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Elsewhere on New Scientist

Ask a silly question • Exploring the peculiarities of human physiology can bring serious benefits

New Scientist Australian Edition

Asteroid dust ready for its close-up

Ancient ecosystem revealed • Analysis of rocks in South Africa reveals a network of organisms thriving in the sea 3.4 billion years ago, adding to evidence for an even earlier origin of life, finds Michael Marshall

Endometriosis takes six years to be diagnosed due to a lack of awareness

Slim hope remains for resuscitating ailing moon lander

First ‘thermodynamic computer’ • A prototype computer harnesses random physical fluctuations – or noise – to run calculations

Seaweed could help avert global famine after a nuclear war

Life expectancy gap between men and women is closing

Humans reached China thousands of years earlier than we thought

Analysis Technology • What does Ukraine’s million-drone army mean for the future of war? In 2024, the besieged nation is likely to have more drones than soldiers in its armed forces. It is changing the way war is waged, finds David Hambling

Mass death of elephant seal pups raises fears of bird flu spreading in mammals

Mild haemophilia may add an extra year or two to life

Seabed trawling is a major source of global CO₂ emissions

Beeping shoes boost walking ability in Parkinson’s disease

‘Quantum vortex’ mimics black holes • Researchers have made a surprisingly large quantum vortex in a tank of superfluid helium

Megalodon was nothing like a giant great white shark

AI cracks hard maths • An AI from Google DeepMind scores almost as well as the best students on geometry questions from the International Mathematical Olympiad, finds Alex Wilkins

Fertilisers add microplastics into agricultural soil

Kimchi and cheeses can contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria

How tardigrades survive extremes

Reddit can predict crypto price changes

Being better at navigation isn’t down to evolution

Really brief

Why so squeamish? • Describing menstrual products using terms like sanitary towels reinforces the trope that menstruation is dirty. It’s time to stop, says Jen Gunter

This changes everything • The Rip Van Winkle of pedagogy Returning to university teaching after almost two decades, Annalee Newitz discovers the trials and tribulations of learning management systems

Battery blues

Your letters

Against the odds • Katalin Karikó’s work on mRNA was dismissed for years before it led to life-saving covid-19 vaccines. Clare Wilson follows her path to a Nobel prize

Cultural takeover • Algorithms are robbing us of agency and identity, says a disturbing new book. But there are ways to resist, discovers Alex Wilkins

New Scientist recommends

The TV column • Armchair travels Some urbanites feel like nature-travel shows almost come from another planet, while others worry they encourage harmful tourism. Luckily, Simon Reeve’s excellent new series puts conservation to the fore, says Bethan Ackerley

MYSTERIOUS YOU • The human body is incredibly complex, with the latest estimates suggesting we each contain some 400 different kinds of cells across 60 different tissues. Science has given us an intimate understanding of their intricate workings, revolutionising our...