This week's magazine
17 April 2021
Issue 3330
On the cover
Editor's picks
Communication is key as covid-19 lockdowns ease and offices reopen
Health
How to keep your brain healthy: The 7 things you should do every day
Humans
Exploring ‘Aquaterra’, the drowned continent walked by our ancestors
Physics
Quantum computers are revealing an unexpected new theory of reality
Table of contents
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Health
India sees record surges in cases due to coronavirus variants
India's daily coronavirus cases are currently the highest in the world, with modelling suggesting the country's total tally could be close to 450 million
Health
5 steps to make offices as coronavirus-proof as possible
Health
How a return to offices after covid-19 lockdown affects mental health
Space
The US plans to put a nuclear-powered rocket in orbit by 2025
Technology
Regular headphones can detect a heart rate and hear your conversations
Life
The frequencies of a vibrating spider web have been made into music
Humans
Basic income trial is testing how money affects child development
Technology
Artificial nervous system senses light and learns to catch like humans
Humans
People expect chocolate to taste bitter if it is in black packaging
Environment
Australian bushfires warmed the stratosphere by 1°C for six months
Physics
Strange muon behaviour hints at mysterious new particles and forces
Life
Animals with weird neurons may rewrite the story of brain evolution
Technology
Redesign makes drones quieter and less annoying without losing thrust
Space
Mars swung between humid and arid conditions before it dried up
Life
Dead eagles found across the US had rat poison in their blood
Environment
A third of Antarctic ice shelves risk collapsing due to climate change
Health
Dementia risk doubles if people have both vision and hearing loss
Humans
People are bad at spotting simple solutions to problems
Technology
Bitcoin mining emissions in China will hit 130 million tonnes by 2024
Analysis
Environment
Limiting fossil fuel use isn’t enough – we must stop extraction too
To limit climate change and meet even the modest goals of the Paris Agreement, governments need to focus less on reducing demand for fossil fuels and more on cutting the supply
Health
We have overlooked a crucial cause of the world’s nutrition crisis
Humans
Why I’m no longer writing a newsletter for Substack
Features
Physics
Quantum computers are revealing an unexpected new theory of reality
A powerful new idea about how the laws of physics work could bring breakthroughs on everything from quantum gravity to consciousness, says researcher Chiara Marletto
Health
How to keep your brain healthy: The 7 things you should do every day
Humans
Exploring ‘Aquaterra’, the drowned continent walked by our ancestors
Culture
Humans
The Disordered Cosmos review: An insider take on physics and injustice
A bold new book by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein combines her love of physics with a strong analysis of the inequalities rife in science
Humans
Don’t Miss: Netflix teen superpower series Zero
Humans
Suffrage Science podcast salutes the achievements of female scientists
Humans
Why do so many people love android killer Murderbot?
More
Space
How to find Hydra, the biggest constellation in the sky
Named after a water snake, Hydra is a large constellation, but it isn't very bright. Finding it will take really dark skies – and tapping into some of astronomy's top visualising tips, says Abigail Beall
Twisteddoodles’ virtual co-worker helps you work from home
Tom Gauld’s absurd theory that matter is inherently conscious
Regulars
The face mask that may be more organic than you bargained for
Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more