Tag Archives: Reviews

Previews: New Scientist Magazine- January 21, 2023

ISSUE 3422 | MAGAZINE COVER DATE: 21 January 2023 | New Scientist

New Scientist Magazine – 21 January 2023:

Web3 promises to reclaim the internet from tech giants – will it work?

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the idea of a decentralised version of the internet that would give more power to ordinary users. Here’s what it would take to make it happen

Fresh ideas about the causes of depression are bringing new treatments

By upending the idea that a chemical imbalance in the brain is behind depression, we are starting to understand some of its mysteries and develop better treatments

How we finally tracked European eels all the way to the Sargasso Sea

Where European eels start and end their lives was long a mystery, but an audacious expedition has finally revealed the last details of their incredible migration

Research Preview: Nature Magazine- January 19, 2023

Volume 613 Issue 7944

nature Magazine – January 19, 2023 issue:

How the periodic table survived a war to secure chemistry’s future

A century ago, the discovery of hafnium confirmed the validity of the periodic table — but only thanks to scientists who stood up for evidence at a time of global turmoil.

How to make wearable devices people could forget they’re wearing

A metal–polymer composite conducts electricity and conforms to the skin, making it suitable for medical devices applied directly to the body.

Demon goddess moon takes control of a planet

Dwarf planet Eris’ rotation is constrained by its large moon Dysnomia, named after the Greek goddess of lawlessness.

Huge genomic study shows varicose veins’ links to height and weight

Analysis of more than one million people suggests that roughly 16% of the condition can be attributed to genetic factors.

Books: TLS/Times Literary Supplement – Jan 20, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement @TheTLS (January 20, 2023) features an extract from Lawfare by Geoffrey Robertson KC (published tomorrow by TLS Books); @NoreenMasud and Jade French on H. D.; Michael Hofmann on Shirley Hazzard; Gwendoline Riley on Michael Bracewell; Jenny Uglow on Anthony Gross – and more.

Cover Preview: Scientific American – February 2023

February 2023

Scientific American – February 2023:

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life as We Don’t Know It

Scientists are abandoning conventional thinking to search for extraterrestrial creatures that bear little resemblance to Earthlings

Satellite Constellations Are an Existential Threat for Astronomy

Growing swarms of spacecraft in orbit are outshining the stars, and scientists fear no one will do anything to stop it

Solving Cement’s Massive Carbon Problem

New techniques and novel ingredients can greatly reduce the immense carbon emissions from cement and concrete production

Culture/Politics: Harper’s Magazine – February 2023

Harper’s Magazine – February 2023 issue:

Is Liberalism Worth Saving?

Where once disagreements concerned differing interpretations of liberalism’s demands or balancing liberalism’s conflicting goals of freedom and equality, now populist movements on both the left and the right are challenging the legitimacy of liberalism itself.

Swamplandia

The money behind Ron DeSantis’s populist façade

Falling Like Leaves

The war in Ethiopia and its crimes against civilians

Preview: The New Yorker Magazine – Jan 23, 2023

A truck seen through fog drives down a city street.

The New Yorker – January 16, 2023:

Can 3-D Printing Help Solve the Housing Crisis?

A row of houses being printed by a large machine.

Standard construction can be slow, costly, and inefficient. Machines might do it better.

A Reporter at Large

The Getty Family’s Trust Issues

A family tree with with colorful coins as leaves, sprouting out of a base of tax forms.

Heirs to an iconic fortune sought out a wealth manager who would assuage their progressive consciences. Now their dispute is exposing dynastic secrets.

Has Academia Ruined Literary Criticism?

tiny books all stacked up to create a scholarly looking building

Literature departments seem to provide a haven for studying books, but they may have painted themselves into a corner.

Energy / Technology: How Close Is Fusion Power?

For the first time, US scientists have achieved a fusion reaction with net energy gain. But the dream of limitless zero-carbon energy is still a long way from reality.

Video timeline: 00:00 – What powers the universe 01:04 – ITER: the biggest experiment in human history 04:28 – What is fusion? 06:38 – Replicating the sun 08:38 – The US breakthrough 13:46 – The investors 20:40 – A new class of magnet 24:30 – Dream or reality?

The FT’s Simon Mundy meets scientists and investors in the UK, France and US, to see how close we really are to commercial fusion power.

Read more at https://on.ft.com/3GJl1JF

Books: The New York Times Book Review – Jan 15, 2023

Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath

The New York Times Book Review (January 15, 2023):

‘Terrorist’ — to Whom?

V.V. Ganeshananthan’s novel “Brotherless Night” reveals the moral nuances of violence, ever belied by black-and-white terminology.

The Highland Heroine Who Helped Rescue a Prince

Since her daring mission in 1746, Flora Macdonald has lived on in myth. A new biography by Flora Fraser attempts to sort fact from fiction.

Where Adventurous, Curious Women Rule

In three new historical novels, female protagonists defy odds and push limits.

Culture: New York Times Magazine – Jan 15, 2023

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The Fed May Finally Be Winning the War on Inflation. But at What Cost?

There’s a good chance that the Fed could push the economy into recession. The pain will not be shared equally.

How Montana Took a Hard Right Turn Toward Christian Nationalism

What happened to a state known for its political independence?

How Danhausen Became Professional Wrestling’s Strangest Star

Danhausen backstage before an All Elite Wrestling “Rampage” event in September.

What’s the best way for a not-particularly-athletic barista-slash-wrestling geek to go pro? Act really weird.

Danhausen backstage before an All Elite Wrestling “Rampage” event in September.Credit…Evan Jenkins for The New York Times

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Jan 23, 2023

Science Magazine – January 13, 2023 issue:

NASA unveils initial plan for multibillion-dollar telescope to find life on alien worlds

Habitable Worlds Observatory would be designed for robotic servicing

Illegal mining has muddied tropical rivers worldwide

Silt overload and mercury pollution endanger river ecosystems—and the people who depend on them

FDA approves new antibody to slow Alzheimer’s disease, even as safety concerns linger

Agency warns about brain swelling and bleeding on drug’s label, but imposes few restrictions on lecanemab’s use