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This week's magazine

10 July 2021

Issue 3342

New Scientist issue 3342 cover
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On the cover

Features
What forms can consciousness take and can we see it in our brains?
Can physics explain consciousness and does it create reality?
What is consciousness like for other animals and when did it evolve?
Can a robot ever be conscious and how would we know if it were?
These streets aren't made for walking: Why sidewalks need a rethink
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White dwarf star is the size of the moon but more massive than the sun
Iceland may be part of a submerged continent called Icelandia
Common plastics can be broken down by enzymes found in cow stomachs
How can we adapt to the intense heat and drought in the western US?
Solar sail spacecraft could be used to intercept interstellar objects
Male seahorses can get pregnant because they lack key immunity genes
Common colds predate farming and may be older than our species
High vaccination rates no match for delta as covid-19 variant surges
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Editor's picks

North American heatwave must be a driver for stronger climate action

North American heatwave must be a driver for stronger climate action

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These streets aren't made for walking: Why sidewalks need a rethink

Humans

These streets aren't made for walking: Why sidewalks need a rethink

Features
Can physics explain consciousness and does it create reality?

Humans

Can physics explain consciousness and does it create reality?

Features
What forms can consciousness take and can we see it in our brains?

Humans

What forms can consciousness take and can we see it in our brains?

Features
Can a robot ever be conscious and how would we know if it were?

Technology

Can a robot ever be conscious and how would we know if it were?

Features
What is consciousness like for other animals and when did it evolve?

Life

What is consciousness like for other animals and when did it evolve?

Features
New Scientist all-day virtual event: What is the future of healthcare?

Health

51¶¯Âþ all-day virtual event: What is the future of healthcare?

Features

Table of contents

Leaders

The world will be watching when England’s covid-19 restrictions lift

The world will be watching when England’s covid-19 restrictions lift

SOME call it a calculated risk, others a reckless gamble. Earlier this week, UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced that almost all remaining covid-19 restrictions in England are set to be lifted on 19 July, now called, by some, "freedom day". This may be good politics, but is it good public health policy? Scientific opinion …

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North American heatwave must be a driver for stronger climate action

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skull

Humans

Earliest known bubonic plague strain found in 5000-year-old skull

The skull of a young man thought to have died from plague 5000 years ago The bacterium behind the Black Death, which wrought devastation in medieval times, has been found in the skull of a man who lived 5000 years ago in what is now Latvia, making it the earliest known plague strain. Analysis of …

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Health

Mini-heart grown in the lab can pump fluid just like the real thing

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Space

White dwarf star is the size of the moon but more massive than the sun

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Life

Aquatic beetle caught walking upside down on the undersurface of water

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Technology

Streamlined JPEG XL images could cut global data use by 30 per cent

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Technology

Israel used world's first AI-guided combat drone swarm in Gaza attacks

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Health

Malaria vaccine that combines parasite with treatment shows promise

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Life

Ancient beetle species discovered in 230-million-year-old reptile dung

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Life

Strange new fairy lantern plant is already critically endangered

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Life

Fish covered in tooth-like armour could help reveal how teeth evolved

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Space

Amazing astronomy images shortlisted for photo prize

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Earth

Iceland may be part of a submerged continent called Icelandia

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Environment

Common plastics can be broken down by enzymes found in cow stomachs

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Environment

How can we adapt to the intense heat and drought in the western US?

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Space

Solar sail spacecraft could be used to intercept interstellar objects

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Health

Interview: The women behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine

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Humans

First farmers in the Atacama desert had a history of brutal violence

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Life

Male seahorses can get pregnant because they lack key immunity genes

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Health

Common colds predate farming and may be older than our species

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Health

High vaccination rates no match for delta as covid-19 variant surges

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Analysis

Lock and wire

Technology

Are we seeing an end to 'surveillance capitalism' on the internet?

Online privacy is getting a shake-up. Some of the world's largest technology companies are starting to offer a new type of privacy on their platforms. It will appease some customers' concerns around online advertising, but shouldn't be to the detriment of the companies. Last month, Apple announced that it will offer a form of anonymous …

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Humans

We need to overhaul the language of genetics to root out racism

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Technology

Preparing for a warming world will take a new information revolution

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Features

What forms can consciousness take and can we see it in our brains?

Humans

What forms can consciousness take and can we see it in our brains?

New insights into the different states of human consciousness and where it occurs in the brain are helping us crack the mystery of what gives rise to felt experience

Features

Humans

Can physics explain consciousness and does it create reality?

Features

Life

What is consciousness like for other animals and when did it evolve?

Features

Technology

Can a robot ever be conscious and how would we know if it were?

Features

Humans

These streets aren't made for walking: Why sidewalks need a rethink

Features

Health

51¶¯Âþ all-day virtual event: What is the future of healthcare?

Features

Culture

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart review: A fun romp across the multiverse

Technology

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart review: A fun romp across the multiverse

I wrote in my last column that, despite supply chain issues, I have finally got my hands on a PlayStation 5 console, and it turns out to have been perfect timing to try one of its best games so far: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart . It always takes a year or so for game …

Culture

Humans

The Surrogate review: A gripping film about a difficult moral dilemma

Culture

How Stella Learned to Talk review: Can a dog really talk?

Culture

Don't Miss: Asteroids is a cracking book about our future in space

Culture

More

Puzzle #121: How creative will your solutions be to a card conundrum?

Puzzle #121: How creative will your solutions be to a card conundrum?

#121 Creative addition There is an old adage that one person's "creativity" is another person's "cheating". This week's puzzle will test which side of the fence you sit on. The numbers 1 to 9 have been written on cards and left on a table: the left-hand column adds up to 21 and the right one …

Regulars

Space

How to spot the Milky Way in the night sky

Regulars

Tom Gauld: 'Do you have something you want to tell me, Brian?'

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on the life cycle of a frog

Regulars

Regulars

The unexpected ability that correlates with intelligence

The unexpected ability that correlates with intelligence

Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more

Regulars

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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