Issue 3582 | Magazine cover date: 14 February 2026

This week's magazine

14 February 2026

Issue 3582

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On the cover

Culture

What to read this week: Bonded by Evolution by Paul Eastwick

Features

Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can

How teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' really is

Analysis

Why did SpaceX just apply to launch 1 million satellites?

News

Bonobo's pretend tea party shows capacity for imagination

Seafarers were visiting remote Arctic islands over 4000 years ago

Regulars

The weird rules of temperature get even stranger in the quantum realm

Why I'm still an environmental optimist – despite it all

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Health

Rethinking our approach to BMI highlights the need for speed

Comment

Health

Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can

Features

Environment

Putting a price tag on nature failed. Can radical tactics save it?

Features

Mind

How teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' really is

Features

Leaders

Health

Rethinking our approach to BMI highlights the need for speed

We must find a balance between haste and getting mired in medical inertia

Comment

News

Technology

Dutch air force reads pilots' brainwaves to make training harder

While pilots are flying in a VR simulation, their brainwave patterns can be fed into an AI model that assesses how challenging they are finding a task and adjusts the difficulty accordingly

News

Environment

CRISPR grapefruit without the bitterness are now in development

News

Mind

How to live a meaningful life, according to science

News

Technology

Fast-charging quantum battery built inside a quantum computer

News

Mind

Psychedelic causes similar brain state to meditation

News

Physics

Record-breaking quantum simulator could unlock new materials

News

Health

Nasal spray could prevent infections from any flu strain

News

Environment

Forever chemical TFA has tripled due to ozone-preserving refrigerants

News

Life

Bonobo's pretend tea party shows capacity for imagination

News

Space

Synchronised volcanic eruptions on Io hint at a spongy interior

News

Physics

Physicists can now take control of 'hidden' friction in devices

News

Environment

The toxic burden of pesticides is growing all around the world

News

Health

Statins don't cause most of the side effects listed on their labels

News

Humans

Seafarers were visiting remote Arctic islands over 4000 years ago

News

Environment

Methane surge in 2020 was linked to lower pollution during lockdowns

News

Health

Why exercise isn't much help if you are trying to lose weight

News

Environment

Weakening ice shelf has caused crucial Antarctic glacier to accelerate

News

Mind

Specific cognitive training has 'astonishing' effect on dementia risk

News

Health

'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health

News

Space

See beautiful comet as it nears its closest approach to Earth

News

Analysis

Space

Why did SpaceX just apply to launch 1 million satellites?

SpaceX says it wants to deploy an astronomical number of data centres in orbit to supply power for artificial intelligence, but the proposal might not be entirely serious

News

Aperture

Life

Five stunning images from the Close-up Photographer of the Year awards

An otherworldly coral, a very cute moth and an intricately beautiful mushroom are among the winners in the prize this year

Regulars

Features

Environment

Putting a price tag on nature failed. Can radical tactics save it?

Biologists have long thought that speaking to nature’s economic value would persuade boardrooms it was worth saving. It hasn’t worked – so what, if anything, will?

Features

Health

Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can

Features

Mind

How teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' really is

Features

Culture

GERMANY. 1990. Celebrating the unification of Germany on October 3, 1990 at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.

Mind

What to read this week: Bonded by Evolution by Paul Eastwick

We are told we need cynical strategies to "play" the dating game, but the science says this is totally wrong. David Robson enjoys an evidence-based takedown from psychologist Paul Eastwick

Culture

Comment

�鶹��ý recommends Hamnet, and its look at our links with nature

Culture

Comment

Exploring sci-fi treats from George Saunders and Matthew Kressel

Culture

Physics

The weird rules of temperature get even stranger in the quantum realm

Can a single particle have a temperature? It may seem impossible with our standard understanding of temperature, but columnist Jacklin Kwan finds that it’s not exactly ruled out in the quantum realm

Comment

Life

Can we genetically improve humans using George Church’s famous list?

Comment

Environment

Why I'm still an environmental optimist – despite it all

Comment

Health

Why adding cross training into your exercise routine is the way to go

Regulars

Tom Gauld on a Valentine's Day experiment

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on classic experimental results

Regulars

'Roughly 109.5 golden retrievers': a new way to measure ice

Feedback is always on the lookout for better ways to measure things, and was delighted to learn how the weight of ice is quantified in Austin, Texas

Regulars

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This week's magazine

14 February 2026

On the cover

Health

Rethinking our approach to BMI highlights the need for speed

Health

Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can

Environment

Putting a price tag on nature failed. Can radical tactics save it?

Mind

How teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' really is

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

Rethinking our approach to BMI highlights the need for speed

News

Technology

Dutch air force reads pilots' brainwaves to make training harder

Environment

CRISPR grapefruit without the bitterness are now in development

Mind

How to live a meaningful life, according to science

Technology

Fast-charging quantum battery built inside a quantum computer

Mind

Psychedelic causes similar brain state to meditation

Physics

Record-breaking quantum simulator could unlock new materials

Health

Nasal spray could prevent infections from any flu strain

Environment

Forever chemical TFA has tripled due to ozone-preserving refrigerants

Life

Bonobo's pretend tea party shows capacity for imagination

Space

Synchronised volcanic eruptions on Io hint at a spongy interior

Physics

Physicists can now take control of 'hidden' friction in devices

Environment

The toxic burden of pesticides is growing all around the world

Health

Statins don't cause most of the side effects listed on their labels

Humans

Seafarers were visiting remote Arctic islands over 4000 years ago

Environment

Methane surge in 2020 was linked to lower pollution during lockdowns

Health

Why exercise isn't much help if you are trying to lose weight

Environment

Weakening ice shelf has caused crucial Antarctic glacier to accelerate

Mind

Specific cognitive training has 'astonishing' effect on dementia risk

Health

'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health

Space

See beautiful comet as it nears its closest approach to Earth

Analysis

Space

Why did SpaceX just apply to launch 1 million satellites?

Aperture

Life

Five stunning images from the Close-up Photographer of the Year awards

Features

Environment

Putting a price tag on nature failed. Can radical tactics save it?

Health

Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can

Mind

How teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' really is

Culture

Mind

What to read this week: Bonded by Evolution by Paul Eastwick

Comment

�鶹��ý recommends Hamnet, and its look at our links with nature

Comment

Exploring sci-fi treats from George Saunders and Matthew Kressel

More

Physics

The weird rules of temperature get even stranger in the quantum realm