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This week's magazine

31 August 2024

Issue 3506

New Scientist issue 3506 cover
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Editor's picks

Virtual People with Neuron Symbols in The Brain

Health

We will one day be able to slow, halt and even eradicate Alzheimer's

Comment
Is digital technology really swaying voters and undermining democracy?

Society

Is digital technology really swaying voters and undermining democracy?

Features
How a new kind of vaccine could lead to the eradication of Alzheimer’s

Health

How a new kind of vaccine could lead to the eradication of Alzheimer’s

Features
How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health

Health

How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

Virtual People with Neuron Symbols in The Brain

Health

We will one day be able to slow, halt and even eradicate Alzheimer's

Despite the limitations of Alzheimer's drugs like lecanemab, this new class of treatments and a group of experimental vaccines are paving the way to a world without dementia

Comment

News

Technology

AI could help shrinking pool of coders keep outdated programs working

Computer code dating back to the 1960s is still vital to banks, airlines and governments, but programmers familiar with the language are in short supply. Now AI models are being trained to fill the skills gap

News

Earth

Part of the Atlantic is cooling at record speed and nobody knows why

News

Technology

A glob of jelly can play Pong thanks to a basic kind of memory

News

Humans

Cocaine in mummified brains reveals when Europeans first used the drug

News

Physics

Quantum trick lets you cool objects down using nothing at all

News

Physics

Fuzzy quantum effects have been seen on the largest scale yet

News

Health

Does eating meat really raise your risk of type 2 diabetes?

News

Physics

This antimatter version of an atomic nucleus is the heaviest yet

News

Health

Long covid causes very different symptoms in children versus teenagers

News

Space

Astronomers might finally have explanation for mysterious Wow! signal

News

Space

Strange stars full of metals may be created by imploding supernovae

News

Space

Starlink tests show how to save radio astronomy from satellites

News

Health

Engineered bacteria destroy antibiotic resistance DNA in wastewater

News

Environment

Most climate policies do little to prevent climate change

News

Health

Why do covid cases rise in summer, unlike other respiratory viruses?

News

Physics

Another blow for dark matter as biggest hunt yet finds nothing

News

Humans

Neolithic engineers used science knowledge to build megalith monument

News

Technology

DNA computer can play chess and solve sudoku puzzles

News

Space

JWST found rogue worlds that blur the line between stars and planets

News

Health

Will mpox become a global pandemic like covid-19?

News

Aperture

A selection of elaborate birds' nests from around the world

Life

A selection of elaborate birds' nests from around the world

These photos showcase some of the intricately created birds' nests found in the Natural History Museum in Tring, UK, home to one of the world's largest ornithological collections

Regulars

Features

How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health

Health

How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health

Surrounding ourselves with greenery can do wonders for our physical and mental wellbeing. Kathy Willis reveals just what kinds of plants are best for our brains and bodies, and why

Features

Health

How a new kind of vaccine could lead to the eradication of Alzheimer’s

Features

Society

Is digital technology really swaying voters and undermining democracy?

Features

Culture

An iconic tram driving along California Street with a motion blur effect

Humans

A gripping account of morality shows how we work out right from wrong

Where do morals come from? In Animals, Robots, Gods, anthropologist Webb Keane argues imagination and differing senses of the world are key to discerning right from wrong

Culture

Environment

James Cameron's new ocean-life series is try-hard but effective

Culture

Society

New Scientist recommends Systemic: How racism is making us ill

Culture

Humans

Rachel Kushner’s Booker-shortlisted Creation Lake is top-notch

Culture

More

disposable vapes, electronic cigarettes, liquid vaporizers, tobacco; Shutterstock ID 2209488519; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Health

Never mind the health benefits, there are green reasons to stop vaping

I am one of millions of vapers in the UK, but growing evidence of the impact these e-cigarettes have on the environment means it may be time to quit, says Graham Lawton

Comment

Mind

Is my frequent laughter damaging my credibility at work?

Regulars

BrainTwister #35: Cube cuts

Regulars

Environment

How a viral video made turtles the face of the ocean plastic crisis

Comment

Tom Gauld on what's fashionable in the laboratory

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on how to increase your research's impact

Regulars

Regulars

Could this be the way to get your children to eat their greens?

Could this be the way to get your children to eat their greens?

Feedback brings news of a study in which scientists explored whether seeing happy broccoli eaters might encourage reluctant children to get on with it already and eat their vegetables

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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