could help us find aliens

Environment

Farming destroyed UK rivers to meet food demand – here's how we fix it

Health

Tumour-dwelling microbes: A startling new frontier in cancer treatment

Culture