A coded message called “A Sign in Space” has been sent from a spacecraft orbiting Mars to simulate potential communication from an advanced alien civilisation | Continue reading
Around half of all wetlands in the contiguous US will now lose their protections under the Clean Water Act, exposing them to pollution and development | Continue reading
Thousands more species are probably waiting to be discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region of the Pacific Ocean where companies are planning to extract valuable metals | Continue reading
Molecular imaging shows that botulinum neurotoxin uses three receptors to enter neurons. The finding could help develop drugs to stop the toxin from infecting cells | Continue reading
A group of unregulated polluting gases known as very short-lived substances are partly responsible for depleting the ozone layer in the tropics | Continue reading
Focused ultrasound waves targeting a certain area of the brain can lower body temperature in rodents, showing a possible way to put people in suspended animation | Continue reading
Justin Cronin's new science fiction novel transmutes the familiar trope of a utopia with a dark secret into a deep story with humanity at its centre. Read along with us at New Scientist's book club | Continue reading
This tantalising extract is taken from the prologue of The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, a science fiction novel which is the first pick for New Scientist's book club | Continue reading
From Lost to The Tempest, the author of The Ferryman reveals the cultural influences behind his new science fiction novel - the first pick for New Scientist's book club | Continue reading
A fluxonium qubit can keep its most useful quantum properties for about 1.48 milliseconds, drastically longer than similar qubits currently favoured by the quantum computing industry | Continue reading
A fluxonium qubit can keep its most useful quantum properties for about 1.48 milliseconds, drastically longer than similar qubits currently favoured by the quantum computing industry | Continue reading
The condition may at least partly be caused by insufficient binding of a neurotransmitter to receptors in the brainstem | Continue reading
A leading "bioplastic" used in single-use cups and containers degrades in the ocean just as slowly as the oil-based stuff, and must be broken down in commercial facilities to be composted | Continue reading
Condenser tumble dryers are sold as a "sustainable" option because of their low energy demand, but they still shed large quantities of microfibres into the environment | Continue reading
Our immune systems create responses that end up in full-blown allergies. An engaging memoir-style guide from Theresa MacPhail explains the complex and often elusive medical story | Continue reading
Open again after a five-year hiatus, the London museum, named after the 18th-century surgeon John Hunter, contains everything from a baby crocodile emerging from its egg, to a human femur | Continue reading
Suppose the megarich can rejuvenate – but it makes them grow to titanic proportions? Nick Harkaway's novel draws on Greek myth and noir in a fabulous thought experiment that reflects our own fixation with "making it big", says Sally Adee | Continue reading
If there are intelligent aliens out there, should we try to get in touch with them? And who should speak for Earth, asks professor of astronomy Chris Impey | Continue reading
As a theoretical cosmologist, you would think I'd welcome the chance to answer these questions - but it isn't clear this is an inquiry that physics can answer, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein | Continue reading
More and more of us are turning to audiobooks for our reading, but a new study suggests that when we listen to a text rather than read it, we may engage in less deliberative thinking, says David Robson | Continue reading
Despite the obvious caveats, physicists are right to use fluids and other physical analogues to search for fresh insights about extreme cosmic phenomena, from black holes to the big bang | Continue reading
Existing solar cells are normally only used on flat, static surfaces to avoid them cracking, but now there is a flexible alternative with the same energy-generating efficiency | Continue reading
Implants in brain and spine allow Dutch man to walk and climb stairs by power of thought, in world first use of the technology | Continue reading
Atomic clocks work by using a laser to bounce the electrons in an atom at a given frequency, while nuclear clocks would theoretically do the same for atomic nuclei, and we are a step closer to building one | Continue reading
Researchers are building models of everything from black holes to the big bang in tanks of liquid. Now some claim these surprisingly simple models are showing us where our theories of space-time are wrong | Continue reading
Virgin Orbit's failed launch in January was the start of the end for the company, which has now sold off its assets and shut down for good. But what does this mean for Richard Branson's other space firm, Virgin Galactic? | Continue reading
An exploding star spotted in the Pinwheel galaxy, 21 million light years from Earth, offers a rare chance to watch a supernova unfolding in real time | Continue reading
Antibody treatments that target amyloid plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's have shown promise in trials, but questions about their side effects and practicality remain | Continue reading
Four primate species in Uganda have been found to have 97 chemical pollutants in their faeces, which are associated with hormonal changes that can disrupt development and reproduction | Continue reading
Given a choice between two crisp packets, herring gulls pick the same colour as one a nearby human is eating from 95 per cent of the time | Continue reading
AI-generated ads fooled marketing experts and outperformed typical US print ads on a test that measured creativity and potential to spur emotional responses | Continue reading
Albania's Vjosa river was due to be the site of a massive hydroelectric dam, with disastrous consequences for biodiversity. New Scientist reports on its rescue, the benefits for local nature and why it is an inspiration for other river conservation projects | Continue reading
At least one cryptocurrency based on the old version of Ethereum is still vulnerable to a software flaw that enables attackers to steal funds | Continue reading
The principle of least action has been a key law of physics since the 18th century, but has only now been directly observed in the quantum realm thanks to an experiment with single particles of light | Continue reading
Due to the corrosive effect of their faeces, bats have engineered larger caves in the iron-rich earth of Carajás National Forest in Brazil, creating more stalagmites and stalactites | Continue reading
Naked mole rats’ secret to a long life is an abundance of hyaluronic acid, and new research shows this substance can also help mice live longer, age slower and avert cancer | Continue reading
The West African liana Triphyophyllum peltatum can grow special leaves that trap insects, but we now know it only does this when the soil is lacking in phosphorus | Continue reading
After months of negotiations, California, Nevada and Arizona have agreed to reduce the water they take from the Colorado River, but these drastic cuts are only a temporary solution to the water crisis facing the western US | Continue reading
A 1987 treaty to ban ozone-destroying gases helped delay the first Arctic summer with no ice, which is now projected to happen by 2037 at the earliest | Continue reading
From meeting an older version of yourself in virtual reality to writing letters from the future, these evidence-based tricks can help you make better decisions today | Continue reading
A WWF report catalogues a cornucopia of plants and animals newly identified in the Greater Mekong region in 2021 and 2022, but many of them are endangered | Continue reading
Better understanding the brain patterns linked to persistent pain could open the door to new treatments | Continue reading
The first covid-19 vaccines were based on the spike protein from the original virus, but including this in boosters may be hindering immunity to newer variants | Continue reading
A link between volcanic activity and rising bubbles of low pressure in the ionosphere has now been proven, which may be why the colossal Tonga volcano eruption in 2022 disrupted satellite communications | Continue reading
An alternative form of computer chip called a memcomputer could offer benefits over existing machines, and now a proof-of-principle digital memcomputer shows how these devices could be scaled up | Continue reading
The cells of bowhead whales seem to be better at repairing DNA than those of humans or mice, and this may explain why they live to over 200 with low rates of cancer | Continue reading
An AI that predicts wind changes could boost wind turbine efficiency by 0.3 per cent, which globally would amount to enough extra electricity to keep a country running | Continue reading
Photographs with a shallow depth of field trick the brain into assuming that the subject is small and close-up, and experiments show how effective this illusion can be | Continue reading