SCIENCE MAGAZINE – AUGUST 20, 2026

SCIENCE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Sulfur On Mars’ – The Curiosity rover finds unexpected deposits….

Powers of persuasion

AI chatbots are becoming experts at changing people’s minds. What gives them an edge?

Touch and pain shape what brain imaging sees

Sensory inputs influence different blood vessel networks, affecting the precision of brain scans

China mission aims to probe the Moon’s hidden water

Chang’e-7 will send a hopping craft into a polar crater to directly sample lunar ice

Arson attack jolts Italy’s bid to host the Einstein Telescope

Two scientists’ cars burned at proposed Sardinian site for the next-generation gravitational-wave observatory

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – AUGUST 22, 2026 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Could AIs become conscious?’…

Could AIs become conscious?

Even if they don’t, they might be treated as such—to humanity’s great cost

Israel is flirting with the next intifada

America must press Binyamin Netanyahu to rein in violent settlers

Britain would be bonkers to ditch Palantir

Whatever the company’s flaws, its critics have taken a worryingly illiberal turn

Jason Arday was treated as a symbol, not a man

Both his supporters and detractors dehumanised the tragic fabulist

HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2026 PREVIEW

History Today 2026
HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Visiting Mao’s China’…

Visiting Mao’s China

For the thousands of foreign visitors who travelled behind the ‘bamboo curtain’ to visit Mao’s China, hospitality workers – guides, drivers, waiters, chambermaids – were unofficial ambassadors for the new socialist state, and the state knew it.

What is an Information Age?

From the printing press to the internet, the spread of information has changed the world. How do we recognise an age defined by it?

The Bengal Famine in Indian Letters

In 1943 letters reporting starvation and death in Bengal began to reach Indian soldiers serving the British overseas. Despite colonial censorship, their testimonies revealed the devastating reality of famine.

What the Victorians Read

The Victorian reading public had access to a vast array of classical literature from Asia in multiple translations by experts and amateurs. What did they read, and why?

The Medieval Forgery at the Heart of the Church

An audacious forgery in the ninth century helped transform the papacy and the medieval Church. Its influence persists today.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026

U.S. Debt Hits $40 Trillion as America’s Borrowing Binge Continues

President Trump’s promises to restore fiscal order and reduce America’s debt have been hampered by spending on the Iran war, tax cuts and tariff refunds.

Trump’s Order to Cut Military Exercises With South Korea Carries Risks, Experts Say

President Trump’s decision to curtail the military exercises came as allies question the U.S. commitment to longstanding alliances.

As Iran and U.S. Settle Into an Uneasy Standoff, Who Will Blink First?

For weeks, there has been no diplomatic progress, but also no full-scale fighting, as both sides seem to believe they can hold out longer than the other.

Russian Missiles Kill at Least 15 in Kyiv as Air Defenses Dwindle

Moscow is taking advantage of Ukraine’s depleted stock of interceptors and is intensifying attacks, worsening the civilian death toll.24m agoBy Constant Méheut