Science & technology | Well informed

The drug is hugely addictive but it does boost mental performance

A cigarette with the smoke in the shape of a brain
Illustration: Cristina Spanò

|3 min read

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “What nicotine does to your brain”

From the September 20th 2025 edition

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Worker holds a Cerebras chip.

The next phase of artificial intelligence may require very different processors

The GPUs that powered the AI boom can’t handle the workload

In front of the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China’s first tokamak donated to the Institute by the Soviet Union.

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Those turning to them for health advice are most at risk


Rapid-charging EV batteries are on the way 

They can be topped up in as little time as a tank of fuel

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