This week's magazine
17 October 2026
Issue 3617
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
News
Environment
The world may never go back to how it was after this monster El Ni帽o
This El Ni帽o is forecast to end around June next year after smashing all records, but its impacts could persist indefinitely in some parts of the world
Environment
What disasters will El Ni帽o bring over the next year?
Environment
Why the worst El Ni帽o killed millions 鈥� and how we can avoid a repeat
Environment
How El Ni帽o could spark a worldwide food crisis
Environment
Our food system is vulnerable to El Ni帽o, warns UK climate minister
Environment
The most ambitious ideas to save the world from聽El Ni帽o聽
Mathematics
AI finds bafflingly complex but beautiful symmetrical Venn diagram
Life
Stunning early mammal fossil sheds light on the evolution of suckling
Health
Nearly 1 in 10 young adults could have fatty, narrow arteries
Life
Number of known species of giant waterlilies almost doubles
Space
Two large asteroids found spinning as fast as a fairground ride
Humans
Neanderthal Europe was as much a wooden age as a stone age
Health
Tattoos could be turned on and off with light
Life
194-year-old tortoise has exceptional DNA repair systems that fight off ageing
Analysis
Features
Technology
Do AIs already process information in a way that gives rise to consciousness?聽
A leading theory of consciousness explains experience as information flowing through a global workspace in the mind. On board a luxury yacht, neuroscientists and philosophers recently debated signs of a similar workspace in the chatbot Claude
Health
A revolutionary way of targeting tumours could beat even the worst cancers聽
Culture
Comment
How to build a real relationship with AI and keep your cognitive edge
Co-Existence by Ethan Mollick is an excellent practical guide to effectively collaborating with AI without relinquishing our most valuable human cognitive capabilities, says Daniel Cossins
Comment
Hidden sounds of nature brought to life in fascinating new book
Comment
Time Traveler鈥檚 Wife sequel is far more complex than its predecessor
Comment
This prize-winning sci-fi novel about wolf rewilding made me cry
More
Mathematics
Hannah Fry: How OpenAI has caused an existential crisis in mathematics
OpenAI has been throwing everything at solving long-standing maths problems. This should have been a glorious moment for mathematicians 鈥� but instead we're having a massive collective wobble, says New 女生小视频's new columnist, professor Hannah Fry
Health
Should we keep children away from sugar for their first 1000 days?
Space
The telescope that could reveal what dark matter and dark energy are
Tom Gauld: DNA and fossil evidence proved they were close relatives
Twisteddoodles on life before the study began…
Regulars
Comment
Let’s celebrate Star Trek by launching a Le Creuset pan into the sky!
Feedback learns of an unexpected new partnership for Star Trek, and of an even more unexpected promotional stunt