New Scientist Australian Edition – 27 June 2026
Summary
New Scientist Australian Edition No 3601 (27 June 2026) shares the "Your ever-changing brain" cover with the International Edition—the feature on how life's biggest moments transform neural architecture—and adds a single Australian-specific page on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function's latest research. The issue also reports autism subtypes (p.4), a walking shark (p.17), and the space botanist Jessica Atkin (p.40).
Content is otherwise identical to the International Edition. The Australian addition: a sidebar noting that the University of Queensland's Centre for Brain Research has replicated the cover feature's key plasticity findings in a cohort of 120 older Australian adults, showing that 6 months of aerobic dance increased hippocampal volume by 2.1 percent.
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Content Guide
▸ Cover Story / Neuroscience
p.30 · Changeable brains — From birth to death, your brain is constantly evolving – here's how to look after it
Same as the International Edition. The Australian sidebar adds the University of Queensland's 120-person aerobic dance trial showing 2.1 percent hippocampal volume increase after 6 months.
p.4 · Autism subtypes — Variation in brain connection hints at two distinct types
Same as International Edition.
p.40 · Lunar legumes — Botanist Jessica Atkin wants to grow vegetables on the moon
Same as International Edition.
▸ Regulars
p.45 · Puzzles — Try our crossword, quick quiz and logic puzzle
Same as International Edition.
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Editor's Take
The Australian edition adds one useful data point (UQ's hippocampal volume dance trial) but otherwise reprints the International Edition verbatim. The International Edition's main weakness—only two features in 48 pages—carries over unchanged. The Australian cover date (27 June 2026) matches the filename. Best for Australian neuroscience students who want the local trial data.
Strengths
• UQ dance trial: 120 participants, 2.1 percent hippocampal volume increase
• No content errors introduced
Weaknesses
• Only one Australian-specific data point
• Inherits the International Edition's thin features lineup
Verdict: Selective read — The International Edition is thin; the Australian addition is minimal.
