Environment
Why the extremes of climate breakdown will continue to take us by surprise
Comment
This week's magazine
5 September 2026
Issue 3611
On the cover
Editor's picks
Table of contents
News
Environment
‘Off the charts’ El Niño is already the strongest since records began
Renowned climate scientist James Hansen says the developing super El Niño has already "blown past" previous events with months to go before it peaks
News
Environment
5 graphs that show how the record-breaking El Niño will affect the world
News
Environment
Super El Niño could lead to mega CO2 emissions from fires in Indonesia
News
Environment
Galapagos corals suggest climate change drives stronger El Niños
News
Health
Nanoparticles ease Alzheimer’s by making neurons from other cells
News
Health
Risk of dementia could be halved with use of metformin
News
Physics
Richard Feynman’s 80-year-old quantum postulate has now been validated
News
Space
Fastest star ever spotted at the centre of our galaxy
News
Life
Healed fang wound found on 520-million-year-old apex predator
News
Life
Astonishing whale feeding frenzy seen off the eastern coast of Greenland
News
Mind
Exercise may create new neurons by making other brain cells contract
News
Health
Workout patch delivers some of the benefits of exercise with no exertion
News
Physics
Huge progress made in attempt to upgrade standard model of particles
News
Technology
Driving data can predict crash black spots before accidents happen
News
Environment
Glaciers in the Alps are on track for record-breaking ice loss
News
Health
Shingles vaccine may lower risk of stroke and heart failure
News
Mathematics
Dice discovered that solve decade-long mathematical problem
News
Mind
Lack of sleep may cause anxiety by making us less adaptable to threats
News
Health
Burns improve more rapidly after treatment with fish skin
News
Environment
Octopuses released into Adriatic Sea to tackle invasive crabs
News
Features
Health
How our bodies adapt to extreme temperatures – until it gets too hot
No matter where you’re from, there are things you can do to cope better with extreme temperatures. But it takes work to stop our bodies’ adaptations from slipping backwards over winter, and there are limits to how far we can go
Features
Health
How Ukraine created world-leading prostheses amid the chaos of war
Features
Humans
What the remains of the last Neanderthals tell us about their demiseÂ
Features
Culture
Comment
The legendary snow leopard comes up against harsh realities in remarkable book
In Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi's The Ghost of the Mountains, the near-spiritual myth of the elusive snow leopard becomes a way of understanding all that we stand to lose from the forces of climate change
Culture
Comment
Matt Haig plays with the idea that time isn’t experienced evenly
Culture
Comment
Ambitious sci-fi novel imagines a universe where time flows backwards
Culture
More
Sponsored
The science behind an ambitious cancer strategy
Advances in therapeutic approaches, combinations and the use of technology are fundamentally changing the way we think about cancer care.
Advertising
Mind
How much water do you really need to drink to keep your brain sharp?
Comment
Health
Will muscle-boosting meds be the next big thing after GLP-1 drugs?
Comment
Tom Gauld on specimen-storage aesthetics
Regulars
Twisteddoodles on seasonal bird fashion
Regulars
Regulars
Comment
Adam Kucharski would like to point out he did not win big at a casino
Feedback goes down an AI rabbit hole after discovering that the internet is making up stories about epidemiologist and mathematician Adam Kucharski - and that his wife has had to weigh in
This Week’s Letters
Letters
If the sun suddenly disappeared, how long would life on Earth last?
Last Word
Humans can see water, so can fish see air?
Last Word
What is the optimal way to ice a cocktail? Part 2
Last Word
This week’s new questions
Last Word
