Issue 3374 | Magazine cover date: 19 February 2022

This week's magazine

19 February 2022

Issue 3374

Previous issue Next issue

On the cover

Features

Hybrid AI: A new way to make machine minds that really think like us

Why everything you thought you knew about posture is wrong

Could ancient viruses from melting permafrost cause the next pandemic?

51��

Doing yoga at least once a week may help to lower blood pressure

Fusion energy record suggests we really could build artificial suns

First hints of a planet orbiting in a white dwarf’s habitable zone

Huge nuclear explosion in space is so rare we may never see one again

Cold blob in Atlantic may be slowing ice loss from Iceland’s glaciers

View in the app

Check out this magazine in our easy-to-navigate mobile app

Find a previous edition online

Search through our digital archive of over 30 years of magazines

2HJF0FC DRAX POWER STATION, DRAX, UK - JANUARY 19, 2022. An aerial view of a rail freight train delivering renewable biomass fuel to Drax Power Station

Technology

The race is on to tackle climate change by pulling carbon from the air

51��

$KRASNOYARSK TERRITORY, RUSSIA - APRIL 17, 2021: An aerial view of the village of Nosok, Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District. It is also the location of the Zarya Taimyra [Taymyr Dawn] state reindeer farming enterprise. Alexander Ryumin/TASS (Photo by Alexander Ryumin\TASS via Getty Images)$

Environment

A collaborative approach is needed to avoid the next pandemic

51��

R00B24 Chooms of the nomadic reindeer herders, Yamal, Russia

Environment

Could ancient viruses from melting permafrost cause the next pandemic?

Features

Health

Why everything you thought you knew about posture is wrong

Features

Technology

Hybrid AI: A new way to make machine minds that really think like us

Features

Leaders

Environment

A collaborative approach is needed to avoid the next pandemic

HERE is a sinister idea: as climate change thaws the world's ice and permafrost, frozen viruses and bacteria may emerge and cause deadly outbreaks of ancient diseases . We might one day have to face Neanderthal influenza or Homo erectus anthrax. Most readers will, on balance, feel that we have had enough novel diseases lately. …

51��

Health

Doing yoga at least once a week may help to lower blood pressure

A large real-world study adds to clinical trial evidence that people who do yoga tend to have lower blood pressure, which may prevent heart attacks and strokes

51��

Health

Cutting down meat and dairy could help you live up to a decade longer

51��

Technology

US arms maker ends production of controversial depleted uranium rounds

51��

Health

Team in China aims to start trial of pig organs in humans this year

51��

Technology

Fusion energy record suggests we really could build artificial suns

51��

Physics

Giving drones barn owl-like tails may make them more efficient flyers

51��

Environment

Rare earth elements for smartphones can be extracted from coal waste

51��

Humans

Modern humans moved into cave one year after Neanderthals abandoned it

51��

Technology

AI driver can beat some of the world's best players at Gran Turismo

51��

Space

First hints of a planet orbiting in a white dwarf’s habitable zone

51��

Health

Cell studies suggest a way sleep loss may be linked to Alzheimer’s

51��

Life

Australian raspy cricket has the strongest bite of 650 insect species

51��

Health

How Australia has cut child cancer deaths – and hopes to get to zero

51��

Space

Huge nuclear explosion in space is so rare we may never see one again

51��

Environment

Cold blob in Atlantic may be slowing ice loss from Iceland’s glaciers

51��

Life

Spider webs may act as most sensitive ‘ears’ in known natural world

51��

Technology

Drones armed with a small microwave weapon can shoot down other drones

51��

Life

Lichens may take a million years to adapt to 1°C of climate warming

51��

Technology

Facebook policy to stop vaccine misinformation only worked temporarily

51��

Analysis

Technology

It is only human to treat the metaverse with scepticism – here’s why

Meta and Microsoft's new virtual reality projects have been met with suspicion by many, but history has shown that people are often right to be wary of technological change, says James Ball

51��

Space

Let’s hear it for the space Cinderellas – Earth-observing satellites

Comment

Technology

The race is on to tackle climate change by pulling carbon from the air

51��

Aperture

Life

Bearbnb: Polar bears make themselves at home in abandoned village

Photographer Dmitry Kokh AN ABANDONED weather station and its surrounding settlement is an unconventional place to find polar bears, but then we are living in unconventional times. Wildlife photographer Dmitry Kokh happened upon the animals when the boat he was on took shelter from a storm at the Russian island of Kolyuchin in September 2021. …

Regulars

Features

Technology

Hybrid AI: A new way to make machine minds that really think like us

In the quest to make artificial intelligence that can reason and apply knowledge flexibly, many researchers are focused on fresh insights from neuroscience. Should they be looking to psychology too?

Features

Health

Why everything you thought you knew about posture is wrong

Features

Environment

Could ancient viruses from melting permafrost cause the next pandemic?

Features

Culture

Space

Moonfall review: Finally an apocalypse movie that’s fun to watch

Moonfall is a disaster movie that starts slow, but when it gets going it is packed with action, incredible special effects and spooky tentacles emerging from a lunar crater. Despite the subject matter, the film succeeds in taking itself fairly seriously

Culture

Environment

A Blue New Deal review: A radical look at who owns the sea

Culture

Humans

Don’t Miss: A fresh look at the enduring mysteries of the big bang

Culture

Humans

Petrov’s flu review: A surreal journey through one man’s delirium

Culture

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Puzzle #155: Just how old is riddle fan Ada Hubbard?

#155 Mother Hubbard Ada Hubbard loves creating riddles and takes every opportunity to pose them. She occasionally includes her daughter Betty in her brain-teasers. When someone recently asked for Ada and Betty's ages, Ada gleefully supplied a riddle instead: "I am five times as old as Betty was when I was as old as Betty …

Regulars

Humans

How to create a delicious deep-fried ice cream dessert

Regulars

Tom Gauld creates a telescopic Total Perspective Vortex

Regulars

Twisteddoodles: The unfortunate reality of eureka moments

Regulars

Humans

Snooze it to lose it: Does sleeping more make you eat less?

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

Regulars

51����

This week's magazine

19 February 2022

On the cover

Technology

The race is on to tackle climate change by pulling carbon from the air

Environment

A collaborative approach is needed to avoid the next pandemic

Environment

Could ancient viruses from melting permafrost cause the next pandemic?

Health

Why everything you thought you knew about posture is wrong

Technology

Hybrid AI: A new way to make machine minds that really think like us

Table of contents

Leaders

Environment

A collaborative approach is needed to avoid the next pandemic

51����

Health

Doing yoga at least once a week may help to lower blood pressure

Health

Cutting down meat and dairy could help you live up to a decade longer

Technology

US arms maker ends production of controversial depleted uranium rounds

Health

Team in China aims to start trial of pig organs in humans this year

Technology

Fusion energy record suggests we really could build artificial suns

Physics

Giving drones barn owl-like tails may make them more efficient flyers

Environment

Rare earth elements for smartphones can be extracted from coal waste

Humans

Modern humans moved into cave one year after Neanderthals abandoned it

Technology

AI driver can beat some of the world's best players at Gran Turismo

Space

First hints of a planet orbiting in a white dwarf’s habitable zone

Health

Cell studies suggest a way sleep loss may be linked to Alzheimer’s

Life

Australian raspy cricket has the strongest bite of 650 insect species

Health

How Australia has cut child cancer deaths – and hopes to get to zero

Space

Huge nuclear explosion in space is so rare we may never see one again

Environment

Cold blob in Atlantic may be slowing ice loss from Iceland’s glaciers

Life

Spider webs may act as most sensitive ‘ears’ in known natural world

Technology

Drones armed with a small microwave weapon can shoot down other drones

Life

Lichens may take a million years to adapt to 1°C of climate warming

Technology

Facebook policy to stop vaccine misinformation only worked temporarily

Analysis

Technology

It is only human to treat the metaverse with scepticism – here’s why

Space

Let’s hear it for the space Cinderellas – Earth-observing satellites

Technology

The race is on to tackle climate change by pulling carbon from the air

Aperture

Life

Bearbnb: Polar bears make themselves at home in abandoned village

Features

Technology

Hybrid AI: A new way to make machine minds that really think like us

Health

Why everything you thought you knew about posture is wrong

Environment

Could ancient viruses from melting permafrost cause the next pandemic?

Culture

Space

Moonfall review: Finally an apocalypse movie that’s fun to watch

Environment

A Blue New Deal review: A radical look at who owns the sea

Humans

51��

51��