Health
Human challenge trials have never been more popular
Comment
This week's magazine
6 December 2025
Issue 3572
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
快猫短视频
Life
IUCN report finds more African forest elephants than we thought
Analysing the elephants' faeces for DNA has given a more accurate count, bumping their numbers by 16 per cent compared with 2016
News
Health
Upheavals to the oral microbiome in pregnancy may be behind tooth loss
News
Chemistry
Plastic can be programmed to have a lifespan of days, months or years
News
Life
Origin story of domestic cats rewritten by genetic analysis
News
Space
Supermassive dark matter stars may be lurking in the early universe
News
Physics
We might have just seen the first hints of dark matter
News
Humans
Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation
News
Environment
Have we found a greener way to do deep-sea mining?
News
Humans
Ancient human foot bones shed light on how two species coexisted
News
Physics
We may need a fourth law of thermodynamics for living systems
News
Life
Cats can overcome fear of water to benefit from aquatic therapy
News
Environment
Africa鈥檚 forests are now emitting more CO2 than they absorb
News
Technology
Why Google鈥檚 custom AI chips are shaking up the tech industry
News
Physics
Physicists have worked out a universal law for how objects shatter
News
Life
Pandas use tools to scratch thanks to a strange evolutionary quirk
News
Health
Monthly injection could replace daily steroid pills for severe asthma
News
Humans
Easter Island statues may have been built by small independent groups
News
Humans
Easily taxed grains were crucial to the birth of the first states
News
Life
Deadly fungus makes sick frogs jump far, possibly to find mates
News
Mind
Your brain undergoes four dramatic periods of change from age 0 to 90
News
Features
Life
A sinister, deadly brain protein could reveal the origins of all life
We have long struggled to determine how the first living organisms on Earth came together. Now, surprising evidence hints that poorly understood prions may have been the vital missing ingredient
Features
Health
How deliberately giving people illnesses is supercharging medicine
Features
Physics
Black hole entropy hints at a surprising truth about our universe
Features
Culture
Comment
The six best science-fiction shows of 2025
What were the year's top sci-fi shows? Andor and Severance are still up there, but our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley also has some unexpected tips to share
Culture
Comment
The four best science documentaries of 2025
Culture
Comment
The two standout science-fiction films of 2025
Culture
More
Life
Stop treating your pet like a fur baby 鈥� you’re damaging its health
Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton
Comment
Mind
Cold-water swimming has benefits for the brain as well as the body
Comment
Mind
Why do I feel lonely even when I’m surrounded by a festive crowd?
Regulars
Tom Gauld’s Christmas predictions
Regulars
Twisteddoodles on the equipment every lab needs…
Regulars
Regulars
Comment
Where did I put it? Loss of vital crypto key voids election
Feedback is entertained by the commotion at the International Association for Cryptologic Research's recent elections, where results could not be decrypted after an "honest but unfortunate human mistake"
This Week鈥檚 Letters
Letters
What part do my ears or auditory system play when I think of a tune?
Last Word
What are the pros and cons of using carbon dioxide in tyres?
Last Word
Which animals can recognise individual people? Part 3
Last Word
This week鈥檚 new questions
Last Word
