On sale date: 5th December 2017
Issue: 316
Unlocking the secrets of the brain
What laboratory-grown ‘mini brains’ can tell us about our own grey matter and the diseases that afflict it..
Science hacks for a perfect Christmas
Get yourself a serious dose of Yuletide knowledge, from cooking the perfect turkey to optimising your tinsel-to-fairylight ratio.
Maths vs terrorism
Could data-crunching warn us about the next major attack before it actually happens? New research suggests it just might.
Meet the modern-day mammoth hunters
Mammoth tusks are worth a lot of money – and Siberia has thousands of them, spawning an illegal trade with nasty consequences.
Can we trust AI?
Computer scientist Peter Bentley on the inscrutability of the form of AI known as deep learning. PLUS Garry Kasparov on the dangers of artificial intelligence.
Q&A
- Is vaping safe?
- Why did we evolve an imagination?
- Does sea air really help you sleep?
- Why do beavers build dams?
Plus
Eye opener- Amazing images from around the planet.
Discoveries- This month’s biggest science news.
Innovations- A look back at the year in technology.
Helen Czerski- Why aerosol deodorants make your skin feel cold.
Out there- Meet the neuroscientist who’s giving this year’s Christmas Lectures. Plus: the year’s best science books.
Crossword- Get that grey matter churning!
My life scientific- An interview with plant biologist Raj Lada from the Christmas Tree Research Centre.
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