A mystery illustration made by an 18th-century astronomer has revealed the most massive flare from the Sun ever recorded. When next one erupts – as scientists are now certain one will – the flare will wreak global chaos and likely bring our modern interconnected civilisation to a standstill. Read about superflares from the Sun, plus, a revolutionary technique that reveals your brain in a new light and could combat behaviours from addiction to depression. Find out also why the top athletes win, and if we are facing a Gattaca-style world of predictive genetics that could typecast us from birth.

As we face global ageing epidemic and the prospect of brain deterioration, a revolution in genetics is transforming the way we'll live in the future. Are you ready for a smarter, longer lifetime? It may be closer than you think. Plus, we look at the shaky foundations for putting the science of predicting earthquakes on trial, meet the world’s most astonishing predator, discover a clock so precise it would lose less than a second in the entire history of the universe and travel to South Australia to find out about the cutting-edge science and technology transforming this resource-rich state.

Three things you should know about the genetically modified food that could soon hit supermarket shelves: and prepare to be surprised. We go behind the scenes of pioneering research and find out why GM foods polarise debate. Plus, with an expected world population of nine billion in 2050, how will we feed the planet? From synthetic meat to insects, we review some of the weird and innovative solutions. Stunning images, the origin of sex, where civilisation and farming began and the extreme speeds of the fastest objects in the universe are but a few of the tempting morsels for your mind this issue. Bon appetit!