Issue 3569 | Magazine cover date: 15 November 2025

This week's magazine

15 November 2025

Issue 3569

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On the cover

Culture

Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNA

Features

Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you

Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch

Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why

AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it

News

Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland's earliest settlers

Toxic algae blighting South Australia could pose a global threat

Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire's vast road network

The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computer

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GEGPJC XX Chromosome concept. Female Heterogametic Sex. 3d illustration.

Health

Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us all

Comment

Health

Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why

Features

Space

Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you

Features

Health

Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch

Features

Technology

AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it

Features

Leaders

Health

Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us all

Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone

Comment

News

Technology

Advanced quantum network could be a prototype for the quantum internet

Building a working quantum internet would require overcoming a host of technical challenges, but researchers who have built one of the most advanced quantum networks to date say they think it is possible

News

Life

Grafting trick could let us gene-edit a huge variety of plants

News

Environment

Antarctic glacier's alarming retreat is the fastest ever seen

News

Health

Walking 3000 steps a day seems to slow Alzheimer's-related decline

News

Space

Brightest black hole flare ever caused by huge star being ripped apart

News

Health

Cavities could be prevented by a gel that restores tooth enamel

News

Health

Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccination

News

Humans

Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland's earliest settlers

News

Space

We may never figure out where interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from

News

Space

Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past life

News

Environment

Toxic algae blighting South Australia could pose a global threat

News

Humans

Skeleton with brutal injuries identified as duke assassinated in 1272

News

Life

A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected way

News

Health

Having children plays a complicated role in the rate we age

News

Humans

Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire's vast road network

News

Space

Enceladus’s ocean may be even better for life than we realised

News

Health

Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a sudden

News

Humans

Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet

News

Mathematics

The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computer

News

Space

Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon may rise to 30 per cent

News

Space

Euclid telescope captures young stars being born inside dark cloud

News

Analysis

Environment

Australia is getting free electricity - will other countries follow?

As one of the most advanced solar nations in the world, Australia is well placed to experiment with giving people free power - and if it succeeds, other countries may look to copy its approach

News

Aperture

Technology

Remarkable robot images provide a vision of the future

These photographs of humanoid robots by Henrik Spohler are part of his project Tomorrow Is the Question

Regulars

Features

Space

Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you

When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells 51�� about his 50-year career in planetary defence

Features

Health

Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch

Features

Health

Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why

Features

Technology

AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it

Features

Culture

Mandatory credit Watson and Crick, discoverers of the structure of DNA. James Watson (b.1928, left) and Francis Crick (1916-2004), with their model of part of a DNA molecule in 1953. Watson and Crick met at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, in 1951. Their work on DNA was performed with a knowledge of Chargaff's ratios of the bases in DNA and access to the X-ray crystallography of Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin at King's College London. Combining this knowledge led to the deduction that DNA exists as a double helix. Crick, Watson and Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, Franklin having died in 1958. Photographed in the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK, in May 1953.

Life

Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNA

Francis Crick's biography is full of surprises as author Matthew Cobb reveals the life and work of the co-discoverer of DNA's structure, finds Michael Le Page

Culture

Life

Smart new book takes an axe to the myth of human exceptionalism

Culture

Life

51�� recommends this extreme birdwatching documentary

Culture

Comment

Breaking Bad showrunner uses sci-fi for smart dive into happiness

Comment

Life

Sperm are selfish – and so are we

A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman

Comment

Mathematics

The 19th-century maths that can help you deal with horrible coffee

Regulars

Society

Is the future of education outside universities?

Comment

Tom Gauld on the necessity of good supportive evidence

Regulars

Twisteddoodles on when facial recognition tech goes wrong

Regulars

Comment

Kim Kardashian has wrangled an invite to NASA HQ. Can we get one too?

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian apparently thinks the 1969 moon landing was fake. If Feedback comes up with an equally outlandish conspiracy theory, maybe we can also get a guided tour of NASA

Regulars

51����

This week's magazine

15 November 2025

On the cover

Health

Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us all

Health

Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why

Space

Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you

Health

Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch

Technology

AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it

Table of contents

Leaders

Health

Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us all

News

Technology

Advanced quantum network could be a prototype for the quantum internet

Life

Grafting trick could let us gene-edit a huge variety of plants

Environment

Antarctic glacier's alarming retreat is the fastest ever seen

Health

Walking 3000 steps a day seems to slow Alzheimer's-related decline

Space

Brightest black hole flare ever caused by huge star being ripped apart

Health

Cavities could be prevented by a gel that restores tooth enamel

Health

Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccination

Humans

Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland's earliest settlers

Space

We may never figure out where interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from

Space

Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past life

Environment

Toxic algae blighting South Australia could pose a global threat

Humans

Skeleton with brutal injuries identified as duke assassinated in 1272

Life

A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected way

Health

Having children plays a complicated role in the rate we age

Humans

Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire's vast road network

Space

Enceladus’s ocean may be even better for life than we realised

Health

Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a sudden

Humans

Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet

Mathematics

The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computer

Space

Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon may rise to 30 per cent

Space

Euclid telescope captures young stars being born inside dark cloud

Analysis

Environment

Australia is getting free electricity - will other countries follow?

Aperture

Technology

Remarkable robot images provide a vision of the future

Features

Space

Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you

Health

Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch

Health

Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why

Technology

AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it

Culture

Life

Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNA

Life

51��

51�� recommends this extreme birdwatching documentary