This week's magazine
10 September 2022
Issue 3403
On the cover
Editor's picks
Environment
We should pursue speculative climate solutions like quantum batteries
Physics
Quantum batteries: Strange technology that could provide instant power
Health
Beyond tired: Why fatigue sets in and how to tackle it
Society
The Pope’s AI adviser on ensuring algorithms respect human dignity
Table of contents
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Health
Vaccinations and past infections reduce risk of spreading covid-19
Inmates in Californian prisons who got covid-19 during the omicron wave were less likely to pass it onto their cellmates if they had been vaccinated or had been infected before
Environment
UK energy crisis sparks rush for firewood despite air pollution fears
Space
JWST has spotted sandy clouds on a distant alien world
Space
First exoplanet picture from James Webb Space Telescope revealed
Physics
Korean nuclear fusion reactor achieves 100 million°C for 30 seconds
Physics
Blasting plastic with powerful lasers turns it into tiny diamonds
Technology
Apps used as alternatives to prison in US found to have privacy flaws
Health
Some doses of blue light from screens may not affect your sleep
Environment
The Amazon rainforest has already reached a crucial tipping point
Health
Denmark’s ban of artificial trans fats saved 1200 lives over 16 years
Physics
Quantum magnet is billions of times colder than interstellar space
Physics
Physicists want the next Large Hadron Collider to be climate-friendly
Technology
Ukraine’s army of hackers failed to thwart Russia and quickly gave up
Technology
Meta AI can tell which words you hear by reading your brainwaves
Environment
Half of fish tested in an Amazon river have unsafe levels of mercury
Environment
Most major carbon capture and storage projects haven’t met targets
Health
Compression socks may prevent nausea and loose bowels during marathons
Space
NASA made enough oxygen on Mars to last an astronaut for 100 minutes
Technology
DeepMind AI learns to play soccer using decades of match simulations
Life
Early mammals lived faster and died younger than modern ones
Analysis
Health
There are thousands more UK deaths than usual and we don’t know why
Since April, there have been 22,500 more deaths than expected in the UK. Health experts are concerned but unsure of the causes – which could include covid-19, population ageing and NHS problems
Humans
We need to act now to give future generations a better world
Health
Weight loss advice isn’t based on good evidence
Features
Physics
Quantum batteries: Strange technology that could provide instant power
By leveraging a bizarre property of quantum mechanics called entanglement, quantum batteries could theoretically recharge in a flash. Now, progress is being made towards making them a reality.
Health
Beyond tired: Why fatigue sets in and how to tackle it
Society
The Pope’s AI adviser on ensuring algorithms respect human dignity
Culture
Life
Two new books about sharks reveal how and why we should conserve them
Paul de Gelder's Shark and David Shiffman's Why Sharks Matter aim to turn the all-too-common public panic about the predator into interest in their conservation
Technology
Escape review: An account of the internet’s intimate early days
Humans
Don’t Miss: The Handmaid’s Tale returns for what may be the last time
Humans
The Silent Sea review: South Korean series is a slice of space horror
More
Space
Watch a lunar occultation of Uranus
If you live in Europe, north Africa or north-west Asia, you can watch Uranus pass behind the moon and emerge on the other side in a rare lunar occultation this month
Tom Gauld on the precarious nature of life in our universe
Twisteddoodles interprets a map
Regulars
How to boil an egg so the yolk ends up on the outside of the inside
Feedback reports on important new egg-related research, as well as delving into exhaustive egg and tadpole-tasting studies from years gone by