Issue 3462 | Magazine cover date: 28 October 2023

28 October 2023

Issue 3462

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On the cover

Culture

Lessons in Chemistry review: TV show delivers – just stay with it

Features

Your ultimate guide to ultra-processed food – how bad is it really?

Is space-time quantum? Six ways to unpick the fabric of the universe

How countries can go fossil fuel free with wind and solar superpowers

The physicist trying to create space-time from scratch

News

Sperm caught breaking Newton's third law of motion

Strange upward lightning shoots out X-rays as it rises to the clouds

We forget details when our brain picks the wrong thing to remember

Why birds' eyes can be blue, green, pink or orange

Vegan cheese made from fermented peas could taste more like dairy

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2FM0KRW Aerial of heat sink type modern housing estate with private roads Kellyville Western Sydney Australia.

Environment

What South Australia can teach the world about cutting carbon fast

News

Assortment of products with high sugar level like candies, gummy candies, soda, donuts, chocolate, lollipop, wafers and cupcakes on a table.

Health

Your ultimate guide to ultra-processed food – how bad is it really?

Features

Physics

Is space-time quantum? Six ways to unpick the fabric of the universe

Features

Australia, Northern Territory, Hermannsburg, Solar Power Generating Station in Outback

Environment

How countries can go fossil fuel free with wind and solar superpowers

Features

Physics

The physicist trying to create space-time from scratch

Features

Leaders

Environment

What South Australia can teach the world about cutting carbon fast

Nearly 73 per cent of South Australia's energy comes from wind and solar, the highest of any major grid in the world. The state's remarkably rapid transition to renewables offers vital lessons, and hope

News

Physics

Sperm caught breaking Newton's third law of motion

Some biological cells swim freely in a way that apparently breaks one of Newton’s laws of motion – but only if they have strange elastic properties

News

Physics

Strange upward lightning shoots out X-rays as it rises to the clouds

News

Health

Bird flu now sweeping the world evolved in Europe and Africa

News

Health

Scientists can communicate with people while they are asleep

News

Health

Hitting the snooze button on your alarm doesn't make you more tired

News

Technology

Tiniest particle accelerator is so small it could fit into a pen tip

News

Mind

We forget details when our brain picks the wrong thing to remember

News

Technology

Hundreds of chatbots could show us how to make social media less toxic

News

Life

Why birds' eyes can be blue, green, pink or orange

News

Technology

IBM's brain-inspired chip could be the fastest at running AI yet

News

Technology

Mysterious rotation trick makes magnets float in the air

News

Life

Emergence of huge cicada generation in 2021 led to a caterpillar boom

News

Space

A blast of radio waves hit Earth after travelling for 8 billion years

News

Environment

Climate change will prompt expansion of farming in northern wilderness

News

Environment

Warm seas blamed for the disappearance of 10 billion snow crabs

News

Life

Vegan cheese made from fermented peas could taste more like dairy

News

Humans

Humans caught more diseases after we domesticated animals

News

Health

Schools cut covid-19 sick days by 20 per cent using HEPA air filters

News

Space

Oddly bright burst may mean space is more transparent than we thought

News

Space

The moon is 40 million years older than we thought it was

News

Environment

Pink river dolphins are dying from extreme heat in the Amazon

News

Analysis

Environment

The green transition will fail without more engineers

Let's lose the old stereotypes about engineering, because attracting new talent is crucial to meeting net-zero goals, says Dr Hayaatun Sillem

News

Society

Don't click on the war

Comment

Aperture

Planet Earth III book - page 11 The sharks, though, are in for a surprise because the adult seals mob them instead of fleeing (opposite bottom).

Life

See a mob of seals save their pups from a shark in Planet Earth III

This shot, showing an unexpected victor in the clash between a great white shark and some Cape fur seals, is taken from Planet Earth III: Our world at the dawn of a new age, a new book accompanying the BBC series

Regulars

Features

Health

Your ultimate guide to ultra-processed food – how bad is it really?

Highly processed foods, from pizza to bread, are said to be seriously bad for your health. Here is a digestible guide to what the evidence says, to help you make sense of the conflicting claims

Features

Physics

Is space-time quantum? Six ways to unpick the fabric of the universe

Features

Environment

How countries can go fossil fuel free with wind and solar superpowers

Features

Physics

The physicist trying to create space-time from scratch

Features

Culture

Comment

Lessons in Chemistry review: TV show delivers – just stay with it

When Lessons in Chemistry, the story of a woman scientist frustrated by the times she lives in, finally finds its stride, it is a reminder that things can come together with patience

Culture

Comment

Eve review: Why women's bodies belong at the heart of human evolution

Culture

Comment

White Holes review: Extreme physics from Carlo Rovelli

Culture

Comment

New Scientist recommends Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Opticks

Culture

F3HB7N Underwater view of two technical divers using rebreathers device to locate shipwreck, Lombok, Indonesia

Mathematics

How spiral search patterns and lateral thinking cracked our puzzle

Rob Eastaway and Brian Hobbs take over our maths column to reveal who solved their puzzle and won a copy of their New Scientist puzzle book, Headscratchers

Regulars

Puzzle #245: Can you win at tic-tac-toe’s ancient precursor?

Regulars

Tom Gauld: Stay safe this Halloween with our helpful diagram

Regulars

Twisteddoodles: The figure in white moaned...

Regulars

Stereotype-busting study finds gamers are actually all pretty jolly

Thanks to some researchers in Portugal, Feedback discovers that gamers aren't, in fact, miserably mainlining junk food - but they may be staying up a bit too late

Regulars

This week's magazine

28 October 2023

On the cover

Environment

What South Australia can teach the world about cutting carbon fast

Health

Your ultimate guide to ultra-processed food – how bad is it really?

Physics

Is space-time quantum? Six ways to unpick the fabric of the universe

Environment

How countries can go fossil fuel free with wind and solar superpowers

Physics

The physicist trying to create space-time from scratch

Table of contents

Leaders

Environment

What South Australia can teach the world about cutting carbon fast

News

Physics

Sperm caught breaking Newton's third law of motion

Physics

Strange upward lightning shoots out X-rays as it rises to the clouds

Health

Bird flu now sweeping the world evolved in Europe and Africa

Health

Scientists can communicate with people while they are asleep

Health

Hitting the snooze button on your alarm doesn't make you more tired

Technology

Tiniest particle accelerator is so small it could fit into a pen tip

Mind

We forget details when our brain picks the wrong thing to remember

Technology

Hundreds of chatbots could show us how to make social media less toxic

Life

Why birds' eyes can be blue, green, pink or orange

Technology

IBM's brain-inspired chip could be the fastest at running AI yet

Technology

Mysterious rotation trick makes magnets float in the air

Life

Emergence of huge cicada generation in 2021 led to a caterpillar boom

Space

A blast of radio waves hit Earth after travelling for 8 billion years

Environment

Climate change will prompt expansion of farming in northern wilderness

Environment

Warm seas blamed for the disappearance of 10 billion snow crabs

Life

Vegan cheese made from fermented peas could taste more like dairy

Humans

Humans caught more diseases after we domesticated animals

Health

Schools cut covid-19 sick days by 20 per cent using HEPA air filters

Space

Oddly bright burst may mean space is more transparent than we thought

Space

The moon is 40 million years older than we thought it was

Environment

Pink river dolphins are dying from extreme heat in the Amazon

Analysis

Environment

The green transition will fail without more engineers

Society

Don't click on the war

Aperture

Life

See a mob of seals save their pups from a shark in Planet Earth III

Features

Health

Your ultimate guide to ultra-processed food – how bad is it really?

Physics

Is space-time quantum? Six ways to unpick the fabric of the universe

Environment

How countries can go fossil fuel free with wind and solar superpowers

Physics

The physicist trying to create space-time from scratch

Culture

Comment

Lessons in Chemistry review: TV show delivers – just stay with it