New Scientist Australian Edition 8-Oct-22

Virtual event Space, time and motion “Where, when and how?” are some of the most fundamental questions we can ask. Join theoretical physicist Sean Carroll as he explains how the search for answers to these in cosmology led to the theory of relativity and the prediction of black holes. Watch online at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) on 20 October. Also available on demand. newscientist.com/events NS app Science on the go Download the free New Scientist app for a constant stream of the very latest news and for digital access to the current issue. You can also save articles to read offline, access videos and book tickets to online events. Plus, find the timetable for NS Live in London this weekend, our annual festival of ideas and discoveries. newscientist.com/app-download Podcast Weekly…

Virtual event Space, time and motion “Where, when and how?” are some of the most fundamental questions we can ask. Join theoretical physicist Sean Carroll as he explains how the search for answers to these in cosmology led to the theory of relativity and the prediction of black holes. Watch online at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) on 20 October. Also available on demand. newscientist.com/events NS app Science on the go Download the free New Scientist app for a constant stream of the very latest news and for digital access to the current issue. You can also save articles to read offline, access videos and book tickets to online events. Plus, find the timetable for NS Live in London this weekend, our annual festival of ideas and discoveries. newscientist.com/app-download Podcast Weekly In this episode, the team focuses on Guatemala, where successful…

THE Romans ate one main meal a day, it is said, and any more would have been considered gluttony. They wouldn’t think much, then, of our modern propensity for snacking. And they would be right. As we collectively fill our shopping baskets with morsels to keep us going between meals, even the most health-conscious among us could be munching our way to an early grave. The idea that snacking can be healthy is heavily promoted by an industry that packages and brands snack products as a good way to fuel your day. Marketed as high in protein, or containing only fruit, for example, the idea is that eating small amounts more regularly can improve energy and prevent over-eating at mealtimes. Even governments and health bodies advise on the best way to…

THE Romans ate one main meal a day, it is said, and any more would have been considered gluttony. They wouldn’t think much, then, of our modern propensity for snacking. And they would be right. As we collectively fill our shopping baskets with morsels to keep us going between meals, even the most health-conscious among us could be munching our way to an early grave. The idea that snacking can be healthy is heavily promoted by an industry that packages and brands snack products as a good way to fuel your day. Marketed as high in protein, or containing only fruit, for example, the idea is that eating small amounts more regularly can improve energy and prevent over-eating at mealtimes. Even governments and health bodies advise on the best way…

MILLIONS of people in the south-eastern US and Cuba have been left without power and thousands have been stranded by high water and damaged roads in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The storm ripped homes off their foundations and transformed streets into waist-deep canals. “We’re just beginning to see the scale of that destruction. It’s likely to rank among the worst… in the nation’s history,” said US president Joe Biden in a press briefing on 30 September. “It’s going to take months, years to rebuild.” The tropical cyclone first struck Cuba on 27 September, causing an island-wide blackout, before reaching Florida later on the same day. The category 4 hurricane blasted the state with 250-kilometre-per-hour winds and more than 40 centimetres of rainfall in 24 hours in some areas. The worst damage is…

A CHILLY autumn spell arrived in Germany last week, but despite falling temperatures, people are being urged to keep their gas heating off or turned down low. The country’s energy regulator has warned that above average gas use for the time of year means Germany may be forced to introduce rationing. Figures published by the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) showed gas consumption of 483 gigawatt hours (GWh) for the week beginning 19 September, above the average of 422 GWh for the same period in 2018 to 2021. Its head, Klaus Mueller, warned that “without significant reductions, including in private households, it will be difficult to avoid a gas shortage this winter”. A reduction of at least 20 per cent in use would be needed to avoid shortages, according to the…