7 November 2020 | New Scientist | 1On the
coverFocus on coronavirus
7 Europe locks down again
as second-wave cases surge10 What went wrong
in Germany?12 How antibodies from
survivors could help save livesNews
Views
Features
15 Video call snooping
Software can guess what you
are typing during video calls18 Coral evolution
Animals found passing on
mutations outside sex cells
for the first time19 Titan’s weird molecule
Saturn’s moon Titan may
have building blocks for life23 Comment
The big problem with
online learning24 The columnist
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
peers into space-time26 Aperture
Spectacular red palm weevil
scoops top award28 Letters
Surely automation will
lead to fewer jobs?30 Culture
An exhibition unlocking
the Arctic’s hope51 Science of cooking
How to pair flavours like a pro52 Puzzles
Try our quick crossword,
quiz and brain-teaser54 Almost the last word
Sneezing in succession
and triple rainbows56 Feedback
Measuring buildings with
smartphones in 61 ways56 Twisteddoodles
for New Scientist
Picturing the lighter side of life34 Why we dream
The fictions we conjure while
asleep may do something more
profound than reinforce learning39 Seabed grab
We are on the verge of a new
era of marine exploitation44 Forgotten codes
Outdated computer software
underpins the modern world
and it is leading us into disasterThe back pages
15 Geological big bangs Earth’s tectonic plates sped up in the pastVol 248 No 3307
Cover image: Manuel Šumberac34 The true purpose
of our dreams
An intriguing new theory
about what goes on inside
our heads at night, and why44 Forgotten codes
The computer systems
that underpin our lives are
built on legacy software.
What happens when it fails?AL
EX
MUSTARD/NATURE
PICTU
RE
LIBRARY
/ALAMYNews
19 Viruses that make energy
32 Truth Seekers reviewed
14 Nuclear fusion but cooler
22 Comet with ice like candyflossThis week’s issue
44 Features
“ Choosing
software or a
programming
language
is a bet on
how long
it will stay
in fashion”