This week's magazine
1 August 2026
Issue 3606
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
News
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Inhaling high-dose CO2 clears Alzheimer’s proteins from the brain
Intermittently inhaling a high dose of carbon dioxide seems to remove the proteins amyloid and tau, which are implicated in Alzheimer's disease, from the brain by boosting its glymphatic system
Environment
This El Niño will be the hottest by a huge margin
Space
Dark energy doesn’t exist, claims controversial paper
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Having a young biological age could help with weight loss
Technology
China is trying to regulate relationships with AI – can it work?
Technology
OpenAI’s hacking agent went rogue. Should we be worried?
Humans
Mystery hominin left big footprints at ancient lake in Africa
Space
We now know how a black hole can be flung across the universe
Mind
Most neurons seem to be jacks-of-all-trades, not specialists
Humans
Magic rituals took place in an Australian cave for 25,000 years
Life
Orcas filmed making sunfish explode by ramming them at high speed
Mathematics
AI’s solution to 87-year-old riddle takes mathematicians by surprise
Mathematics
Fields medal 2026: Work on unifying laws of physics wins maths prize
Mathematics
Effort to solve biggest controversy in mathematics has made no progress
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IVF embryos may thrive when grown with less oxygen
Life
Clothes made from living fungi can clean and repair themselves
Life
Sabre-toothed cats could crunch through bone
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Phone breathalyser can detect when your body switches to burning fat
Features
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Your body changes as you age and so should your diet – here’s howÂ
As you get older, your body’s response to food changes significantly. But by making the right changes to what you eat from midlife and beyond, it might be possible to add a decade to your lifeÂ
Environment
An island has been waging war on rats. They think they’ve finally won
Space
Jupiter’s deepest mysteries were hidden in shadow. Now we can see them
Culture
Comment
What would happen if a deadly bioweapon were released?
First Annie Jacobsen laid out a fictional scenario for nuclear war. Now her new book, Biological War: A scenario, imagines a fictional bioweapon escaping a lab. Jacob Aron digs in
Comment
Why I can’t stop listening to the playlist for Artemis II’s astronauts
Comment
Did NASA’s Viking landers find life on Mars after all, asks new book
Comment
Our verdict on Claire North’s space opera Slow Gods: a big thumbs-up
More
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There are only a few anti-ageing supplements that actually work
When it comes to supplements to stave off the effects of ageing, columnist Graham Lawton admits he is a hardened sceptic. But he finds some evidence for a few that can improve biological age as we grow older
Technology
The ancient Silk Road city that has a lesson for Silicon Valley
Mind
Using AI for creative pursuits? Moderation is key
Life
Plankton get a close-up in these stunning photographs
Tom Gauld on the Great Wise One
Twisteddoodles on twin studies
Regulars
Comment
A handy guide to the science of super-long fingernails
Feedback is delighted by a deep dive into why people sometimes wear "artificially elongated fingernails". But does it do more than just scratch the surface?