Issue 3551 | Magazine cover date: 12 July 2025

12 July 2025

Issue 3551

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On the cover

Features

Rapid bursts of ageing are causing a total rethink of how we grow old

'Flashes of brilliance and frustration': I let an AI agent run my day

Evolution has made humans both Machiavellian and born socialists

News

Single antiviral shot could offer better protection than flu vaccines

Ancient DNA reveals make-up of Roman Empire’s favourite sauce

Interstellar comet hurtling through solar system named 3I/ATLAS

Fig trees may benefit climate by turning carbon dioxide into stone

AI could be about to completely change the way we do mathematics

'Hybrid' skull may have been a child of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens

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Technology

Will we ever feel comfortable with AIs taking on important tasks?

Comment

Illustration depicting runners on a track

Health

Rapid bursts of ageing are causing a total rethink of how we grow old

Features

Humans

Evolution has made humans both Machiavellian and born socialists

Features

Technology

'Flashes of brilliance and frustration': I let an AI agent run my day

Features

Leaders

Technology

Will we ever feel comfortable with AIs taking on important tasks?

An example from the history of mathematics shows how views on the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence can quickly start to change

Comment

News

Life

Protocells self-assembling on micrometeorites hint at origins of life

Micrometeorites are thought to shower down on planets throughout the universe, so the discovery that they help protocells form could tell us something about the chances of life elsewhere

News

Health

Altered gut microbiome linked to fertility issues in people with PCOS

News

Life

Orcas are bringing humans gifts – what does it mean?

News

Health

Single antiviral shot could offer better protection than flu vaccines

News

Health

Polycystic ovary syndrome may be passed on via chemical tags on DNA

News

Technology

Typos and slang spur AI to discourage seeking medical care

News

Environment

Shrinking Antarctic sea ice is warming the ocean faster than expected

News

Environment

Vegan cheese could be about to get a lot closer to the real thing

News

Space

Stunning image of a supernova reveals a dead star that exploded twice

News

Health

Nighttime light exposure linked to heart disease in largest study yet

News

Humans

Ancient DNA reveals make-up of Roman Empire’s favourite sauce

News

Space

Bioplastic habitats on Mars could be built from algae

News

Space

Interstellar comet hurtling through solar system named 3I/ATLAS

News

Humans

An ancient Egyptian's complete genome has been read for the first time

News

Humans

Prehistoric Spanish people transported 2-tonne stone by boat

News

Health

Weird 'harmless' microbes may play a pivotal role in colorectal cancer

News

Technology

Quantum-enhanced supercomputers are starting to do chemistry

News

Technology

Quantum computers are surprisingly random – but that's a good thing

News

Technology

Cyberattacks could exploit home solar panels to disrupt power grids

News

Environment

Fig trees may benefit climate by turning carbon dioxide into stone

News

Mathematics

AI could be about to completely change the way we do mathematics

News

Humans

'Hybrid' skull may have been a child of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens

News

Aperture

Life

Stunningly intimate octopus image wins aquatic photography prize

Kat Zhou has won the Aquatic Life category in the 2025 BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition, while a shot of a death-defying leap by a lemur took the top prize

Regulars

Features

Health

Rapid bursts of ageing are causing a total rethink of how we grow old

Suddenly feeling old? Evidence now suggests that rather than a long, steady decline, we dramatically age around three specific times in our lives. Might it be possible to stay younger for longer?

Features

Technology

'Flashes of brilliance and frustration': I let an AI agent run my day

Features

Humans

Evolution has made humans both Machiavellian and born socialists

Features

Culture

Comment

Foundation's new season has dramatic potential – but sadly falls flat

Foundation's new series is full of new characters and dramatic potential. But instead of mining those rich seams, too many plotlines have become shallow and absurd. It's hard to see a good show go bad, says Bethan Ackerley

Culture

Humans

Provocative new book says we must persuade people to have more babies

Culture

Technology

Slay the new slang: check out a guide to social media’s baffling lingo

Culture

New Scientist recommends Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel Atmosphere

Culture

Space

The cosmos is vast, so how do we measure it?

The awe-inspiring distances of the cosmos are hard to visualise, so how can we be certain we are measuring them correctly? Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explains

Comment

Health

The unexpected benefits of wall squats and other isometric exercises

Comment

BrainTwister #81: Consecutive squares

Regulars

Health

Plans to genetically screen newborns for rare diseases are problematic

Comment

Tom Gauld on the lifecycle of scientific papers

Regulars

Twisteddoodles: Twenty generations of selective breeding later...

Regulars

Comment

Is this the raciest conference invite ever?

Feedback has been invited to an event next year in Shaoxing, China. It's an academic conference promising "revolutionary thinkers who are redefining human intimacy through cutting-edge robotics and AI"

Regulars

This week's magazine

12 July 2025

On the cover

Technology

Will we ever feel comfortable with AIs taking on important tasks?

Health

Rapid bursts of ageing are causing a total rethink of how we grow old

Humans

Evolution has made humans both Machiavellian and born socialists

Technology

'Flashes of brilliance and frustration': I let an AI agent run my day

Table of contents

Leaders

Technology

Will we ever feel comfortable with AIs taking on important tasks?

News

Life

Protocells self-assembling on micrometeorites hint at origins of life

Health

Altered gut microbiome linked to fertility issues in people with PCOS

Life

Orcas are bringing humans gifts – what does it mean?

Health

Single antiviral shot could offer better protection than flu vaccines

Health

Polycystic ovary syndrome may be passed on via chemical tags on DNA

Technology

Typos and slang spur AI to discourage seeking medical care

Environment

Shrinking Antarctic sea ice is warming the ocean faster than expected

Environment

Vegan cheese could be about to get a lot closer to the real thing

Space

Stunning image of a supernova reveals a dead star that exploded twice

Health

Nighttime light exposure linked to heart disease in largest study yet

Humans

Ancient DNA reveals make-up of Roman Empire’s favourite sauce

Space

Bioplastic habitats on Mars could be built from algae

Space

Interstellar comet hurtling through solar system named 3I/ATLAS

Humans

An ancient Egyptian's complete genome has been read for the first time

Humans

Prehistoric Spanish people transported 2-tonne stone by boat

Health

Weird 'harmless' microbes may play a pivotal role in colorectal cancer

Technology

Quantum-enhanced supercomputers are starting to do chemistry

Technology

Quantum computers are surprisingly random – but that's a good thing

Technology

Cyberattacks could exploit home solar panels to disrupt power grids

Environment

Fig trees may benefit climate by turning carbon dioxide into stone

Mathematics

AI could be about to completely change the way we do mathematics

Humans

'Hybrid' skull may have been a child of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens

Aperture

Life

Stunningly intimate octopus image wins aquatic photography prize

Features

Health

Rapid bursts of ageing are causing a total rethink of how we grow old

Technology

'Flashes of brilliance and frustration': I let an AI agent run my day

Humans

Evolution has made humans both Machiavellian and born socialists

Culture

Comment

Foundation's new season has dramatic potential – but sadly falls flat

Humans

Provocative new book says we must persuade people to have more babies

Technology

Slay the new slang: check out a guide to social media’s baffling lingo

New Scientist recommends Taylor Jenkins Reid's novel Atmosphere

More

Space