Technology
DeepSeek has burst the AI hype bubble 鈥� now all bets are off
Comment
This week's magazine
8 February 2025
Issue 3529
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
快猫短视频
Space
See huge coronal hole that opened up on the surface of the sun
Coronal holes allow more charged particles to escape the sun as solar winds, and on 29 January, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft spotted a vast new one
News
Space
Building-sized asteroid has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032
News
Environment
Antarctic ice sheet may be less vulnerable to collapse than expected
News
Life
Salamanders fill their toes with blood before each step
News
Space
Grand canyons formed on moon in minutes after colossal asteroid strike
News
Environment
Rat populations in cities are booming as the planet warms up
News
Physics
Experiment with 37 dimensions shows how strange quantum physics can be
News
Life
Amazon river dolphins may send messages with aerial streams of urine
News
Health
Creatine shows promise for treating depression
News
Environment
Surge in ocean heat is a sign climate change is accelerating
News
Technology
Quantum-inspired algorithm could enable better weather forecasts
News
Health
Scratching an itch could help boost your immune defences
News
Physics
Twisted light may illuminate how quantum spookiness works
News
Technology
Experimental XB-1 aircraft goes supersonic for the first time
News
Health
Muscle patch made from stem cells could treat heart failure
News
Life
How polar bears stop ice from freezing on their fur
News
Environment
Tree scars reveal how wildfires in centuries past differed from today
News
Health
‘Obsolete’ muscle that wiggles ears actually activates while listening
News
Analysis
Technology
Does DeepSeek show a way to slash the energy demands of AI?
The success of Chinese firm DeepSeek suggests tech companies can train and run powerful AIs without consuming vast amounts of power
News
Health
Is recycled plastic in utensils and toys really a big health concern?
News
Health
Mice born with two fathers – but don’t expect the same for people
News
Features
Health
The shocking discovery that our gut microbiome drives ageing
A new understanding of our relationship with our "friendly" gut microbes shows they actually have a dark side and help cause ageing. Here's how to fight back
Features
Space
Why we must investigate Phobos, the solar system’s strangest object
Features
Mind
What the new field of women鈥檚 neuroscience reveals about female brains
Features
Culture
Space
A thrilling guide to the Indiana Jones-like world of meteorite hunting
Hunting for meteorites can be a high-octane race as private collectors and scientists go head-to-head, reveals a new book by 快猫短视频 features editor Joshua Howgego
Culture
Technology
Explore what shaped Bill Gates in part one of his autobiography
Culture
Comment
快猫短视频 recommends Lost Gardens of London
Culture
Space
Would we recognise alien intelligence, asks Adrian Tchaikovsky novel
Culture
More
Society
Why an increasing belief in alien visitations is a real-world problem
Increasing numbers of people believe Earth has probably been visited by aliens. That鈥檚 a societal problem, says Tony Milligan
Comment
Society
How futurism took an abrupt right turn in the 20th century
Comment
Mathematics
Barcodes: How they could be your latest mathematical party trick
Regulars
Tom Gauld on a job for the most intelligent machine ever created
Regulars
Twisteddoodles’ ideas for “research romance” books
Regulars
Regulars
Comment
George R. R. Martin finally finishes鈥� a physics paper
Feedback digs into the first peer-reviewed paper from the Game of Thrones author, and concludes that he may have picked the wrong fictional universe to analyse
This Week鈥檚 Letters
Letters
What is a smooth continuous curve with three axes of symmetry called?
Last Word
How and why did complex languages like Latin develop? Part 2
Last Word
This week鈥檚 new questions
Last Word
