1 January 2022 | New Scientist | 7Rise of the supergrid
High-voltage cables
could help power
the world pmRNA marvel
Technology behind
coronavirus vaccines
will find new uses pAlzheimer’s disease
Row over
controversial drug
set to continue pReturn of the LHC
The particle smasher
returns after a high-
power upgrade pBiodiversity summit
China to host crucial
talks on protecting
ecosystems pES
A-M
.PE
DO
US
SA
UT
As New Scientist went to press,
the James Webb Space Telescope was
set to launch on 24 December from
French Guiana. If everything goes to
plan, it will reach its final destination
in late January, a gravitationally
stable point called L2 that orbits
the sun about 1.5 million kilometres
beyond Earth. Astronomers hope
the telescope will revolutionise our
understanding of the universe.AstronomyQuantum computers
Will 2022 be the year
they finally become
useful? pCovid-19 pandemic
The coronavirus will
continue to evolve
new variants pReady for launch
All the big space
missions set to
take off in 2022 p1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
From the pandemic to space exploration,
New Scientist looks forward to the big stories of 2022Looking to
the future
Preview of 2022