This week's magazine
17 February 2024
Issue 3478
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
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Physics
Quantum Cheshire Cat effect may separate a particle from its momentum
A quantum experiment that could separate a particle’s properties from its mass has physicists arguing over how reality works in the quantum world
Space
Satellite beamed power from space to Earth for the first time ever
Humans
Hominins may have left Africa 700,000 years earlier than we thought
Life
Male cuttlefish burst through their ink clouds to impress females
Physics
Einstein may be wrong about how mirrors travelling at light speed work
Mind
Babies in bilingual homes have distinct brain patterns at 4 months old
Technology
Sensitive prosthetic lets man feel hot and cold in his missing hand
Environment
Half of migratory animal species are in decline – many face extinction
Earth
Giant magma flow in Iceland was the fastest ever recorded
Technology
Minecraft could be the key to creating adaptable AI
Physics
UK nuclear fusion reactor sets new world record for energy output
Space
SpaceX aims to let astronauts avoid a radio blackout during re-entry
Earth
Huge deposit of natural hydrogen gas detected deep in Albanian mine
Technology
Cyborg locusts with brain nanoparticles could act as bomb sniffers
Mind
Insight into memories may alter our view of eyewitness testimonies
Technology
Quantum computer uses a time crystal as a control dial
Chemistry
Old milk can be used to extract gold and other metals from e-waste
Health
How menopause can make menstrual cycles longer and more unpredictable
Environment
Air pollution is changing the scent of flowers and confusing insects
Space
Super Earths that seem to have oceans may actually be covered in magma
Health
Inhalable nanoparticles could help treat chronic lung disease
Analysis
Health
Exercise programme helps people with long covid, but it’s no panacea
An eight-week virtual exercise programme improved the quality of life of people with long covid, but the effect was relatively modest and it may not benefit everyone with the condition
Health
Does Viagra ward off Alzheimer’s disease? It’s too soon to say
Mind
There aren’t five love languages, despite claims on TikTok
Environment
What a trip to far-flung islands taught me about protecting our oceans
Features
Humans
Our human ancestors often ate each other, and for surprising reasons
Fossil evidence shows that humans have been practising cannibalism for a million years. Now, archaeologists are discovering that some of the time they did it to honour their dead
Mind
How to take control of your dreams to boost learning and creativity
Physics
Why string theory has been unfairly maligned – and how to test it
Culture
Comment
What is love? A new book finds we still don’t really know
Biologist Liat Yakir argues that the problems we have with sex, love and relationships stem, in part, from evolved instincts and strategies that are no longer helpful
Comment
Two new nature docs have very different takes on caring for the planet
Comment
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµ recommends: Chelsea Physic Garden
Comment
Amid (more) Hugo awards controversy, let’s remember some past greats
More
Mathematics
How the maths behind honeycombs can help you work a jigsaw puzzle
Maths tells us the best way to cover a surface with copies of a shape – even when it comes to jigsaw puzzles, says Katie Steckles
Tom Gauld on the professor’s naps
Twisteddoodles on mating calls
Regulars
Are left-handed people more liberal? 52 years of data says maybe
Feedback investigates research into US voters (and their handedness) between 1964 and 2016, and discovers that conclusions of some sort have been drawn