This week's magazine
14 October 2023
Issue 3460
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
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Technology
Mathematician warns US spies may be weakening next-gen encryption
Quantum computers may soon be able to crack encryption methods in use today, so plans are already under way to replace them with new, secure algorithms. Now it seems the US National Security Agency may be undermining that process
Space
Largest known solar storm struck Earth 14,300 years ago
Mind
Placebos may ease pain by acting on brain systems linked to emotions
Environment
Sea level rise is already leading to longer commutes in coastal US
Life
Pickled snake in museum is a new species – but may already be extinct
Environment
Robots could make farms more biodiverse with precision crop planting
Space
JWST should soon glimpse the very first stars born after the big bang
Environment
London’s drying rivers threaten the city’s drinking water supply
Mind
Psychedelic health claims may be promoting risky self-medication
Space
Amazon is launching its first internet satellites to rival Starlink
Technology
Starlink carbon footprint up to 30 times size of land-based internet
Life
Hybrid puffins may have emerged in the 20th century due to warming
Health
Being vegetarian may be partly determined by your genes
Life
Egg sex screening aims to stop slaughter of billions of male chicks
Technology
Fractal fingers could let robots securely grasp any shape
Humans
Humans lived on Spanish plateau during Earth’s last cold snap
Environment
Global power sector has almost hit peak greenhouse gas emissions
Health
Hip pain linked to a dozen genetic variants
Health
Classical music synchronises the audience’s heartbeats and sweating
Space
Astronomers spotted the highest energy light ever seen from a pulsar
Life
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµs have only just figured out how cats purr
Analysis
Technology
Should we be worried about AI’s growing energy use?
The expanding use of large AI models demands huge numbers of powerful servers, which could end up consuming as much energy as whole countries
Technology
Let’s stop making lab-grown meat weird
Space
How the balloon analogy for an expanding universe is almost perfect
Features
Space
The quantum experiment that could help find evidence of the multiverse
Scars of collisions with other universes could show up in radiation from the big bang. A new experiment aims to mimic these collisions and help us look for them
Health
Microgreens: The surprising truth about this trendy new ‘superfood’
Humans
The desire for legacy is a mental glitch but we can use it for good
Culture
Comment
Of Time and Turtles review: What can we learn from turtles?
Turtles have existed for around 250 million years. Sy Montgomery's new book shows us that these ancient reptiles have much to teach us about the nature of time
Comment
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµ recommends: Children of Memory and They Cloned Tyrone
Comment
Extremely Online review: A vital look at the creator economy
Comment
Julia review: A brilliant, devastating sequel to Nineteen Eighty-Four
More
Health
Can a single therapy session nudge us towards better mental health?
A new book says that single-session interventions can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and disordered eating. David Robson explores a new approach
Tom Gauld: The rewilding project has exceeded our expectations
Twisteddoodles: After months of analysis, an answer is found
Regulars
Too fast, too furious? Ocelot and sloth caught in highish-speed chase
After a team of biologists capture on camera a "considerably high speed (for a sloth)" escape, Feedback ponders if the Fast & Furious action movies need to move aside