EDITOR’S LETTER

Everything about this magazine is deep. As we go to press on a blazing summer’s day, some incredible new pictures have arrived from deep space. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most sensitive space telescope ever built and is collecting light from 13.5 billion years ago – close to the birth of the universe itself. You can read all about it and see JWST’S first stunning full-colour image on page 36.

We also dive deep inside the human mind. With a quantity of connections greater than the number of stars in the Milky Way, your brain is as unexplored as deep space, and it holds as many mysteries and unanswered questions. Scientists are just beginning to unpick the intricate workings of the brain and throw some light on how it makes you you (page 24).

There are deep questions for you to ponder as well. On page 42, philosopher Scott Hershovitz takes the Headscratchers helm, and steers us through some mind-bending puzzles, such as “am I the same person I was last year?” Meanwhile, on page 28, we consider if luck is a real thing – and if you can improve your luck (definitely essential reading). We also ask why Australian animals are so different to the rest of the animals on Earth. There are numbats and ningdings, and many other stranger things starting on page 12.

While the good weather lasts, why not team up with your mates and take on our Scavenger Hunt challenge? Turn to page 39 to find out how you can join in our photography competition, and get a chance to win an amazing super-zoom camera.

With so many wonders jammed into this issue, to borrow US president Joe Biden’s phrase, my mind is blown. I need a lie-down!