This week's magazine
26 February 2022
Issue 3375
On the cover
Editor's picks
Health
We’re closing in on the causes of long covid and possible treatments
Environment
Rising seas could submerge Rio and Jakarta by 2100 – what can we do?
Health
DIY treatments and clinical trials – one person’s tale of long covid
Technology
Meet the robots that can reproduce, learn and evolve all by themselves
Table of contents
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Health
Boris Johnson announces ‘living with covid’ plan for England
The legal requirement for people in England with covid-19 to self-isolate will end on 24 February, but will remain part of country's guidance. Widespread free PCR and lateral flow testing will stop in April
Environment
After deadly floods, can Germany adapt to its climate future?
Life
Rats can track the passage of time and judge their accuracy
Environment
Covering crops in red plastic can boost yields up to 37 per cent
Health
Lung with switched blood type is step towards universal donor organs
Technology
Google and Waymo used driverless cars to make a virtual San Francisco
Environment
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµs want to restore the oceans with artificial whale poo
Life
106-million-year-old virus found ‘fossilised’ in the human genome
Health
Map of pain neurons may lead to more effective drugs for chronic pain
Mind
We may be unable to grow new brain cells after we enter adulthood
Physics
DeepMind uses AI to control plasma inside tokamak fusion reactor
Technology
DNA computer could tell you if your drinking water is contaminated
Life
Invasive poisonous toads are killing Madagascar’s native snakes
Environment
Oil giants accused of greenwashing for failure over energy transition
Physics
Most precise atomic clock shows Einstein’s general relativity is right
Life
Orangutans can learn how to use stone tools as hammers and knives
Life
Newly identified dinosaur had teeth that were constantly replaced
Health
We seem to find people with a strong immune system more attractive
Health
People opposed to abortion in the US would still help a friend get one
Humans
We have lost 90 per cent of the original copies of Medieval literature
Technology
AI can erase tattoos from photos to help face recognition systems
Analysis
Technology
Cryptocurrency crimes have got too big for the US government to ignore
As more money pours into cryptocurrency crimes and scams, government agencies are increasingly cracking down, as the launch of dedicated Department of Justice and FBI enforcement teams demonstrates
Humans
Science needs to address its imagination problem – lives depend on it
Environment
Are we on the verge of a global initiative to clean up ocean plastics?
Features
Health
We’re closing in on the causes of long covid and possible treatments
Tens of millions of people have long covid. We are finally beginning to understand the mechanisms behind the disease - and medicines are probably less than a year away
Health
DIY treatments and clinical trials – one person’s tale of long covid
Environment
Rising seas could submerge Rio and Jakarta by 2100 – what can we do?
Technology
Meet the robots that can reproduce, learn and evolve all by themselves
Culture
Humans
The Man Who Tasted Words review: Inside the odd world of human senses
A new book by neurologist Guy Leschziner looks at the astonishing ways some people’s brains interpret the world, offering insight into how we all experience reality
Humans
Dual review: The dark side of cloning played straight for laughs
Humans
Don’t miss: The live launch of NASA’s latest environmental satellite
Humans
Severance review: A compelling thriller about dividing work and play
More
Space
The sky-measuring trick that every stargazer should know
There's a no-nonsense technique for navigating between stars and constellations and all it requires is putting your hand in the air, says Abigail Beall
Twisteddoodles: A guide to lights on artificial intelligence systems
Tom Gauld predicts a machine revolution sparked by CAPTCHA pictures
Regulars
Humans
The neoliberal think tank that wants to sell the moon
Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more