2020-02-01 New Scientist PDF
Preview 2020-02-01 New Scientist
OPEN Come in, we’re Online Shop shop.newscientist.com Discover a world of books and more for the scientifically minded New Scientist can... Subscription offer .y ...help make you fitter Get started by visiting newscientist.com/14154 Or call 1 888 822 3242, quoting reference 14154 Whether you want to get fitter, live healthier, change your perspective or just spark some winning conversation, New Scientist can help you week in week out. Subscribe and receive a FREE copy of our latest release, This Book Could Save Your Life – the ultimate scientific guide to living a longer, healthier life without faddy diets and unproven exercise crazes. FREE BOOK WORTH £14.99 Know more. Live better ...give you the edge ...blow your mind Free book available while stocks last. Only in specific countries What is consciousness? What is intelligence? Why do we sleep and dream? What causes cognitive decline? Where do our personalities come from? and many more Buy your copy from all good magazine retailers or digitally. MYSTERIES OF THE HUMAN BRAIN Explore the intricacies of the most complex object in the known universe with the latest issue of New Scientist: The Collection 1 February 2020 | New Scientist | 3 8 Wuhan coronavirus As the virus spreads, Chinese authorities are taking unprecedented action, including building a new hospital STR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES News 34 Features “ For all our efforts to pin it down, reality just keeps on getting bigger and more bewildering” On the cover 8 Wuhan coronavirus How bad is it likely to get? 44 Long-lost ancestors The ancient microbes shaking up the tree of life 9 Fusion in nine months UK prepares for first major test in decades Health Check Vol 245 No 3267 Cover image: Alexey Boldin/Shutterstock 34 What is reality? The more we look at it, the less real it seems 20 Getting Brexit done The science issues still to be solved 19 Superluminous supernova 18 Oldest ever fungi 31 Raised with chimps 19 Perfect coffee (according to maths) This week’s issue News Views Features 10 Organ engineering The race to make pig organs work for human transplants 14 Daredevil hominins Did Neanderthals climb up an active volcano? 16 Genome invasion We’ve caught a virus in the act of invading an animal genome for the first time 23 Comment It’s too late to ban face recognition, says Donna Lu 24 The columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on the Milky Way 26 Letters A unit for personal environmental impact 28 Aperture Art that recreates the beauty of precipitation 31 Culture The man who was raised alongside chimps 51 Science of cooking Preserve fish, meat and egg yolks 52 Puzzles Quick crossword, an elevator question and the quiz 53 Feedback Deadly drop bears and a pooch podcast: the week in weird 54 Almost the last word Cats, fish and water, and brain calories: readers respond 56 The Q&A Julie Sze on social and environmental justice 34 What is reality? Tackling the greatest intellectual challenge there is: the search for the meaning of everything 44 Long-lost ancestors A strange family of ancient microbes may change the very tree of life – and our place in it The back pages Get all the week’s health and fitness news in your inbox newscientist.com/ sign-up/health Take a step back from the everyday chores of being human to tackle the big – and small – questions about our nature, behaviour and existence. BEING HUMAN SECOND EDITION OF BEING HUMAN Buy your copy from all good magazine retailers or digitally. Find out more at newscientist.com/TheCollection 1 February 2020 | New Scientist | 5 A DEADLY new virus is spreading rapidly around the world. In a matter of weeks, we have seen almost 3000 people infected across at least 12 countries, and more than 80 deaths. But epidemiologists are warning that it has the potential to spread further and claim more lives. We know the airborne virus can spread between people, and Chinese researchers studying it have warned that it seems to be able to spread before symptoms show. That might explain why it is spreading so much faster than SARS did back in 2003 (see page 8). As New Scientist went to press, reports of the first possible cases of person-to-person transmission outside China were beginning to emerge. If SARS, MERS, Ebola or swine flu have taught us anything, it is that we need to be prepared. The reaction of national and international health agencies is key. The controversial decision by the World Health Organization to hold off on declaring a public health emergency of international concern is one it may come to regret – the agency is still facing criticism for its delayed response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. In the meantime, China is due some credit. The country has swiftly responded to the outbreak. Local health agencies reported the first suspicious cases back when there were only a handful of them, and the world has been updated on a daily basis since. The food market at the centre of the outbreak was shut and disinfected as soon as it was identified as a possible source. Chinese researchers not only sequenced the genome of the new virus in a matter of days, they also immediately shared their results with the international community. As a result, diagnostic kits exist in multiple countries. China’s lockdown of several cities is unprecedented, and certainly isn’t foolproof: it is impossible to fully stop the movement of people. But it is a big step in stemming the virus’s spread. Other countries, including the UK, have insisted they are prepared to deal with any outbreak. Let’s hope we won’t find out if that is true. ❚ Best we be prepared Fast action will help the world contain the new coronavirus The leader “ Chinese researchers sequenced the new virus in days and swiftly shared their results internationally” EDITORIAL Chief executive Nina Wright Finance director Amee Dixon Chief technology officer Chris Corderoy Marketing director Jo Adams Human resources Shirley Spencer HR coordinator Serena Robinson Facilities manager Ricci Welch Executive assistant Lorraine Lodge Receptionist Alice Catling Non-exec chair Bernard Gray Senior non-exec director Louise Rogers MANAGEMENT CONTACT US newscientist.com/contact General & media enquiries US Tel +1 617 283 3213 PO Box 80247, Portland, OR 97280 UK Tel +44 (0)20 7611 1200 25 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ES Australia 418A Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 US Newsstand Tel +1 973 909 5819 Distributed by Time Inc. 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