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Quick crossword #136: What a positron is to an electron (12)

29 June 2023

Challenge your brain by solving New Scientist's weekly crosswords on your mobile, tablet or desktop

Colorado, Cortez, Mesa Verde, cliff dwelling, Cliff Palace. (Photo by: Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

History reveals vital new lessons in how to make our societies better

28 June 2023

At a time when the future of human civilisation looks shaky, a reappraisal of how we got here suggests that changing direction may be easier than we think

The real reason claims about the existential risk of AI are scary

28 June 2023

Claims that superintelligent AI poses a threat to humanity are frightening, but only because they distract from the real issues today, argues Mhairi Aitken, an ethics fellow at The Alan Turing Institute

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Denis Closon/Shutterstock (947726e) Sticking plasters Sticking Plaster

This week’s new questions

28 June 2023

Why is it that when a cut scabs over, it then becomes itchy and we have an urge to scratch it? And do shadows weigh anything?

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Do we really know how ancient Romans pronounced Latin words? (Part 2)

28 June 2023

Readers share more thoughts on how modern speakers have changed the pronunciation of Latin vowels, such as in fungi and vertebrae

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So much in the universe spins. Could the universe itself be spinning?

28 June 2023

If there is only one universe, then there is no backdrop against which to observe its rotation, say our readers, who prefer the term ‘have angular momentum’ to ‘be spinning’