The COP28 climate summit is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December | Continue reading
Rats that experienced a simulation of microgravity and cosmic radiation showed signs of erectile dysfunction a year later | Continue reading
A widely used form of encryption called RSA is thought to be unbreakable, but an analysis of more than 5 billion server records has found that, in some cases, hardware errors can lead to secret keys being exposed | Continue reading
We keep spotting molecular “biosignatures” in the atmospheres of planets beyond Earth, but it isn't clear if any of them can provide definitive evidence that we’re not alone | Continue reading
In the two-part season finale of Dead Planets Society, our hosts are turning Earth into a cube with fascinating results – walking to space, enormous sea monsters and more | Continue reading
To tackle global warming, we must properly grasp what is happening in the oceans. That is why, at COP28, we will be calling on world leaders to urgently ramp up marine observations, says oceanographer Margaret Leinen | Continue reading
A satellite that monitors sea ice thickness is being blinded over Europe and the Arctic due to heavy interference since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine | Continue reading
A mysterious, star-like object seems to be making its nebula change colour and brightness in a rhythmic way every four years | Continue reading
A decade-long conservation effort spanning 14 countries has halted the decline of a key population of Egyptian vultures by preventing poisoning and insulating electrical infrastructure | Continue reading
Generative AI tools such as chatbots may be able to help chip designers generate code and find software bugs | Continue reading
Further light has been shed on the mechanism of weight-loss injections like Wegovy and Ozempic, as the brain cells that they suppress have been found to keep track of previous eating patterns | Continue reading
Further light has been shed on the mechanism of weight-loss injections like Wegovy and Ozempic, as the brain cells that they suppress have been found to keep track of previous eating patterns | Continue reading
Normally, hair increases drag whilst swimming but for shrimp hair seems to make it easier for them to move through water | Continue reading
Satellite data from Europe shows that rates of photosynthesis are higher when aerosol levels in the atmosphere are lower, and there is a regular weekly cycle | Continue reading
An analysis of genetic data from more than 1 million people shows that those with cannabis use disorder share similar markers | Continue reading
Paranthropus was an ape-like hominin that lived on in a world dominated by big-brained early humans. Recent archaeological discoveries, like stone tools, are revealing how they lived | Continue reading
The global average surface temperature was more than 2°C higher than pre-industrial levels on 17 November for the first time since records began, according to provisional data | Continue reading
The head of one of the world's leading AI companies was fired for not being 'candid' with the board, then swiftly hired by one of the company's major shareholders, Microsoft | Continue reading
Ultra-short laser pulses may allow us to measure entanglement in a way that answers questions about the quantum nature of the vacuum | Continue reading
To make a cake delightful even when eggs aren’t in attendance, it is important to account for all the roles that they play in cake batters | Continue reading
Some preschool children in Canada scored higher on cognitive skills tests during the pandemic than those tested before covid-19 emerged, possibly because their parents were at home more | Continue reading
A smart pill can accurately monitor your breathing and heart rate from inside your gut, which may be useful for detecting sleep apnoea | Continue reading
Cannabis does strange things to our sense of time passing, possibly by over-exciting neurons in a brain region that helps regulate our body clock | Continue reading
People who tested positive for the virus behind genital herpes tended to have reduced thickness of their outermost brain layer, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease | Continue reading
The Leonids are known for their bright, fast-moving meteors. The shower will peak on 17 and 18 November and can be seen from anywhere in the world | Continue reading
Megaliths, or huge stones, were used for thousands of years to build monuments, and they were far more colourful than you might think – the most common pigments used to decorate them came from reddish cinnabar and ochre | Continue reading
Stress hormone measurements highlight the poor welfare of monkeys trained to perform for the public in street shows, but social conditions make it challenging to end the practice | Continue reading
Rats that received vagus nerve stimulation were less likely to seek out drugs than those that didn’t, indicating that the therapy could help treat substance use disorders | Continue reading
A heat-pump-like system that relies on a phenomenon called electrocaloric cooling could heat or chill a room almost twice as efficiently as standard air-con units | Continue reading
The convivial nature of bonobos is in stark contrast to chimpanzees and may shed light on the evolutionary origins of cooperation in humans | Continue reading
At a meeting between US president Biden and China president Xi, there was agreement on the need for more US-China government talks on AI safety | Continue reading
A report warns that 2°C of global warming would mean losing most of the world’s ice sheets and glaciers, leading to catastrophic sea level rise | Continue reading
When most people are asked to name a river, they often reach for the Amazon or Nile, but these aren’t the only remarkable rivers out there. Here are 10 more from around the world – and solar system | Continue reading
Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the second ever launch of its massive Starship rocket on 18 November | Continue reading
Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the second ever launch of its massive Starship rocket on 17 November | Continue reading
The approval of a first CRISPR treatment, for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, is just the start for a technology still in its infancy | Continue reading
Shining light on bubbles made from soapy water mixed with a fluorescent dye turns them into tiny lasers that can work as pressure sensors | Continue reading
Researchers have found nine markers in blood that are associated with adolescents experiencing more severe symptoms of depression months later | Continue reading
Needles and catheters can irritate the body and may pose a risk to others if not properly disposed of, but a flexible alternative made from gallium solves both problems | Continue reading
There is growing evidence that cannabis use may disrupt adolescent brain development, but in older adults it seems to lead to more neural connections in brain regions associated with memory and learning | Continue reading
An artificial intelligence capable of beating humans at a variety of games is an important step towards a more general intelligence, says Google DeepMind | Continue reading
A set of tracks made over 120 million years ago push back the earliest known appearance of birds in the southern continents | Continue reading
Once seen as miraculous, these days ice is no longer extraordinary. But in a winter season when Antarctic sea ice hit a historic low, it is clear we should cherish it more, says Max Leonard | Continue reading
As night becomes ever more polluted by light, cultural researcher and poet Jacqueline Yallop sets out on an insightful and fascinating journey into the dark. But every insight seems to generate more questions, underlining the slipperiness of her subject | Continue reading
To make sense of aesthetically pleasing ancient objects and what they tell us about how their creators thought, archaeologists must temper imagination with science | Continue reading
From caffeine to curare, evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman explores plants' myriad toxins and the impact they have had on society, in his new book | Continue reading
Embracing humility can help us open our minds and challenge our beliefs – but how do we do it? Cultivating the emotion awe may help, finds David Robson | Continue reading
Kathrin Linkersdorff’s images, part of her Fairies series, are heavily influenced by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi | Continue reading