New Scientist - USA (2020-09-26)

2 | New Scientist | 26 September 2020

THE sharp-eyed among you

will have already noticed a few

changes to the Back Pages

section of the magazine.

In the last issue we welcomed

back Abigail Beall’s Stargazing

at home column, in which she

explained how to see a SpaceX

Starlink satellite. Her column

will now appear every four

weeks, on a rotation with three

other columns, two new ones

and another returning favourite.

This week it’s the turn of

a fresh offering, Science of

gardening, written by medical

reporter/allotmenteer Clare

Wilson. She begins with a trend

in architecture to cover walls

with plants to help insulate

buildings, soak up rain and give

wildlife more space. However,

this usually requires complex

structures to support the soil.

There is another way to get

these benefits, though, which

Clare tells you about on page 51.

Next week will be Layal

Liverpool’s turn with another

new column, Citizen Science,

in which she investigates the

most interesting collaborative

science projects and explains

how to get involved. Her first

instalment will look at a scheme

that has recruited millions of

people to help us fight covid-19.

The final part of the quartet

will be a return of Sam Wong’s

very popular Science of cooking.

We hope you enjoy!

Emily Wilson

New Scientist editor

Get some headspace Expert tips on keeping your brain healthy

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Down in the dust Sam Wong explains how rovers hunt life on Mars

The fourth dimension The way your mind manipulates time

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How to keep your

brain healthy (even

in a pandemic)

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson

reveals how lifestyle habits can

make a difference. Discover the

science behind this and get

practical advice. Thursday

15 October at 6pm BST/

1pm EDT/on-demand.

newscientist.com/events

Weekly

The race to find life on Venus;

coronavirus set to claim the lives

of 1 million people; the extinction

crisis; how the brain slows time.

newscientist.com/podcasts

Health Check

Our free newsletter rounds up health

and fitness news. This week: what

the pandemic’s future may look like.

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Life on Mars?

This week’s Science with Sam

explains how Perseverance, NASA’s

latest Mars rover, will look for signs

of ancient life.

youtube.com/newscientist

Covid-19 daily briefing

The day’s coronavirus coverage

updated at 6pm BST with news,

features and interviews.

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A note from

the editor

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