New Scientist Australian Edition 2-Jul-22

Academy Getting to grips with consciousness Expand your horizons with a course on one of the greatest philosophical and scientific mysteries of all: consciousness. Our experts will help you understand the history and philosophy behind it, and the reasons why many consider consciousness the toughest problem in science. Find out more and sign up online. academy.newscientist.com Online event The origin of the universe One of the most famous ideas in science is that the universe began in a big bang. But this leaves many questions unanswered, like why the universe is so big and so old, and why it has its particular structure. In this talk, physicist Will Kinney delves into the theory of inflation, which may hold some answers. Join us online at 6pm BST/1pm EST on 14 July.…

Academy Getting to grips with consciousness Expand your horizons with a course on one of the greatest philosophical and scientific mysteries of all: consciousness. Our experts will help you understand the history and philosophy behind it, and the reasons why many consider consciousness the toughest problem in science. Find out more and sign up online. academy.newscientist.com Online event The origin of the universe One of the most famous ideas in science is that the universe began in a big bang. But this leaves many questions unanswered, like why the universe is so big and so old, and why it has its particular structure. In this talk, physicist Will Kinney delves into the theory of inflation, which may hold some answers. Join us online at 6pm BST/1pm EST on 14 July. newscientist.com/events Podcast Weekly This week, we begin with new research…

GROWING old is usually seen as one of life’s inevitabilities, but that hasn’t stopped the anti-ageing industry from flourishing, based on hopes and claims of delaying our expiry date. But what if, rather than potions and elixirs, the ticket to a longer life was staring back at you from your dinner plate? This is the assertion being made by several groups of researchers who believe that our diet has the power to add years to human lifespan, as we report in our cover story on page 38. That may sound obvious – we are all too aware of how a bad diet has the potential to send us to an early grave. But the new claims suggest the longevity-boosting effects of diet go beyond simply avoiding diet-related conditions, such as diabetes and…

GROWING old is usually seen as one of life’s inevitabilities, but that hasn’t stopped the anti-ageing industry from flourishing, based on hopes and claims of delaying our expiry date. But what if, rather than potions and elixirs, the ticket to a longer life was staring back at you from your dinner plate? This is the assertion being made by several groups of researchers who believe that our diet has the power to add years to human lifespan, as we report in our cover story on page 38. That may sound obvious – we are all too aware of how a bad diet has the potential to send us to an early grave. But the new claims suggest the longevity-boosting effects of diet go beyond simply avoiding diet-related conditions, such as…

ON 24 JUNE, the US Supreme Court repealed Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that protected the right to an abortion. President Joe Biden called the decision “a realisation of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court”. The decision was forecast in May when a draft was leaked. After the official ruling, protests broke out across the country. The repeal is based on a case challenging a Mississippi abortion ban, known as Dobbs v Jackson, which was upheld in a 6-3 vote. The Supreme Court justices then voted 5-4 to overturn Roe v Wade. In the majority opinion, justice Samuel Alito wrote: “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion.” It will now fall to each state to decide. Thirteen states had…

FAR from being brought under control, the monkeypox outbreak is growing rapidly. As of 28 June, more than 4000 confirmed cases had been reported worldwide since the outbreak emerged. Nevertheless, the emergency committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) stopped short of declaring it a public health emergency of international concern – its highest alert level – on 25 June. But how can the outbreak be controlled? The UK is offering vaccination to those most at risk amid this particular outbreak, such as some men who have sex with men. Despite monkeypox not being a sexually transmitted infection, it can spread via skin-to-skin contact, inhaling infected droplets or sharing contaminated objects, such as bedding. This vaccination approach should halt the outbreak if enough people are immunised, assuming other countries follow suit. “This is a disease…