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Table of contents

Leaders

Physics

Taming nuclear fusion is hard, but there are new reasons for optimism

EVEN Boris Johnson has got in on the act. UK scientists were on the verge of creating commercially viable miniature nuclear fusion reactors for export, the prime minister told his party faithful last year , announcing a £200 million funding boost, adding: "I know they have been on the verge for some time. It is …

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Technology

This robot can tell when sewers need repairing by scratching the walls

ANYmal can spot issues in the sewers A four-legged robot that inspects concrete can walk through underground sewage tunnels and detect when they need repairing. Hendrik Kolvenbach at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland and his colleagues have developed a robot that scratches one of its legs against concrete to determine …

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Technology

Two-sided solar panels that track the sun produce a third more energy

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Humans

We've just found the largest and oldest Mayan monument yet

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Health

Covid-19: Social 'bubbles' unlikely to be allowed soon in the UK

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Life

First life on Earth may actually have been built from both RNA and DNA

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Health

Electric current helps dampen tics in people with Tourette's syndrome

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Health

Human-like ears 3D-printed inside mice as surgery-free spare parts

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Technology

How the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling online trolls and scams

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Technology

GPS mystery is making ships appear to teleport and move in circles

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Space

Longest known comet tail stretched for over a billion kilometres

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Health

Lack of UK testing data is impeding our understanding of the outbreak

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Space

Exotic fifth state of matter made on the International Space Station

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Health

Is it safe for coronavirus 'shielders' in the UK to go outside now?

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Health

How South America became the new centre of the coronavirus pandemic

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Analysis

Health

Claims that some diets can protect you from coronavirus are unfounded

Plenty of diets offer to boost your immune system to help protect you from covid-19, but there isn't any evidence they are true, says James Wong

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Aperture

Life

Aerial images highlighting fight to protect the Amazon win photo award

Pablo Albarenga’s series documenting threatened Amazonian environments and the people defending them has won the top prize at the Sony World Photography Award 2020

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Features

Physics

Why cracking nuclear fusion will depend on artificial intelligence

The promise of clean, green nuclear fusion has been touted for decades, but the rise of AI means the challenges could finally be overcome

Features

Health

How brain scanners can help us revolutionise psychiatric drugs

Features

Life

The biggest dinosaur ever may have been twice the size we thought

Features

Physics

How quantum theory says we can never see a complete picture of reality

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Culture

Humans

Humankind review: A compelling case for believing people are good

Rutger Bregman’s new book Humankind argues that people are innately good, and that if we assume this to be true, the whole world could benefit

Culture

Humans

Upload review: An odd afterlife where your brain is kept in the cloud

Culture

Health

Don't miss: A Nobel prizewinner's inside story of modern physics

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More

¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ puzzle #63: What day?

#63 What day? "It's Monday today, isn't it?" pondered Angie. "I seem to remember yesterday was Tuesday," said Beatrice. "I believe we're as far from Sunday as we are from Wednesday," said Carol. "When the day after tomorrow becomes 'yesterday', 'tomorrow' will be Tuesday," interjected Dorothy, cryptically. "It's not the weekend," said Ethel. Clearly there …

Regulars

Twisteddoodles creates the Journal of Fairytale Research

Regulars

Tom Gauld on the benefits of wearing a lab coat

Regulars

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Regulars

Can artificial intelligence solve our fiendish cryptic crossword?

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more

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Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word