Science News

Our verdict on Claire North’s space opera Slow Gods: a big thumbs-up

There was unusual consensus amongst New Scientist Book Club members about our read for July, with readers falling over…

Plankton get a close-up in these stunning photographs

The strange world of plankton is revealed by Julian Cremona in these intricate images from his new book

What would happen if a deadly bioweapon were released?

First Annie Jacobsen laid out a fictional scenario for nuclear war.

Did NASA’s Viking landers find life on Mars after all, asks new book

Steven Benner’s Meet The Neighbors is an intriguing tale of misunderstood planetary biochemistry.

What changes will occur on Earth as the moon moves further away?

From tides to eclipses, the slow departure of our moon will affect life on Earth, say our correspondents

Why don’t dogs look up when a low-flying plane passes overhead?

One correspondent with a particularly intelligent dog begs to differ with this question, while another looks to deepen…

Are flies following a strategy when they keep hitting windows? Part 3

An Australian reader with an abundance of flies in their locality tries to answer a question that has intrigued many of…

This week’s new questions

If the sun suddenly disappeared, how long would life on Earth last, from humans and plants to subterranean bacteria?

A handy guide to the science of super-long fingernails

Feedback is delighted by a deep dive into why people sometimes wear "artificially elongated fingernails".

Twisteddoodles on twin studies

This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles

Jupiter’s deepest mysteries were hidden in shadow. Now we can see them

NASA researcher Heidi Becker has photographed sublime sights around Jupiter that have never been seen before, from its…

Lost civilisation in the Amazon may have numbered 3 million people

Laser-scanning surveys reveal that the ancient Aquiry civilisation was bigger than previously thought, building tens of…

Pill that lowers oxygen levels in brain may ease Parkinson’s symptoms

A pill that induces hypoxia in the brain has been linked to improved symptoms of three neurodegenerative conditions when…

Extraordinary ichthyosaur fossil shows its last meal was a pterosaur

The remains of an orca-sized ichthyosaur include evidence of what it ate – before it too got eaten by an even bigger…

More than 100 aftershocks hit Japan after deadly quake that killed 13

People are being urged to stay alert, with earthquake aftershocks potentially reaching magnitude 7, officials say

A 17th-Century Shipwreck Full of Moroccan Gold Baffled Divers for 30 Years. They Finally Cracked It

A shipwreck discovered in 1995 in Salcombe Bay off England’s south coast left divers and researchers with more than 400…

Underwater Oxygen Loss Threatens Earth's Stability, Researchers Warn

Reaction wheel failures leave Swift rescue mission spinning in orbit

"Preliminary investigation shows that two of Link's three reaction wheels currently are not operable."

College lab class ends with 32 people on antibiotics for deadly germ exposure

Lab students were supposed to ID a mild germ. They all identified a deadly pathogen.

Study: Dinosaurs were charbroiled after Chicxulub impact

“We're in the realm where we might be essentially killing off everything within that first hour or two."

The robot NASA hired to lift a orbital telescope is tumbling out of control

Katalyst's LINK spacecraft is tumbling out of control after suffering key component failures.

Mysterious deaths of 14 elephants in Kenya prompts urgent inquiry

It is the highest number of elephant deaths to be recorded in this area of southern Kenya in decades.

Harmony Explained: Progress Towards a Scientific Theory of Music (2012)

Daniel Shawcross Wilkerson presents a scientific theory of music harmony based on both physical and computational…

Jaguar makes epic 2100-kilometre journey across the Amazon

A jaguar that has been dubbed Gaspar traversed 2100 kilometres of the Amazon, crossing farms and roads.

Matcha is under threat from climate change – can genomics save it?

Climate change is affecting the yields and flavour of the traditional Japanese tea matcha, but studying its seedlings'…

As US measles cases rise, biotech firms start developing new treatments

The US is making measles great again, so treatment options are needed for the most vulnerable.

Gironde wildfires pick up as French region braces for new 40C heatwave

Firefighters are braced for a sharp rise in temperatures on Wednesday, which could complicate the containment of…

New HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Scripps Research have developed an HIV vaccine that successfully…

Asteroid strike caused global firestorm that incinerated the dinosaurs

After the Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago, trillions of tonnes of rock vapour was launched into space before…