ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ As climate crisis grows, vaccine push shows we can turn things around A CRISIS urgently needs solving. Science can provide the tools to help, but we must be willing to change our lifestyles. Solutions will be very expensive, yet the cost of inaction is even higher. This isn't the first time we have drawn parallels between climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. We first did so in … News
Physics Google researchers made a time crystal inside a quantum computer A processor for Google's Sycamore quantum computer A unique phase of matter called a time crystal, which can in theory flip between two configurations forever with no energy input necessary, has been created inside a quantum computer built by Google. It is one of the first real-world problems solved by a quantum computer, and could … News
Humans Why are so many records being broken at the Tokyo Olympics? THE Tokyo Olympics have brought some of the fastest times ever seen on the athletics track. At an astonishing number of races, athletes are beating personal bests along with national, Olympic and world records. Elaine Thompson-Herah set a new Olympic record in the women’s 100 metres, breaking Florence Griffith Joyner’s record set over 33 years … News
Earth Sea snot swirls in Turkey's Sea of Marmara reach record size Photographer Muhammed Enes Yildirim Agency Anadolu Agency/Getty Images THE striking swirls in this shot of the Sea of Marmara, in north-west Turkey, represent one of the latest examples of the destructive effects of pollution. Last month, photographer Muhammed Enes Yildirim used a drone to capture these mesmerising patterns, which are formed by what is known … Regulars
Humans The surprising ways the place where you work affects your performance Your brain is exquisitely sensitive to your surroundings, tuning into external cues and distractions whether you like it or not. Understanding how this happens could change the way we work Features
How astronomer Vera Rubin shone light on dark matter and fought sexism Vera Rubin at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1965 Book Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond: The life of astronomer Vera Rubin Ashley Jean Yeager VERA RUBIN began her career at a time when women were denied access to telescopes at leading observatories. Eventually her work helped scientists rethink the content of the … Culture
Puzzle #126: Which weighing machine is faulty? #126 More chocs-a-weigh Quality Control at the WonderSnack chocolate factory used to have a problem with one of the six machines that produce 200 gram chocolate bars (see puzzle #109 Chocs-a-weigh, 17 April , p 52). That faulty machine has been scrapped, but Hazel Nutt, the new quality control manager, has discovered that the same … Regulars
What to do when sharing a golf course with a crocodile Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Regulars