The ongoing drought in the western US depleted reservoirs and reduced hydropower generation. Fossil fuel power plants filled the gap but that has led to increased air pollution | Continue reading
Healthier sperm are normally selected for IVF using a centrifuge, which can damage the cells, but an alternative method can do the job gently by creating a current for them to swim against | Continue reading
Two sections of the Thornborough Henges near Ripon, UK, have been donated to the public body Historic England in an effort to preserve the millennia-old monuments | Continue reading
A new material changes its infrared colour when a small electric current is applied, raising the possibility of buildings that store or release heat depending on outside temperatures | Continue reading
A new type of ice called medium-density amorphous ice has the same density as liquid water, so studying it could help us understand water’s strange behaviour at low temperatures | Continue reading
Wormholes, which are strange hypothetical tunnels through space-time, could act as cosmic magnifying glasses for objects behind them | Continue reading
Mysterious ripples in the sun’s plasma have gone unexplained for decades, but they may be caused by strange beams of high-energy electrons fired inward by solar flares | Continue reading
Lab-grown neurons were transplanted into the brains of rats with damaged visual cortexes. After two months, the neurons responded when the rats saw flashing lights | Continue reading
An artificial intelligence called SingSong can take a recording of a person singing and create a backing track for it with the appropriate rhythm, key and harmonies | Continue reading
The AMASS project would involve thousands of drones, on the ground, in the air and in the water, working together in a "swarm of swarms" to overwhelm enemy defences | Continue reading
Bird flu infections have been recorded in various mammals, including foxes and mink, but it is unclear whether the virus can be transmitted from one mammal to another | Continue reading
A simple buzzer and some microphones help a drone to navigate and map out its surroundings, much like how a bat uses sound to see in the dark | Continue reading
Ongoing pain, such as chronic back or neck pain, is difficult to treat, so some doctors prescribe antidepressants. Now, a review of evidence says these drugs mostly don't work as a treatment | Continue reading
The first physical proof that Vikings brought horses and dogs to England has been unearthed | Continue reading
Analysis of cut marks on elephant bones suggests every scrap of meat and fat was removed from the big beasts | Continue reading
A study of more than 1.5 million tweets over one year suggests that people in San Francisco feel disgusted when at hardware stores and Londoners are most joyful at motels | Continue reading
A study of nearly 2 million tweets over one year suggests that people in San Francisco feel disgusted when at hardware stores and Londoners are most joyful at hostels or motels | Continue reading
The moon’s brightness might frustrate some stargazers, but a closer look will reveal some amazing features, says Abigail Beall | Continue reading
Last week saw the launch of Deep Fake Neighbour Wars, the first ever deepfake comedy. We need to start talking about the legal and ethical implications of this technology, says New Scientist's television columnist Bethan Ackerley | Continue reading
Veronica Roth's dystopian take on Sophocles's 2500-year-old tragedy reminds us that human nature is timeless, finds Sally Adee | Continue reading
Statistical mechanics helps relate the quantum world to objects that seem solid and not governed by the whims of observation, but there are still questions to be answered, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein | Continue reading
Mongolia produces 40 per cent of the world's cashmere supply from its goats, but climate change and overproduction are threatening this unique way of life | Continue reading
From French president Emmanuel Macron to ordinary whistle-blowers, the surveillance software Pegasus has been used to target thousands of people. Investigative journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud tell its story and explain why no one is safe | Continue reading
A workshop used for mummification at Saqqara in Egypt contains remnants of the substances used to make mummies, revealing many came from southern Africa or South-East Asia | Continue reading
Sheep living in pasture with solar panels benefit from shade in hot weather and more nutritious grass – and they stop weeds from growing on the panels | Continue reading
Figures on sewage overflows into rivers and seas in England show that 80 per cent of wastewater systems are regularly working over capacity | Continue reading
People may be more aware of how much time has passed when they move their body and hear sounds during the event. This improved time perception may help to gauge the effectiveness of treatments for conditions like Parkinson's disease | Continue reading
A modelling study of 93 European cities suggests that more than 2600 human heat-related deaths over just three months could have been prevented if these places increased their average tree coverage from 15 per cent to 30 per cent | Continue reading
San Francisco officials have called for a slower, more considered expansion of the use of autonomous vehicles, which have blocked traffic and hampered emergency services | Continue reading
We are gaining a better understanding of the effects of ageing on the immune system, with some surprising findings that it’s not all downhill after 65 | Continue reading
Scientists are getting to grips with the real effect that social distancing during the covid-19 lockdowns had on babies' and young people’s immunity | Continue reading
We all know someone who never seems to get sick. Now scientists are discovering what makes some people’s immune systems stronger than others | Continue reading
Whether it is immune-boosting smoothies or bacteria-laden yogurts, there is a whole world of products that claim to improve your immune system – but these are the ones that actually work | Continue reading
Artificial immune systems are intelligent algorithms based on how the immune system learns and remembers and could transform our ability to protect ourselves from biological – and technological - invaders | Continue reading
New blood tests can reveal whether your immune system is fighting fit by looking at the balance of different immune cells, but there may be a simpler way of gauging your immune health | Continue reading
In some cases, it is now possible to genetically engineer the immune system to banish cancers like T-cell leukaemia that were previously unresponsive to treatments | Continue reading
A vine-like segmented robot that is attracted to heat could be used to autonomously extinguish fires without the need for costly and complex electronics | Continue reading
Technology being trialled on UK farms collects daily data on cows’ weight, body condition and mobility, helping to identify individuals in need of treatment | Continue reading
Artificial intelligences need specific training to excel at a task, but now a more generally intelligent one from DeepMind has performed as well as humans in a virtual world test | Continue reading
Six of the most powerful astronomical observatories have captured a stunning image of Abell 2256, which is made of multiple galaxy clusters smashing together | Continue reading
Dolphins off coast of southern Brazil drive mullet towards the nets of local fishers and in return get some extra fish themselves | Continue reading
An experiment in beetles shows that when parents care for their young, the population accumulates more mutations over time, but this may have benefits | Continue reading
Banded mongooses have long been used as a model of animal cooperation. Now, researchers in Uganda are starting to get to grips with the harsh realities of their long-running and bloody battles | Continue reading
A US startup will soon begin planting genetically engineered trees in Georgia and Pennsylvania that may be able to capture more carbon than regular trees | Continue reading
Growing demand for air travel is counteracting the aviation industry push to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Carbon offsets will be necessary – or fewer passengers | Continue reading
The polyethylene microplastic pollution commonly found in wastewater can be extracted to create electrodes for lithium-ion batteries | Continue reading
Intermittent fasting led to a group of people with obesity losing 7.6 kilograms in 14 weeks when combined with them receiving advice on reducing their calorie intake, compared with 3.9 kilograms among those who only received the advice | Continue reading
By shooting a brief and powerful laser beam shaped like a doughnut through the air, researchers created a 45-metre-long structure that could guide a light pulse like an optical fibre | Continue reading