25 July 2020 | New Scientist | 53The back pages Puzzles
Quick
Crossword #62
AnswersCryptic crossword #36 Set by Wingding Quick quiz #61
ACROSS 1 Ardipithecus, 10 Allegro,
11/26 Darwin’s bulldog, 12 Lobes,
13 Pandemic, 15 Percentile, 16 Echo,
18 Acre, 20 Pitchstone, 22 Tendrils,
24 Adler, 27 Abiotic, 28 Text-To-SpeechDOWN 2 Roll bar, 3 Ingested, 4 Igor,
5 Hydraulics, 6 Cured, 7 Seismic,
8 Fallopian tube, 9 Psychometrics,
14 Strip light, 17 Astatine, 19 Ringlet,
21 Oolitic, 23 Radix, 25 Mars1 The European eel (Anguilla
anguilla) is thought to breed in what
shoreless sea, 6000 kilometres
from its native waters?2 If consumed raw, eel blood
causes what toxic shock reaction
in people?3 China is estimated to have
become the world’s largest eel
consumer in 2007, although the
numbers are slippery. What country
did it overtake?4 In what way is the name “electric
eel” misleading?5 With what interpretation of
quantum theory does Mark Oliver
Everett, singer-songwriter of US rock
band Eels, share a progenitor?Answers on page 54The last word
Why don’t trees get
really wide? Readers
respond p56Feedback
Social distancing
with Australia’s
deadly fauna p55Cartoons
Life through the lens
of Tom Gauld and
Twisteddoodles p54Puzzle
A stripy flag, a pair
of scissors and a
problem to solve p54Scribble
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newscientist.com/crosswords ACROSS
1 US author excluding one with good accent (5)
4 Source of poison has hair on the edge (7)
8 Endlessly request basic reproduction number
under laboratory conditions (2,5)
9 Bit of coriander stalk making
religious doctrine (5)
10 Instrument supplied by top bloke on
the regular (4)
11 Possibly a bacterium with sexual partner,
one under lockdown? (8)
13/14 Do housework and stretch, short of
energy, as a means of ventilation (4,4)
19 Encourage study covering last three
components of blood clot (8)
21 See 7 Down
22 Teacher went for a dip before one (5)
23 See 3 Down
25 Livestock farmer dashed towards singer (7)
26 New Scientist, perhaps, with a degree?
Hot stuff! (5)DOWN
1 Moon has sci-fi film about it (6)
2 Part of valve Oliver kept in pockets (7)
3/23 Across Instinct to pull back and charge fish (3,7)
4 Hang around capital of Ohio for president (6)
5 Part of fungus indicated by setter’s clue?
I’m baffled (8)
6 A stone circle erected, ending in Greece (5)
7/21 Poor blind Yankee giving away lotus root
for source of protein (6,4)
12 Member of school supporting fossil fuel,
a resource in the Atlantic (8)
15 Headless giant with dark side, gradually
at first showing his age (7)
16 See 20 Down
17 Cow’s successor absorbs iron (6)
18 Organic compound rising over top of
glass - it’s a mystery (6)
20/16 Artisan beer cocktail? That’s puzzling (5,6)
24 Apples start falling out as boy climbs tree (3)