Issue 3010 | Magazine cover date: 28 February 2015

This week's magazine

28 February 2015

Issue 3010

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On the cover

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First human head transplant could happen in two years

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Health

Body swaps sound like fantasy, but pose real questions

Opinion

Humans

Why your brain needs touch to make you human

Features

Life

Evolution's big bang: How life on Earth took off

Features

Physics

Kitchen-table physics lets you do big science at home

Features

Earth

Suez superhighway: Stopping the tide of alien invaders

Features

Leaders

Health

Body swaps sound like fantasy, but pose real questions

HAVE you ever wondered what happens to an amputated limb? People can remain emotionally attached to their detached flesh, but they can't do whatever they want with it. A severed arm can't be formally cremated, for example, because a death certificate is required for that. So hospitals may incinerate a limb like any other waste, …

Opinion

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Life

Dragonfly eyes see the world in ultra-multicolour

Super sight: Dragonflies can detect up to 30 different vision pigments Their massive globular eyes should have been a clue. It turns out dragonflies have souped-up colour vision that's better than anything ever seen in the animal world. We humans have what's known as tri-chromatic vision, which means we see colours as a combination of …

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Rats can't get drunk after a dose of oxytocin hormone

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Physics

Volleyballene puts a new spin on buckyballs

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Burst of warming may end lull in rising temperatures

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UV rays damage skin hours after exposure to sun

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Searching for signs of Mars life could destroy them

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Environment

Oral sex may be a life saver for spider

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Stellar intruder's daring fly-by of the solar system

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Technology

Cheap wonder metals will make a faster, cleaner world

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Technology

One Per Cent

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Technology

Keep an eye on your city's pollution in real time

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Technology

Google wants to rank websites based on facts not links

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Life

The plan to find alien life in Europa's icy seas

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Men have hands amputated and replaced with bionic ones

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Google DeepMind AI outplays humans at video games

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Renewable energy poised to overtake nuclear in the UK

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Actual race on moon could decide Lunar XPrize winner

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Drug-resistant malaria poised to cross into India

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Environment

Indians lose billions of life years to air pollution

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60 Seconds

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Health

First human head transplant could happen in two years

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Space

Ancient black hole had an inexplicable growth spurt

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Gerbils and Silk Road to blame for the plague

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Life

Kenya's electrified route to human-wildlife harmony

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Did sponge microbiomes help aerate the oceans?

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Earth

Climate change sceptic's work called into question

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Health

6 things you're dying to ask about head transplants

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Opinion

Earth

To save the rainforest, let the locals take control

Global intervention in tropical forests to combat climate change could sideline their most effective guardians

Opinion

Health

I've found the real reason so many children are obese

Opinion

Technology

My drug-filled nanospheres heal at the speed of light

Opinion

Analysis

Health

2015 a watershed year for assisted suicide in the US

Brittany Maynard chose when to die THE fight to legalise doctor-assisted suicide for people who are terminally ill will take centre stage in the US this year, with bills filed in 20 states plus the District of Columbia. "I think it's a watershed year," says Peg Sandeen , head of the non-profit Death with Dignity, …

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Aperture

Life

Giant robot eyes scan stars for dust

(Image: Enrico Sacchetti) SORRY to break it to you, but this isn't the head of a giant robot being built in a secret military base somewhere – we don't get pictures of those. Rather, it's a giant pair of eyes staring across vast cosmic distances in an attempt to find aliens. So that's nearly as …

Regulars

Features

Humans

Why your brain needs touch to make you human

Being touchy-feely isn't just nice – caresses build social worlds from families to sports teams and may even give us our sense of self

Features

Life

Evolution's big bang: How life on Earth took off

Features

Physics

Kitchen-table physics lets you do big science at home

Features

Earth

Suez superhighway: Stopping the tide of alien invaders

Features

Culturelab

Health

Art, elections and mad cow disease

(Image: Picnic at Glyndebourne by Tony Ray-Jones, 1967. National Media Museum/Science & Society Picture Library/courtesy Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre. Part of Roger Hiorns's curated section) History is Now: 7 Artists Take on Britain is at the Hayward Gallery, London, from 10 February to 26 April 2015 "Yes, of course, I ate loads of burgers," …

CultureLab

Physics

Birth of a Theorem: Mathematics, Boltzmann and brio

CultureLab

Regulars

Feedback: Nominative determinism redux

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Nominative determinism redux NOMINATIVE determinism is the name given by the late C. R. Cavonius , of the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors in Dortmund, Germany, to the notion that names influence occupations (17 December 1994) …

Regulars

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This week's magazine

28 February 2015

On the cover

Health

Body swaps sound like fantasy, but pose real questions

Humans

Why your brain needs touch to make you human

Life

Evolution's big bang: How life on Earth took off

Physics

Kitchen-table physics lets you do big science at home

Earth

Suez superhighway: Stopping the tide of alien invaders

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

Body swaps sound like fantasy, but pose real questions

51����

Life

Dragonfly eyes see the world in ultra-multicolour

Rats can't get drunk after a dose of oxytocin hormone

Physics

Volleyballene puts a new spin on buckyballs

Burst of warming may end lull in rising temperatures

UV rays damage skin hours after exposure to sun

Searching for signs of Mars life could destroy them

Environment

Oral sex may be a life saver for spider

Stellar intruder's daring fly-by of the solar system

Technology

Cheap wonder metals will make a faster, cleaner world

Technology

One Per Cent

Technology

Keep an eye on your city's pollution in real time

Technology

Google wants to rank websites based on facts not links

Life

The plan to find alien life in Europa's icy seas

Men have hands amputated and replaced with bionic ones

Google DeepMind AI outplays humans at video games

Renewable energy poised to overtake nuclear in the UK

Actual race on moon could decide Lunar XPrize winner

Drug-resistant malaria poised to cross into India

Environment

Indians lose billions of life years to air pollution

60 Seconds

Health

First human head transplant could happen in two years

Space

Ancient black hole had an inexplicable growth spurt

Gerbils and Silk Road to blame for the plague

Life

Kenya's electrified route to human-wildlife harmony

Did sponge microbiomes help aerate the oceans?

Earth

Climate change sceptic's work called into question

Health

6 things you're dying to ask about head transplants

Opinion

Earth

To save the rainforest, let the locals take control

Health

I've found the real reason so many children are obese

Technology

My drug-filled nanospheres heal at the speed of light

Analysis

Health

2015 a watershed year for assisted suicide in the US

Aperture

Life

Giant robot eyes scan stars for dust

Features

Humans

Why your brain needs touch to make you human

Life

Evolution's big bang: How life on Earth took off

Physics

Kitchen-table physics lets you do big science at home

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