This week's magazine
15 June 2024
Issue 3495
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
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Physics
Atoms at temperatures beyond absolute zero may be a new form of matter
Physicists have coaxed a cloud of atoms into having a temperature beyond absolute zero and placed them in a geometric structure that could produce an unknown form of matter
Space
Starliner and Starship launches propel space industry into a new era
Space
Cosmic cloud exposed Earth to interstellar space 3 million years ago
Life
Male lemurs grow bigger testicles when there are other males around
Mathematics
Mathematicians can’t agree what ‘equals’ means, and that’s a problem
Technology
Diet-monitoring AI tracks your each and every spoonful
Environment
Earth’s atmosphere is trapping twice as much heat as it did in 1993
Space
Physicists want to drill a 5-kilometre-deep hole on the moon
Technology
Dutch police trial AI-powered robot dog to safely inspect drug labs
Life
Origins of modern horses traced to breeding revolution 4200 years ago
Technology
Tiny brain sensor implanted without surgery dissolves after weeks
Life
Tiny great ape fossils identified as new species from Europe
Space
An already dead star is dying for a second time
Health
Gene therapy enables five children who were born deaf to hear
Technology
Writers accept lower pay when they use AI to help with their work
Life
How bats pick out their own calls when flying in enormous swarms
Analysis
Health
Does coming off antidepressants really cause withdrawal symptoms?
A review of 79 studies suggests that 1 in 3 people who stop taking antidepressants get mental and physical symptoms, but what does that actually mean when these can also occur when you discontinue a placebo?
Humans
Evidence of consciousness in newborns has implications for their care
Technology
What everyone gets wrong about the 2015 Ashley Madison scandal
Features
Physics
What “naked” singularities are revealing about quantum space-time
Are points of infinite curvature, where general relativity breaks down, always hidden inside black holes? An audacious attempt to find out is shedding light on the mystery of quantum gravity
Health
The surprising mental health and brain benefits of weight-loss drugs
Environment
How dodo de-extinction is helping rescue the extraordinary pink pigeon
Culture
Comment
Immersive new exhibition explores the pitfalls of defying old age
Michael Schindhelm's exhibition explores the possibilities and perils of living healthily for centuries – or at least much longer than today
Comment
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµ recommends David Runciman’s podcast Past Present Future
Comment
Documentary explores a geneticist’s motivation to understand the past
Comment
It’s a decade old, but The Leftovers is still painfully resonant today
More
Chemistry
The science behind making perfect puff pastry
After a lifetime of avoidance, avid baker Catherine de Lange discovers that puff pastry isn't hard to make –you just need a bit of time
Tom Gauld on the neuroscience mob
Twisteddoodles on a first year PhD student’s project
Regulars
Why scientists are dropping fake birds onto fake planes
Feedback looks into new research into whether air passengers need to worry about collisions with birds, and is relieved to discover no real animals were used in the experiments