This week's magazine
22 October 2022
Issue 3409
On the cover
Editor's picks
Technology
Despite decades of hype, there is now real hope of progress in fusion
Mind
How to improve your digital diet for greater well-being
Physics
Can a slew of nuclear fusion start-ups deliver unlimited clean energy?
Environment
The surprising role death plays in the stability of ecosystems
Table of contents
News
Environment
UK prepares for worst bird flu outbreak on record this winter
Avian flu infection rates in the UK are six weeks ahead of this time last year, prompting officials to heighten biosecurity measures
Humans
Neanderthal family life revealed by ancient DNA from Siberian cave
Life
European empires had a lasting impact on plant biodiversity worldwide
Health
Transplanted livers can keep working for a total of over 100 years
Physics
Physicists made the most precise measurement ever of a single particle
Life
杏吧原创s finally realised female robins sing just as well as males
Health
Covid jab rates vary in England in children of different ethnicities
Life
World’s heaviest bony fish weighs in at a whopping 2744 kilograms
Space
Jet from neutron stars seems to travel seven times the speed of light
Health
Menstrual cycle lengths vary between people of different ethnicities
Technology
Mind-reading AI works out what you are thinking from brain scans
Health
UK isn’t prepared for the next pandemic, says ex-vaccine chief
Environment
Nord Stream leak may have been largest methane emission ever recorded
Health
Gel made from okra stops bleeding in damaged hearts
Life
Black widow spiders remember their prey if it is stolen
Life
Human neurons transplanted into a rat’s brain influence its behaviour
Life
Wildlife populations are declining on a ‘devastating’ scale, says WWF
Space
Black holes wobbling three times a second have proved Einstein right
Life
Erect-crested penguins always reject their first egg and lay another
Technology
Exoskeleton boots learn how you walk to help improve your gait
Humans
12,000 genetic variants affect height in people with European ancestry
Analysis
Environment
Can Europe cut its electricity consumption enough to avoid blackouts?
The energy crisis will reach a crunch point as winter begins in Europe, with governments hoping they can cut consumption fast enough to avoid electricity shortages
Life
The world is full of living gold, which is more valuable than riches
Life
The surprising evolutionary history of pumpkins and squashes
Features
Physics
Can a slew of nuclear fusion start-ups deliver unlimited clean energy?
We have been trying to harness the reaction that powers the stars for decades, and now private firms are promising commercial fusion within a decade. Is there any reason to believe them this time?
Environment
The surprising role death plays in the stability of ecosystems
Mind
How to improve your digital diet for greater well-being
Culture
Environment
The Climate Book review: An essential guide to a better world
Greta Thunberg has enticed over 100 experts to write about the climate crisis. No one else could have created this incredible resource
Humans
Don’t Miss: The Peripheral, a series based on William Gibson’s novel
Humans
The Mountain in the Sea review: A remarkable study of consciousness
More
Environment
Study your local pond to help track algal growth around the world
Join a growing number of volunteers who are helping to monitor the health of the environment by sampling diverse aquatic ecosystems through the Algal Bloom Monitoring project, says Layal Liverpool
Tom Gauld on the arrival of the new and improved version 2.0
Twisteddoodles on graphs gone bad
Regulars
Cats’ paw pads help paratroopers always land (safely) on their feet
Feedback investigates new research that attempts to replace the soles of paratroopers' shoes with something more closely resembling the paw of a cat, while also looking into some startling inventions intended to thwart hijackers