Exoplanets The first planet beyond the solar system confirmed to have waterThe Economist ExoplanetsThe first planet beyond the solar system confirmed to have water SINCE ITS discovery by astronomers in 2015, the exoplanet K2-18b has …
Aging Uncovering how the body ages is leading to drugs to reverse itThe Economist Fountain of youthUncovering how the body ages is leading to drugs to reverse it IN 2016 A startup in California called Ambrosia began offering its …
Chemicals The sound of sand reveals its sourceThe Economist LIFT A SHELL from the sand to your ear and everyone knows you can hear the sea. But listen carefully enough and you can hear shells in the sand too. …
Volocopter Flying taxis are taking off to whisk people around citiesThe Economist Urban aviationFlying taxis are taking off to whisk people around cities IN OCTOBER 1908, on a windy field at Farnborough, south-west of London, a …
Neanderthals Neanderthals had a propensity for earache, nudging them to their doomThe Economist Human evolutionNeanderthals had a propensity for earache, nudging them to their doom A new analysis of their skulls points to an anatomical problem THE …
Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence is changing every aspect of warThe Economist A new type of arms race could be on the cards AS THE NAVY plane swooped low over the jungle, it dropped a bundle of devices into the canopy below. …
Science (India) Bangalore, we have a problemThe Economist India’s effort to land on the Moon may be stillborn The world’s second-largest nation held its breath. Scores of engineers at mission control in …
Farming New ways to make vertical farming stack upThe Economist Cultivating fresh produce in an artificial environment is getting cheaper FROM THE outside it looks like a tall, metal-clad barn. But step in, through …
Research Cerebral organoids are becoming more brainlikeThe Economist Like real brains, they show signs of synchronous electrical activity AT WHAT POINT does a mass of nerve cells growing in a laboratory Petri dish …
News (U.S.) A scientific study has established that there is no “gay gene”The Economist Genetics and sexualityA scientific study has established that there is no “gay gene” IN 1993 A region of the human genome called Xq28 was linked to …
Neutron Stars Gravitational astronomy proves its maturityThe Economist With the sighting of a merger between a black hole and a neutron star ON AUGUST 14TH, just after 9pm Universal Time, a ripple of gravitational waves …
An accident in Russia points to the risks of atomic aviationThe Economist Nuclear propulsionAn accident in Russia points to the risks of atomic aviation IN 1957 WORK began on Project Pluto, a treetop-skimming American …
Leopard seals share their suppersThe Economist LEOPARD SEALS resemble their terrestrial namesakes in two ways. They have polka-dot pelts. And they are powerful, generally solitary carnivores that …
As face-recognition technology spreads, so do ideas for subverting itThe Economist Fooling Big BrotherAs face-recognition technology spreads, so do ideas for subverting it They work because machine vision and human vision are …
Two treatments for Ebola emerge from a clinical trial in AfricaThe Economist EbolaTwo treatments for Ebola emerge from a clinical trial in Africa NEWS ABOUT Ebola, a viral disease that kills up to 90% of those it infects, is …
No one has yet been killed by re-entering space junkThe Economist Space debris and safetyNo one has yet been killed by re-entering space junk EVERY DAY a tonne or two of defunct satellites, rocket parts and other …
A tale of elephants, ants, trees and fire shows how complex nature isThe Economist EcologyA tale of elephants, ants, trees and fire shows how complex nature is ECOLOGY IS A complicated thing. Given the facts that elephant damage …
Gloom from the climate-change front lineThe Economist AFTER 29 HOURS of uninterrupted negotiations the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), on how alterations in land …
How to wring power from the night airThe Economist Alternative energy sourcesHow to wring power from the night air SOLAR POWER is all very well, but it is available only during daylight hours. If …
Who did the Maya sacrifice?The Economist THE SACRED CENOTE, a sink hole in the limestone of the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico, pictured above, looks beautiful. But it holds a dark secret. …
Astronomers are probing faraway planets with greater sophisticationThe Economist IN THE DELUGE of planets found beyond the solar system over the past decade, those of system TOI-270 might not seem special. There are three of them, …
How to make a flat lensThe Economist “LENS” IS THE Latin word for lentil. And it is indeed true that the shape of bi-convex lenses—the familiar sort used as magnifying glasses—resembles …
Tree stumps can live on indefinitely...The Economist A LIVING STUMP sounds like something out of a horror movie. In fact, it is not unusual for a tree, deprived of its trunk and foliage by lightning, …
Greenhouse-gas emissions are increasing the frequency of heatwavesThe Economist EXTREME HEAT is ruinous to productivity, particularly if you are a criminal. Several American police forces posted messages to their social-media …
Heatwaves are more dangerous in citiesThe Economist AMERICA HAS been baking this weekend. An estimated 128m people along the East Coast and in the Midwest were affected by excessive-heat warnings on …
Alan Turing, a computing pioneer, will feature on Britain’s £50 notesThe Economist Celebrating inventorsAlan Turing, a computing pioneer, will feature on Britain’s £50 notes AT THE MOMENT, Bank of England £50 notes feature James …
Elon Musk wants to link brains directly to machinesThe Economist Brain-machine interfacesElon Musk wants to link brains directly to machines A device worn behind the ear might send your thoughts to your devices ELON …
Is it time to go back to the Moon?The Economist Lunar explorationIs it time to go back to the Moon? ON MARCH 26TH Mike Pence, America’s vice-president, gave a speech at the US Space & Rocket Centre …
A new type of engine for electric carsThe Economist AT THE DAWN of the motor industry one of its pioneers, Ferdinand Porsche, caused a sensation at the Paris World Fair in 1900 with a vehicle driven by …
