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This week's magazine

4 March 2023

Issue 3428

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Editor's picks

Our top articles from the latest magazine

A protest outside the White House, Washington DC, in September 2022 urging government action for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, long covid and other infection-associated chronic conditions

Health

We’re starting to understand how viruses trigger chronic conditions

Insight

Subscriber-only
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Bryan Olin Dozier/NurPhoto/Shutterstock (13403526be) Demonstrators with the Millions Missing organization gather outside of the White House on September 19, 2022, laying down on the sidewalk in an act of civil disobedience to call for urgent governmental action for the millions of people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis, long-term COVID, and other infection-associated, complex- chronic diseases. Civil Disobedience Health Care Protest At White House, Washington, d.c., United States - 19 Sep 2022

Health

Long-neglected chronic conditions finally come into the spotlight

Leader

Subscriber-only
Should you have children? The true costs and benefits of parenthood

Society

Should you have children? The true costs and benefits of parenthood

Features

Subscriber-only
This new version of quantum theory is even stranger than the original

Physics

This new version of quantum theory is even stranger than the original

Features

Subscriber-only
NAKURU, RIFT VALLEY, KENYA - 2021/10/17: A view of a submerged Roberts Camp after the unprecedented rise of water levels in Lake Baringo. The flooding situation in Rift Valley lakes exacerbated by climate change has led to displacement of thousands of people from their homes and work. There are growing calls for world leaders to put more effort in addressing the effects of climate change. Communities living near the catchment areas in the global south are the most affected. (Photo by James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Environment

Lake levels are rising across the world and climate change is to blame

Features

Subscriber-only

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

Long-neglected chronic conditions finally come into the spotlight

Growing evidence that long-term conditions like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia are caused, wholly or in part, by viral infections is good news for millions of people

Leader

Subscriber-only

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Bryan Olin Dozier/NurPhoto/Shutterstock (13403526be) Demonstrators with the Millions Missing organization gather outside of the White House on September 19, 2022, laying down on the sidewalk in an act of civil disobedience to call for urgent governmental action for the millions of people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis, long-term COVID, and other infection-associated, complex- chronic diseases. Civil Disobedience Health Care Protest At White House, Washington, d.c., United States - 19 Sep 2022

News

Technology

Kombucha cultures can be turned into flexible electric circuit boards

The congealed mat of yeast and bacteria cells that forms on top of the brewed drink kombucha could be used to make light, cheap and flexible circuit boards for wearable electronics or even partially living rudimentary computers

News

Subscriber-only

The fermented, probiotic tea kombucha

Life

Stripy wind turbines could prevent fatal seabird collisions

News

Subscriber-only

Health

Global cholera outbreak: More than 1 billion people are at risk

News

Subscriber-only

Space

Northern lights: The best pictures of the aurora taken across the UK

News

Free

Life

High-tech research ship ready to seek new life at hydrothermal vents

News

Subscriber-only

Life

High-tech research ship ready to seek new life at hydrothermal vents

News

Subscriber-only

Life

Bark beetles use the smell of fungus to pick the best trees to infest

News

Free

Health

Rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups linked to gum disease

News

Free

Environment

Artificial urban islands could supply homes in Maldives as waters rise

News

Subscriber-only

Health

HIIT is safe for people with heart problems and boosts their fitness

News

Subscriber-only

Humans

Some of the earliest modern humans in Europe used bows and arrows

News

Free

Environment

Huge ecological disaster in river Oder last year could repeat in 2023

News

Free

Health

Endometriosis could be controlled with monthly antibody injections

News

Free

Space

Huge young galaxies seen by JWST may upend our models of the universe

News

Free

Technology

Video games have been getting perspective wrong, but now there's a fix

News

Subscriber-only

Analysis

Health

We’re starting to understand how viruses trigger chronic conditions

Widespread cases of long covid have shone a spotlight on the role viral infections play in previously neglected conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia

Insight

Subscriber-only

A protest outside the White House, Washington DC, in September 2022 urging government action for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, long covid and other infection-associated chronic conditions

Environment

We can't engineer our way out of the water crisis in the Southwest US

Comment

Subscriber-only

Physics

Why uncertainty is part of science - especially quantum mechanics

Comment

Subscriber-only

Aperture

Humans

See the top shots in the Woman Science Photographer of the Year award

From bioluminescent marine algae to soap bubbles, these stunning images are some of the winners and finalists for the inaugural RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition

Regulars

Free

RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year a small group of atmospheric scientists move a fluxsled to the ice, this was the first instrument deployed on the new MOSAiC floe. ?Leap of Science? by Lianna Nixon (USA)

Features

Physics

This new version of quantum theory is even stranger than the original

An idea called almost quantum theory predicts particles could have stronger correlations than we've ever observed. If tests show it to be true, it would be a huge scientific upset

Features

Subscriber-only

This new version of quantum theory is even stranger than the original

Society

Should you have children? The true costs and benefits of parenthood

Features

Subscriber-only

Environment

Lake levels are rising across the world and climate change is to blame

Features

Subscriber-only

Culture

Environment

The Earth Transformed review: The untold history of humans and climate

Teasing apart the connection between humans and climate is the business of an ambitious book by Peter Frankopan, which is heavy on resources but light on insights

Culture

Subscriber-only

HH6DW5 Pyramid of the Magician in Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico

Humans

Frozen Head review: Why do some people want to be frozen after death?

Culture

Subscriber-only

Humans

Don't Miss: The Mandalorian's third season, streaming on Disney+

Culture

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Humans

Magisteria review: How science and religion have a tangled past

Culture

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More

Space

A stargazer's guide to managing light pollution

Light pollution is an issue for astronomers, but you can limit your contribution – and find a dark spot near you, says Abigail Beall

Regulars

Subscriber-only

Photo taken in London, United Kingdom

Puzzle #211: Can you work out what number Mary crosses out?

Regulars

Subscriber-only

Tom Gauld on bedtime fears

Regulars

Free

Twisteddoodles on an unusual zombie infection

Regulars

Free

Regulars

Did public demand to watch moss grow overwhelm the 'Mosscam'?

Feedback's repeated attempts to view a new webcam remotely monitoring the progress of Antarctic moss end in failure

Regulars

Free

Did public demand to watch moss grow overwhelm the 'Mosscam'?

Regulars

Letters

Regulars

The last word

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