FROM THE EDITOR

COVER: MAGIC TORCH THIS PAGE: WILL AMLOT, ALAMY,

Fire and water

BOCA CHICA, TEXAS

Feathering the nest

ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Tomatoes off the vine

WAGENINGEN, NETHERLANDS

FEEDBACK

YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND OUR MAGAZINE

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER HOW YOUNG BLOOD REJUVENATES AGEING BRAINS

NEUROSCIENCE

NEW STUDY FORCES RETHINK ON HOW THE HIMALAYAS BECAME SO TALL

GEOLOGY

SCIENTISTS A STEP CLOSER TO DECODING THE CREATIVE PROCESS

NEUROSCIENCE

COLOSSAL EXTINCT WHALE COULD BE THE HEAVIEST ANIMAL OF ALL TIME

PALAEONTOLOGY

WALKING JUST 5,000 STEPS A DAY IS ENOUGH TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF DEATH

MEDICINE

SEE THE WINNING IMAGES FROM THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION PHOTO COMPETITION

NATURE

REPRODUCTION IN SPACE

HORIZONS

THE SECRET TO COMEDY MAY BE A BUSY JUNCTION IN YOUR BRAIN

COMMENT

THERE’S A MONSTER IN OUR BACK YARD, BUT IT’S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT

COMMENT

THINKING OF SEXUAL DESIRE AS AN ON/OFF SWITCH ISN’T HELPING ANYBODY

COMMENT

GROUP EXERCISE: WHY WORKING OUT WITH OTHERS COULD BE THE KEY TO GREATER FITNESS

REVIEW

TECH-FREE BREAKS: A NEW WAY TO BEAT BURNOUT?

REALITY CHECK

20MPH SPEED LIMITS: GOING SLOWER SAVES LIVES IN CITIES

REALITY CHECK

Google Pixel Fold: The phone that’s learning to walk before it runs

REVIEW

AI is helping scammers try to trick you. Here’s how you can stop them

INTERVIEW

Ideas we like…

Our pick of the month’s smartest tech

SAVE 40%

WHY DO MUSICIANS PULL SUCH WEIRD FACES WHEN THEY PLAY?

DONALD HODGES, VIA EMAIL

ARE THERE ANY NATURAL SLUG REPELLENTS?

LORNA ANDERSON, BIRMINGHAM

WHAT IS A RAINBOW TREE?

LESLIE WILLIS, SALFORD

PURPLE FROG

NATURE’S WEIRDEST CREATURES

THE GREAT SQUARE OF PEGASUS

WHEN: LATE AUGUST – MID-SEPT-OCT 2023

HOW ARE UNDERWATER CROP CIRCLES MADE?

JERMAINE REYES, VIA EMAIL

HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD A TYRANNOSAURUS REX HAVE TO EAT TO SUSTAIN ITSELF?

MARIYAH SILVA, LISBON

WHY DO PUMPKINS GROW SO BIG?

JONNY MALONE, OHIO

HOW SURE ARE WE THAT FUSION REACTORS WILL ACTUALLY WORK?

JACQUELINE BURTON, WORCESTER

Digging for dinos

WHY DO I GET A LUMP IN MY THROAT WHEN I’M ABOUT TO CRY?

LOUISE WILSON, CUMBRIA

HOW CAN YOU SPOT A DEEPFAKE?

VICTORIA SHIELDS, VIA EMAIL

IS IT TRUE THAT AFRICA IS SPLITTING IN TWO?

CHRISTIAN BARKER, VIA EMAIL

THE EXPLAINER THE BRAIN

EXPLORE THE WONDERS OF YOUR GREY MATTER, THE ORGAN THAT MAKES YOU YOU

CROSSWORD

PENCILS AT THE READY!

Could an AI really beat humans in a real-life war?

There’s no need to worry about a robot uprising. We can always just pull the plug, right…? RIGHT? 

DISCOVERIES

“The time has come to pursue platelet factors in brain health and cognitive enhancement”

WHAT ’S FOR DINNER?

Despite being a nutritious and sustainable food source, insects have yet to find their way onto our plates in a significant way. But these farms in Italy have found another, more palatable, way to use the protein in bugs: by turning it into animal feed

ANOTHER EARTH

A LITTLE UNDER TWO YEARS AGO, THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE CHANGED OUR HORIZONS, ENABLING US TO SEE MORE THAN EVER. BUT EVEN BEFORE WEBB LAUNCHED, ITS SUCCESSORS WERE BEING DEVELOPED AND THIS NEXT GENERATION OF SPACE OBSERVATORIES WILL HAVE LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS FIRMLY IN THEIR SIGHTS

ALTERING REALITY… INSIDE AND OUT

Psychologists are exploring ways of treating mental health disorders by combining psychedelics and virtual reality