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This week's magazine

25 March 2023

Issue 3431

New Scientist issue 3431 cover
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Editor's picks

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Lawrence Jackson/AP/Shutterstock (6360330b) Stephen Hawking Professor Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge, makes remarks at an event marking the 50th anniversary of NASA,at George Washington University in Washington Hawking NASA, Washington, USA

Physics

Stephen Hawking’s parting shot is a fresh challenge to cosmologists

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Stephen Hawking with Thomas Hertog, in Hawking's office

Physics

Stephen Hawking's final theorem turns time and causality inside out

Features
Waste water flowing into a British river from concrete pipes

Environment

The state of Britain's rivers: Slurry, silage and sewage

Features
Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. Photo by UNEP_Kibuuka Mukisa

Life

Uganda’s first wildlife vet on her revolutionary gorilla conservation

Features
Why we’re trapped in short-term thinking and how to take the long view

Society

Why we’re trapped in short-term thinking and how to take the long view

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Lawrence Jackson/AP/Shutterstock (6360330b) Stephen Hawking Professor Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge, makes remarks at an event marking the 50th anniversary of NASA,at George Washington University in Washington Hawking NASA, Washington, USA

Physics

Stephen Hawking’s parting shot is a fresh challenge to cosmologists

The physicist’s final theorem, about why the universe seems fine-tuned for life, contains some provocative predictions. Will they be as fruitful as his insights into black holes?

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Electrical field of a fruit fly

Life

Jumping parasitic worms use static electricity to hit their targets

Millimetre-long worms use powerful muscles to jump onto their bee or fly hosts to feed. But their expert leaping may be helped by an electric attraction that pulls them to their targets mid-air

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Life

Ghost catfish get their rainbow iridescence from transparent muscles

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Life

Gene-edited rice may be able to grow on Mars

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Health

Women show signs of cellular ageing at 19 that hit men at age 40

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Life

Fungus that kills frogs and salamanders is rapidly spreading in Africa

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Space

JWST took a stunning picture of a star that’s about to go supernova

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Space

Vent on Venus is clearest sign yet the planet is volcanically active

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Technology

Quantum computers may finally have their first real practical use

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Health

Caffeine linked to lower BMI and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes

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Technology

Notre Dame fire revealed cathedral’s innovative use of iron

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Space

NASA unveils new spacesuit for Artemis moon mission astronauts

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Earth

Earliest evidence of a meteorite hitting Earth found in Australia

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Life

How poisonous amphibians evolve bright colours to warn predators off

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Health

Umbilical blood stem cell transplant puts woman in HIV remission

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Life

Algae-farming fish help coral reefs bounce back from bleaching events

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Space

Quantum effects could be key to the chemistry of life on Titan

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Physics

'Red matter' superconductor may not be a wonder material after all

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Space

Asteroids that speed up unexpectedly may be ‘dark comets’ in disguise

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Life

Bird flu may be making foxes and other animals behave in unusual ways

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Mind

Is someone lying to you? A lack of detail may give them away

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Health

Covid-19 may have started in raccoon dogs, new DNA evidence shows

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Environment

IPCC climate change report: Can we avoid 1.5°C of global warming?

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Earth

Oxygen on early Earth may have come from quartz crushed by earthquakes

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Health

Ludwig von Beethoven’s DNA reveals he probably died of liver damage

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Analysis

It's now or never – we need to achieve a sustainable human population

Society

It's now or never – we need to achieve a sustainable human population

To address our overconsumption of resources, we must work to achieve a sustainable population by addressing gender inequality, improving education and tackling poverty, says Chris Packham

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Technology

Why we need to be wary of anthropomorphising chatbots

Comment

Aperture

Image taken: 2nd March 2023 SNOW WAY! The surreal site of snow-draped cacti in Arizona???s Sonoran Desert was captured in breath-taking detail by Jack Dykinga last week. The scenes, which meteorologists have described as ???once in a generation??? demonstrate a rare convergence of nature???s extremes. The Sonoran desert is typically known for its arid sub-tropical climate. Even in winter, days are sunny and mild. But this month the area saw 2-4 inches of snow that lasted about 4 hours. Dykinga, who has been photographing the Sonorn Desert since 1976, says the last big snow was a full decade ago. He described this year???s otherworldly scenes as ???pure magic, seemingly out of place and strikingly beautiful.??? Before the snow arrived, the Desert looked completely different, boasting an explosion of flowers and clear blue skies. The reason for the uncharacteristic snowfall is not fully understood. The current La Ni??a event (a cyclic weather pattern that influences global weather) is partly responsible, coupled with a persistent blocking pattern over the Pacific Ocean and cold air migrating south from the Arctic. Climate change also means extreme weather events are becoming more likely.

Comment

Rare photograph of snow in the usually baking hot Sonoran desert

This striking image shows the fleeting moment that the Sonoran desert in a parched corner of North America was blanketed in 10 centimetres of snow

Regulars

Features

Stephen Hawking with Thomas Hertog, in Hawking's office

Physics

Stephen Hawking's final theorem turns time and causality inside out

In his final years, Stephen Hawking tackled the question of why the universe appears fine-tuned for life. His collaborator Thomas Hertog explains the radical solution they came up with

Features

Life

Uganda’s first wildlife vet on her revolutionary gorilla conservation

Features

Environment

The state of Britain's rivers: Slurry, silage and sewage

Features

Society

Why we’re trapped in short-term thinking and how to take the long view

Features

Culture

Episode 1. Sienna Miller in

Comment

Extrapolations review: Can this climate sci-fi make us care?

Earth's climate is reeling out of control in this eight-part sci-fi series stuffed with A-listers. From one of the minds behind An Inconvenient Truth, it is heavy on messaging, but lacks some focus

Culture

Comment

Your Brain on Art review: Fascinating guide needs a bit more science

Culture

Comment

Don't Miss: Explore great mysteries of physics in an ambitious podcast

Culture

Comment

Atomic Light review: Solar astronomers rescue an uneven installation

Culture

More

W6PMTY Preserved Lemons

Humans

Why preserving your lemons in salt will make them even tastier

The flavour of fresh lemon is delicious, but this citrus fruit becomes even more wonderful when it is preserved in salt, says Sam Wong

Regulars

Puzzle #214: Can you help me work out the code to my burglar alarm?

Regulars

Tom Gauld: A cockroach speaks out

Regulars

Twisteddoodles: Schrodinger in the age of the internet

Regulars

Regulars

The omen of the necrobotic spider

The omen of the necrobotic spider

Feedback learns more about the "deepening of necrocapitalism", sniffs around how a changing climate affects nose shape and puts out a call for trivial superpowers

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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