New Scientist - USA (2020-03-21)

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21 March 2020 | New Scientist | 3

This week’s issue


20 An impossible law Many common crops are now illegal in France

Insight


Dear reader,
Firstly, as ever, thank you for reading.
Secondly, as will be obvious to
you, the emergence of this novel
coronavirus has led us into uncertain
times, and alongside every business
and institution in the world, we are
having to plan, on the basis of the
best data we have access to, for
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New Scientist already has plans
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possible, and to ensure the smooth
production of our journalism in the
event that public life is curtailed
even further in the days or weeks
ahead. We are also talking to all our
colleagues in our publishing and
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continued production of the magazine
in those circumstances.
We must also plan for the
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All the very best to you,
Emily Wilson, Editor

Coronavirus special
44 Inside the race
for a vaccine
10 What we now
know about the virus
8 Which country is
getting it right?

Vol 245 No 3274
Cover image: Chameleon
Pictures/Alamy

51 The science of noodles
34  Westworld returns
19  Bonehenge 18  Toad v scorpions
16  Cosmic nitrogen

News


On the
cover

Views


12 Pollution forecast
AI can predict levels of
harmful particles

14 Amazon destruction
Deforestation in Brazil
at record levels

15 A nudge on holiday
Virtual assistant pushes hotel
guests to use less energy

16 Born to run
Our ancestors may have
started to run earlier than
we thought

25 Comment
Christel Cederberg and Hayo
van der Werf on environmental
concerns about organic farms

26 The columnist
James Wong serves up his
verdict on the latest food scare

28 Aperture
A puzzling crater on Mars

30 Letters
Readers ponder possible
impacts of the pandemic

32 Culture
How do you solve a problem
like a Marie Curie biopic?

Features


51 Science of cooking
Make tasty, hand-pulled noodles

52 Puzzles
Cryptic crossword, a candle
problem and the quiz

53 Feedback
Stockpiling stories and pig
pedometers: the week in weird

54 Almost the last word
The smell of rust, and radio
interference: readers respond

56 The Q&A
Kate Darling on how we feel
about animals and robots

36 World’s oldest city
A stunning east Asian culture
is rewriting human history

41 Wonderful wasps
Why one of our least loved
animals deserves a rebrand

44 Inside the race
for a vaccine
Can new techniques
deliver a coronavirus
vaccine in record time?

The back pages


36 World’s oldest city
Could Liangzhu be the
true cradle of civilisation?

15 Life under a red sun
Nearest star system to ours
may be habitable after all

41 Wonderful wasps
Just like bees, but with terrible PR

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