Particles that are too small to be assembled into materials with conventional methods can be bound together with DNA molecules – the result is clumps of unusually strong and stiff material | Continue reading
The cell signalling network in our bodies that helps cannabis get us high is also vital to many other aspects of our health, from sleep to inflammation. Now we’re finally starting to understand why – and what that means for devising new treatments | Continue reading
The endocannabinoid system that helps cannabis get us high is also vital to many other aspects of our health. Now we’re finally starting to understand why – and what that means for devising new treatments | Continue reading
Audio recordings reveal that the African dwarf crocodile moos like a cow – and listening out for its calls could help biologists track the species in the wild | Continue reading
Three comets named Hartley, Encke and Tsuchinshan will pass by the sun in the next few months and be visible from Earth. Here’s how you can spot them | Continue reading
Using waste plastic to produce a combination of hydrogen and graphene could make it profitable and greener to generate hydrogen as a fuel | Continue reading
KSP’s chairman Shapol M says he is nervous but confident ahead of the launch. "The rocket is going together nicely, but we need to be careful with everything. We'll hopefully put in the engines soon. The best thing about Mojave is that the weather is almost always good, but we're … | Continue reading
Some male butterflies insert a stopper into their mate’s reproductive tract – and they use bigger, more effective plugs to stop rivals from mating with females that have a better chance of survival | Continue reading
This intriguing extract is taken from The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks, the latest pick for our New Scientist Book Club. It sees a billionaire entrepreneur recruiting a scientist for his new project, which will have major implications for the human race | Continue reading
The award-winning novelist Sebastian Faulks on how he came to set his new novel The Seventh Son – the latest pick for our New Scientist Book Club – a little way into the future | Continue reading
A kind of computer memory made from the semiconductor scandium aluminium nitride withstands extreme heat in tests, making it potentially useful for space missions | Continue reading
Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science, once put his mind to the subject of predicting colourful lizard scales – and we now know he was successful | Continue reading
A slew of telehealth startups in the US market themselves as convenient ways to access healthcare, but many are unregulated, raising concerns about patient privacy and unnecessary drug prescriptions | Continue reading
Three genes are turned off to make carrots produce high levels of alpha and beta-carotene, which make them a rich source of vitamin A and give them their orange hue | Continue reading
Dropping raisins, nuts or other small objects in a fizzy liquid makes them dance up and down for hours because they keep gaining and losing bubbles | Continue reading
Several companies are beginning to scale up production of jet fuel made from captured carbon dioxide and green hydrogen, but decarbonising global aviation this way would require huge amounts of clean energy | Continue reading
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have found that the most distant galaxies are being “watered down” with pristine gas from their surroundings far more than nearby ones | Continue reading
A study of nearly 60,000 people in Canada found that people with a cannabis use disorder are at greater risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event than those without the condition | Continue reading
Australia’s greater broad-nosed bat was believed to mostly eat beetles and other insects, but hairs found in its droppings suggest it also feasts on other bats | Continue reading
Analysis of tree rings shows that two faults near Seattle, Washington ruptured at the same time or soon after each other more than 1000 years ago – a repeat today would cause a major disaster in the region | Continue reading
Well-preserved artefacts found in a Spanish cave show that advanced plant-based crafts were practised in Europe 9500 years ago | Continue reading
People come across as being more trustworthy and competent on Zoom calls if they have plants or books in the background, particularly if they are a woman and smiling | Continue reading
Runners completed a 200-metre sprint nearly 1 second faster when wearing an exoskeleton suit compared with not wearing it | Continue reading
Conservation organisations call for expansion of nature-friendly farming to stem the ongoing loss of the UK’s wildlife | Continue reading
Raymond Hickey's fascinating book asks how "exobeings", as he calls them, might acquire language - and if we might ever commune with them | Continue reading
Familiar plants are revealed in exquisite, microscopic detail in these shots from biologist Jan Martinek | Continue reading
Two friends with insomnia spend their nights chatting about possible treatments in Still Up, a rare look at how the condition can affect relationships – and a charming romantic comedy, says Bethan Ackerley | Continue reading
Wildlife management laws in the UK are riddled with indefensible exemptions and must change, says former UK deputy chief veterinary officer Alick Simmons | Continue reading
Neuroscientist Camilla Nord, who has just published her first book The Balanced Brain, tells Liz Else why mental health science is increasingly about what works for individuals – from psychedelic therapy to exercise regimes | Continue reading
Communities in North America and New Zealand are working on teaching algorithms to understand Indigenous languages. But what happens when corporations get involved, asks Annalee Newitz | Continue reading
The idea that native plants are better than “non-natives” has more to do with cultural bias than scientific evidence, says James Wong | Continue reading
Researchers have struggled to explain the precipitous decline in central Europe’s insect populations since the 1980s, but a new model suggests weather is to blame | Continue reading
In a blow for the hopes of antigravity machines, the first ever test of how antimatter responds to gravity confirms it falls down, not up | Continue reading
A quantum engine that works by toggling the properties of an ultracold atom cloud could one day be used to charge quantum batteries | Continue reading
A trilobite with gut contents still preserved is the first of its kind ever to be found, and shows the woodlouse-like animal had a voracious appetite | Continue reading
Philosophers have wrestled with the question of whether we are truly free to decide on our actions for centuries. Now, insights from genetics, neuroscience and evolutionary biology are shedding fresh light on the issue | Continue reading
Some food campaigners say we need to cut out all highly processed food, but now UK scientists say this is unnecessary and unhelpful | Continue reading
Studies that failed to compare rates of long covid symptoms after infection with baseline rates in the population made the prevalence of the condition seem higher than it really is | Continue reading
Children with emotional or behavioural issues in school may benefit from the presence of trained therapy dogs in classrooms, according to education professionals | Continue reading
Venus is remarkably similar to Earth in many ways, but saying its surface is unsuitable for life is a drastic understatement. In this episode of Dead Planets Society, our hosts attempt to fix it | Continue reading
Male pattern baldness could soon be a thing of the past, with new hair loss treatments beginning to show tantalising results | Continue reading
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are expected to be stronger than they have been for at least a decade over the next few months. Here is how to spot them | Continue reading
In the US, health officials recommend that everyone over the age of 6 months receives the latest annual covid-19 vaccine, while the UK and other European countries are restricting it to older or vulnerable people | Continue reading
The number of onsite inspections at waterways in England has fallen sharply, with experts expressing concern about the rise of "office-based" checks | Continue reading
Diagnosing obstructive sleep apnoea generally requires an overnight hospital stay, but an AI model could spot signs of the condition while people sleep at home | Continue reading
By looking at the amount of sunlight and shade available, which are both important factors in supplying a lunar settlement with power and water, researchers have found the perfect location for a moon base | Continue reading
Carefully measuring the Wi-Fi signals leaking out of a room can let you build up a detailed picture of what is inside – even to the extent of reading a sign made from 3D letters | Continue reading
Record adoption of clean energy technologies over the past two years keeps targets to avoid global warming above 1.5 ̊C within reach, according to a report from the International Energy Agency | Continue reading