This week's magazine
21 March 2026
Issue 3587
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
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Environment
Why global warming is accelerating and what it means for the future
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµs disagree whether human-made climate change or natural fluctuations are mostly to blame for worse-than-expected heat in recent years
Life
King penguins are thriving in a warmer climate, but it may not last
Health
Parkinson’s disease may reduce enjoyment of pleasant smells
Technology
A miniature magnet rivals behemoths in strength for the first time
Life
Single-celled organism with no brain is capable of Pavlovian learning
Humans
Our extinct Australopithecus relatives may have had difficult births
Technology
The race to solve the biggest problem in quantum computing
Technology
Chemistry may not be the ‘killer app’ for quantum computers after all
Mathematics
Mathematics is undergoing the biggest change in its history
Technology
Start-up is building the first data centre to use human brain cells
Health
Sharing genetic risk scores can unwittingly reveal secrets
Life
Orcas may be to blame for some mass dolphin strandings
Space
Mystery ‘whippet’ space explosion is the brightest of its kind
Health
A daily multivitamin may slightly slow rates of ageing
Space
SETI may have missed alien signals because of space weather
Humans
Human populations evolved in similar ways after we began farming
Life
Ancient ‘weirdo’ reptile graduated from 4 legs to 2 in adolescence
Features
Physics
Forget the multiverse. In the pluriverse, we create reality together
A radical idea that resolves many quantum paradoxes suggests there is no objective view of reality. How can the cosmos be stitched together from interlocking perspectives?
Mind
This neuroscientist says some psychopaths wish they were nicer
Technology
A very serious guide to buying your own humanoid robot butler
Culture
Environment
Rebecca Solnit: ‘The great majority of people want climate action’
Climate activist and author Rebecca Solnit tells Rowan Hooper why she still has hope, even in these "catastrophic" times
Comment
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓÆµ recommends Cirque du Soleil’s insect-themed OVO show
Technology
What to read this week: Katrina Manson’s terrifying Project Maven
More
Mind
Why are we so suspicious of do-gooders?
A growing body of research shows that we tend to discount a person’s good deeds if they stand to benefit from them. Columnist David Robson explores where this instinct comes from – and whether we should resist it
Space
What is a galaxy? That’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer
Humans
We’ve only just confirmed that Homo habilis really existed
Tom Gauld on truly committing to botany
Twisteddoodles on the latest in food influencing
Regulars
Comment
It’s time to monetise the moon! Definitely! Maybe?
Feedback discovers an accounting firm has unveiled its latest "lunar market assessment", which predicts huge profits to be had. Suit up, lunar entrepreneurs!