FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: JIAQI WANG THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES X2,

Nightmare fuel

TURIN, ITALY

Laser guidance

KRUIBEKE, BELGIUM

A house made of jelly

NORTH SULAWESI, INDONESIA

DISCOVERIES

“Reducing one major health risk in the population

NEW ERA FOR BLACK HOLE RESEARCH OPENED BY NOVEL ‘QUANTUM TORNADO’

Lab-based vortex promises new insights into the nature of space-time and gravity

CORAL REEFS CAN RECOVER IN JUST FOUR YEARS ACCORDING TO A NEW TRIAL

Coral ‘transplants’ could bring back reefs quicker than we thought possible

NEW STUDY SUGGESTS SMOKING INCREASES HIDDEN BELLY FAT

A large-scale statistical study reveals yet another reason to quit the habit

MINI ORGANS GROWN FROM UNBORN BABIES MARK A BREAKTHROUGH IN PRENATAL MEDICINE

A new technique could allow congenital conditions to be diagnosed and treated before birth

MYSTERIOUS WAVES DETECTED IN JUPITER’S CORE

Scientists hope unusual fluctuations in the gas giant’s magnetic field might reveal what’s inside

AI REVEALS PROSTATE CANCER IS NOT JUST ONE DISEASE

DNA analysis carried out by artificial intelligence has helped scientists make a discovery that could revolutionise future treatment

VIDEO IS FIRST EVIDENCE OF AN ORCA KILLING A GREAT WHITE

Tourists sailing off the South African coast film a never-before-seen event: a lone orca attacking a 2.5m shark

INSIDE THE PROJECT TO SCAN THOUSANDS OF RARE SPECIMENS

A major collaborative project has created 3D reconstructions of previously locked away museum specimens

TIME-RESTRICTED EATING LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DEATH

Skipping breakfast might not be so good for your health, after all

HOW A SOLAR ECLIPSE OPENED A NEW WINDOW ONTO THE UNIVERSE

COMMENT

WHY YOUR MISGUIDED MATE IN THE PUB TRUMPS EXPERTS AND EVIDENCE

A friendly face can make all the difference when it comes to presenting information… whether that info is right or wrong

WHY OLDER WOMEN FACE A GREATER RISK OF BROKEN BONES

The prevalence of osteoporosis increases with an ageing population. But it won’t increase equally between the sexes

Ultra-processed foods and where to find them

REALITY THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE HEADLINES CHECK

The next generation of drugs could be made in space

A California start-up recently recovered a batch of drugs manufactured by an automated satellite

More powerful ebike batteries are no more likely to catch fire

With more powerful batteries, ebikes could travel further and carry greater loads, but there’s concern that they could also pose a greater fire risk

THIS SMALL DEVICE COULD SLOW AGEING AND CURE DISEASES

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TOMORROW

FIVE TRANSPARENT DISPLAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME MORE LIKE TONY STARK’S WORKSHOP

Complete transparency is the hot new home tech trend. It’s experimental, somewhat impractical, but exciting (even if it can’t help you design a suit of Iron Man armour). Here are our five favourite see-through devices so far…

IDEAS WE LIKE…

Our pick of the month’s smartest tech

ARE CATS OR DOGS SMARTER?

CATS VS DOGS

WHAT IS SHADOW WORK? AND COULD EMBRACING MY SHADOW SELF BOOST MY MENTAL HEALTH?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

COULD A BLACK HOLE EVER DIE?

Yes, black holes can die, but in a

THE FURRY HEDGEHOG

NATURE’S WEIRDEST CREATURES

WHAT CAUSES RAINBOW CLOUDS?

In the depths of winter, when conditions are

IS IT TRUE WE COLLECT SPACE DUST IN OUR HAIR WHEN WE’RE OUTSIDE?

Earth is constantly bombarded by ‘micrometeorites’; tiny bits

HOW CAN I GET BETTER AT TAKING COMPLIMENTS?

Compliments can be a minefield. In fact, psychologists

WHAT DINOSAUR WOULD BE MOST DANGEROUS TO US?

If you believe the films, it would be

HOW TO SPOT ARCTURUS

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

HOW CUTE ARE BABY SHARKS IN REAL LIFE?

That all hinges on what you consider to

PROFFEE: SHOULD I BE ADDING PROTEIN TO MY COFFEE?

TikTokkers have been mixing protein powder into their

DOES COLD WEATHER CAUSE THE COMMON COLD?

“You need to wrap up or you’ll catch

WHAT IS A FEVER DREAM?

A fever dream is a vivid and often

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

DOES GRAVITY DISTORT SPACE, MOVE THINGS THROUGH IT, OR BOTH?

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

NEXT ISSUE

NIL BY MOUTH

TAKE IT SLOW

BETTER LIVING THROUGH SCIENCE

THE EYES THAT WATCH THE SKY

When it launches in 2026, the Copernicus programme’s Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring satellite will give us a new window on to Earth’s atmosphere… And how we’re altering it

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO RECLAIM YOUR ATTENTION!

Primed for constant interruptions, your brain is now distracting itself, says science. It’s time to break the cycle and retrain your focus

BED BUGS VS THE WORLD

When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that’s been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans. Now, with the 2024 Summer Olympics fast approaching, the stakes are higher than ever

GOING ROGUE

Some planets are stuck following the same orbital paths their entire lives. Others break free to wander alone through the vast, empty darkness of interstellar space. And there’s a lot more of them than you might think