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This week's magazine

3 June 2023

Issue 3441

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Editor's picks

Our top articles from the latest magazine

Larry Brown, owner of Brown's Farm, which produces sustainable eggs for NestFresh, walks around the property in Gonzales, Texas, U.S., on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Farmers are betting they can profit further with specialty eggs by adding another layer of premiumization: eggs from a special type of sustainable farm that can be trumpeted as being better for the planet. Photographer: Mary Kang/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Environment

We already have ethical options for replacing industrial farming

Leader

Subscriber-only
How you can use the power of exercise to feel better and think clearer

Health

How you can use the power of exercise to feel better and think clearer

Features

Subscriber-only
Peter Singer on animal rights, octopus farms and why AI is speciesist

Environment

Peter Singer on animal rights, octopus farms and why AI is speciesist

Features

Subscriber-only
We are finally closing in on the cosmic origins of the “OMG particle”

Space

We are finally closing in on the cosmic origins of the “OMG particle”

Features

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Table of contents

Leaders

Environment

We already have ethical options for replacing industrial farming

The industrialised food system harms the environment and animal welfare, but new ways of farming are now addressing these issues and further change is coming

Leader

Subscriber-only

Larry Brown, owner of Brown's Farm, which produces sustainable eggs for NestFresh, walks around the property in Gonzales, Texas, U.S., on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Farmers are betting they can profit further with specialty eggs by adding another layer of premiumization: eggs from a special type of sustainable farm that can be trumpeted as being better for the planet. Photographer: Mary Kang/Bloomberg via Getty Images

News

Health

Junk food diet may disrupt sleep by altering brain activity

Men who tried a high-fat, high-sugar diet developed disrupted electrical brain activity during the deepest stage of their sleep, suggesting that the food reduced their sleep quality

News

Free

white young man with hat eating a pizza with vegetables on a wooden table

Health

Does covid-19 affect pregnancies and do the vaccines reduce any risks?

News

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Humans

Babies can identify people's faces from just 4 months old

News

Subscriber-only

Environment

How a UK river serves as a natural lab for flood defence research

News

Free

Life

Seagulls choose their meals based on what people nearby are eating

News

Free

Life

Seagulls choose their meals based on what people nearby are eating

News

Free

Technology

US police are selling seized phones with personal data still on them

News

Subscriber-only

Life

5000 species not known elsewhere live in area set for deep-sea mining

News

Free

Environment

Common compostable plastic fails to break down after a year at sea

News

Free

Technology

AI is a key issue in negotiations between actors and Hollywood studios

News

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Technology

Capital letter test is a foolproof way of sorting AIs from humans

News

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Life

How to avoid deer fly bites, according to science

News

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Life

Migrating bats use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate in the dark

News

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Environment

Tumble dryers shed hundreds of tonnes of microfibres into waterways

News

Free

Health

Man with paralysis can walk by activating spine implants with his mind

News

Free

Analysis

Health

Why we should do more to protect frogs and toads

Amphibians could help cure our ills, from diabetes to fungal infections – if they don't go extinct first, says Matthew Gould

Comment

Subscriber-only

Why we should do more to protect frogs and toads

Environment

Why I can once again eat cheese with a clear conscience

Comment

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Health

mRNA trial shows promise for these therapies to revolutionise medicine

Analysis

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Aperture

Comment

See the magnificent but melting glaciers of the Rwenzori mountains

Spanning Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the glaciers of this little-studied mountain range may vanish this decade. These stunning photographs capture them before they disappear

Regulars

Free

A shoulder of Alexandra Peak, the second heighest peak in the Rwenzori range, as seen from Margherita Peak. In the valley between the two peaks lies Stanley Glacier. The glacier was once so high that guides could lead clients across it on a gentle walk between the peaks. Today the face of the mountain is exposed as the glacier dies.

Features

Health

How you can use the power of exercise to feel better and think clearer

We know that exercising is good for the brain. But now that we understand why, we can say what kinds of workouts maximise the brain-boosting powers of physical exertion

Features

Subscriber-only

How you can use the power of exercise to feel better and think clearer

Environment

Peter Singer on animal rights, octopus farms and why AI is speciesist

Features

Subscriber-only

Space

We are finally closing in on the cosmic origins of the “OMG particle”

Features

Subscriber-only

Culture

Comment

The Limits of Genius review: What made Newton and Einstein stupid?

Being a genius doesn't stop you looking directly at an eclipse or letting a trivial row prevent you finding a planet, says Katie Spalding in her new book

Culture

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A painting of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, in London, 1767, wearing a blue suit with elaborate gold braid and buttons, a far cry from the simple dress he affected when he served as ambassador to France in later years. During his time in London, Franklin was the leading voice of American interests in England. He wrote popular essays on behalf of the colonies and was instrumental in securing the repeal of the 1765 Stamp Act. The painting is by David Martin and is currently on display in the White House. The bust on the left side is that of Isaac Newton. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Comment

New Scientist recommends: Curtis Sittenfeld's new pandemic romcom

Culture

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Comment

Tin Can review: Fix your escape pod in this fantastic video game

Culture

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Comment

Blue Machine review: Earth's ocean as a giant engine

Culture

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More

Space

How to spot Ophiuchus, the thirteenth zodiacal constellation

Often referred to as the thirteenth sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus sits alongside Sagittarius and Scorpius. Now is a great time to spot it, says Abigail Beall

Regulars

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2CNWGJN Ophiuchus star constellation, Night sky, Cluster of stars, Deep space,?Serpentarius, Serpent bearer

Puzzle #224: Can you find the ring inside the Russian dolls?

Regulars

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Tom Gauld: Is our entire reality a simulation?

Regulars

Free

Twisteddoodles on the search for life and love

Regulars

Free

Regulars

Hidden jerk and where to find it

Feedback explores the links between jerk (hidden and otherwise), bamboo chopsticks and spaghetti, and admires a quietly charming graphical abstract

Regulars

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Hidden jerk and where to find it

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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