FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: MAGIC TORCH THIS PAGE: GETTY IMAGES X2,

Rover’s rambling

MOUNT SHARP, MARS This wiggly yellow line shows

A map of many colours

KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY, ARIZONA, USA What you’re

Close encounters

TAK PROVINCE, THAILAND You’re probably wondering if this

FEEDBACK

LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR PUBLICATION EYEOPENER YOUR

INSIDE THE BOLD PROJECT TO PREDICT THE START OF YOUR  MENOPAUSE… AND DELAY IT

HEALTH

‘GIANT FISH LIZARD’ DISCOVERED ON SOMERSET BEACH COULD BE THE LARGEST OCEAN REPTILE EVER

PALAEONTOLOGY

‘ALIEN AURORA’ MAY HAVE BEEN SPOTTED ON NEARBY FAILED STAR

SPACE

NEW IMAGE OF THE BLACK HOLE AT THE CENTRE OF OUR GALAXY REVEALS ITS HIDDEN FEATURES

SPACE 

LIT FROM LAVA BELOW

Ideal conditions on Chile’s most active volcano created a spectacular show – lava illuminating a flying saucer-shaped cloud

NEW ATLAS OF AGEING COULD KEEP YOUR MUSCLES YOUNG

BIOLOGY

NEW STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON HOW THE MOON REALLY IMPACTS MENSTRUAL CYCLES

HEALTH

MICROBIOME BREAKTHROUGH COULD BE KEY TO FIGHTING OBESITY

HEALTH

SCIENTISTS GAIN NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM’S DEATH

White dwarf stars can’t help but gobble up passing objects – including, eventually, the planets in our Solar System

THE WORLD’S LARGEST CAMERA WILL SHOW US THE UNIVERSE IN ULTRA HIGH-DEF

ASTRONOMY

ANTI-OBESITY DRUGS ARE A BIG HELP, BUT THEY’RE NOT A SOLUTION

COMMENT

MILLIONS OF DONKEYS ARE BEING KILLED TO MAKE MEDICINE THAT DOESN’T WORK

COMMENT

What can we do about ‘forever chemicals’ in our food?

REVIEW

The Moon’s secrets could be lost forever

ANALYSIS

We could soon detect (and treat) dementia decades in advance

COMMENT

SMART RINGS ARE COMING BUT DO WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER WEARABLE?

Big tech companies are working on smart rings. But when smartwatches and smartphones are so good, what’s the point of smart jewellery?

HIDDEN HOME TECH: HIDE THE WIRES WITH THESE DISCREET DEVICES

Let’s be honest, tech can ruin a home’s aesthetic. Blocky speakers, large projector units and tangles of cables are unsightly. Tech companies are finally starting to realise this and find ways to hide them

IDEAS WE LIKE…

Our pick of the month’s smartest tech

DOES INTERMITTENT FASTING REALLY WORK?

INTERMITTENT FASTING

IS MY DOG INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO MAKE ME LAUGH?

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

CAN YOU SMELL FEAR?

It’s often said that animals can smell fear.

THE BLACK SWALLOWER FISH

NATURE’S WEIRDEST CREATURES

WHY DO I KEEP SEEING FACES IN EVERYTHING?

If you’ve seen tabloid news stories about Jesus’s

WHAT CAUSED THE KENTUCKY MEAT SHOWER?

On 3 March 1876, hunks of flesh reportedly

WHAT WAS THE GREAT MOON HOAX OF 1835?

GETTY IMAGES, WIKIPEDIA ILLUSTRATIONS: VALENTIN TKACH, PETE LAWRENCE

IS IT BETTER TO SHOWER IN THE MORNING OR THE EVENING?

According to a 2022 Sleep Foundation poll, there’s

THE GREAT GLOBULAR CLUSTER

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

HAS ANYONE BEEN KILLED BY THEIR OWN INVENTIONS?

FRANCES GONZALEZ, TEXAS

WHAT IS A SKYQUAKE?

If you’ve ever heard a loud, distant booming

HOW DO YOU ESCAPE A RIPTIDE?

Riptides are actually rip currents – strong currents

WHY IS MOON DUST SO STICKY?

It’s the same phenomenon that causes thin clothes

WHY DO DOGS CIRCLE ROUND AND ROUND BEFORE POOPING?

GETTY IMAGES X3, SHUTTERSTOCK, NASA A 2013 study

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

NATURE’S REMEDY

BETTER LIVING THROUGH SCIENCE

SAVING THE UNDERWATER RAINFOREST

SEAGRASSES, CORALS AND KELP ARE CRUCIAL TO AUSTRALIA’S MARINE ECOSYSTEMS. BUT THEY ARE UNDER PRESSURE. WITH THE HELP OF COMMUNITIES AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, SCIENTISTS ARE STRIVING TO RESTORE THESE UNDERWATER FORESTS TO PROTECT CARBON STOCKS AND MARINE WILDLIFE

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

NOT ALL NARCISSISTS ARE LOUDMOUTH EGOTISTS, ACCORDING TO A GROWING BODY OF SCIENCE. THERE ARE ALSO COVERT MANIPULATORS LURKING IN MOST SOCIAL CIRCLES

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH OUR MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE

OUR PICTURE OF THE COSMOS IS INCREDIBLY DETAILED. BUT IT’S BY NO MEANS COMPLETE. THERE ARE CRUCIAL PIECES MISSING IN THE COSMIC JIGSAW. AND WITHOUT THEM THE PICTURE JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE

THE END OF ALCOHOL

More of us are thinking ‘I should probably drink less.’ But what is booze really doing to our bodies? Is abstinence as worthwhile as people say? And what’s the best way to change, if not end, our relationship with alcohol?