WELCOME

Issue 192

Frozen lava flows

© NASA While orbiting over Europe, an astronaut

Stilt fishing in Sri Lanka

© Shutterstock Balanced and stealthy, these stilt fishermen

Colour coding Cas A

© NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue

Building the Manhattan Bridge

© Shutterstock Commissioned in 1901, the final Manhattan

The James Webb Space Telescope sees the birth of three ancient galaxies

SPACE

The bizarre evolutionary roots of upside-down baobab trees revealed

The baobab tree evolved on the island of

JUPITER’S GAS CYCLONES MAY MIRROR EARTH’S OCEANS

How different are Jupiter’s gaseous layers and Earth’s

Heavy metals in Beethoven’s hair may explain his deafness

HISTORY

28 ‘CAREFULLY PLACED’ HORSES FOUND IN AN ANCIENT FRENCH BURIAL SITE

An aerial view of the excavation site that

Canadian ‘super pigs’ are likely to invade the northern US

There is high potential for hogs that have

JAPAN TO LAUNCH THE WORLD’S FIRS T WOODEN SATELLITE

SPACE

Anew study shows crows can count out loud

Carrion crows are the first animal other than

50,000-year-old Neanderthal bones harbour the oldest known human viruses

Neanderthals who lived 50,000 years ago were infected

New antivenom invented for black widow spider bites

HEALTH

Solar power generates enough heat to power a steel furnace

Scientists used solar radiation to heat objects to

CHINA’S SECRE T SPACE PLANE HAS RELEASED AN UNKNOWN OBJEC T

At around 20:00 BST on 24 May, China’s

WISH LIST

The latest tech for SUMMER

What is the difference between a quasar and a pulsar?

Amazing answers to your curious questions

Could we resurrect a dinosaur from preserved DNA?

Bringing back extinct species is a real possibility.

How far can we see into the past through a telescope?

Our ability to treat the universe like a

AS TROPH YSICS FOR SUPERVILL AINS

The latest book releases for curious minds

DRAW A PH PICTURE WITH T URMERIC

Practical projects to try at home

INBOX

Speak your mind

AMAZING OLYMPIC INNOVATIONS

The 2024 Summer Olympics comes with an array of inspired inventions, from performance-enhancing footwear to AI-powered judges

HOW AEROPL ANE ESCAPE HATCHES WORK

Discover the engineering that allows an entire commercial aircraft to be evacuated in under two minutes

CONSPIRACY THEORIES DEBUNKED

Arm yourself with logic and science to avoid falling foul of these mistruths

HOW MAGICIANS PERFORM TRICKS

Breaking the spell to reveal the workings behind some of the greatest illusions in history

DETECTING THE DARK UNIVERSE

Observations tell us dark matter and dark energy exist, but how do you find something you can’t see or feel?

SOL AR POWER FROM SPACE

SpaceX’s Starship could pave the way to a new kind of solar power

COULD WE BUILD… FALLOUT’S VAULT 33?

Do we have the technology to build self-sustaining nuclear bunkers, just like in the post-apocalyptic series?

HOW TO SURVIVE THE NUCLEAR WASTELAND

Searching for a replacement water pump, on a mission for the overseer or fleeing personal tragedy? Whatever your reason for venturing to the surface, make sure you gear up

MAKING CANDY FLOSS

How fairground machines spin sugar into delicious wispy strands

WHAT IS A SIM CARD?

Meet the computer chip inside your smart device that keeps you connected

Cooking CHEMISTRY

Step into the culinary laboratory of food science and molecular gastronomy

THE SCIENCE OF SPHERIFICATION

FLAVOURING WITH SMOKE Whether it’s a steakhouse or a

HOW TO OPERATE ON THE BRAIN

The procedures and surgical techniques that tackle problems inside your skull

ROBOT SURGEONS

The technology helping to make the world’s most complex surgeries a little simpler

HOW ANIMALS LIVE IN EXTREMES

Surviving in some of the world’s harshest environments is tough, but not for these robust species

HOW K ANGAROOS BOUNCE

These marsupial mammals spring effortlessly across the Australian continent using specially adapted limbs