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Today so far 2026-09-14 · 12:00 UTC

A newly analyzed DNA sample from a 42,000-year-old Neanderthal specimen reveals that this individual's population experienced 50,000 years of genetic isolation before extinction, providing new insights into the final stages of Neanderthal existence. In public health news, an unvaccinated Pennsylvania woman has died from measles complications, underscoring ongoing concerns about vaccine-preventable diseases. Meanwhile, scientists continue exploring fundamental questions about our universe, from investigating whether the Sun once swallowed a planet to examining the cosmic coincidences that enabled our existence.

Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery

Muscle stem cells, which are crucial for building new muscle, don’t work as well as we get older, but giving them an artificial boost could rejuvenate them

2026-05-14 · 10:00 UTC
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Solar drone with jumbo jet wingspan broke a flight record—then it crashed

2026-05-13 · 21:48

The final flight and complex legacy of a pioneering solar-powered aircraft.

Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth

2026-05-13 · 19:00

A Neanderthal tooth shows clear signs of human intervention to treat bacterial decay, showing that the earliest…

Shocking turtle photo reveals efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade

2026-05-13 · 18:00

Winner of an environmental photography award, this shot of a sea turtle seen under ultraviolet light shows how forensic…

Arctic fires are releasing carbon stored for thousands of years

2026-05-13 · 18:00

A study of soils around the Arctic and boreal forests has found that some wildfires are releasing carbon stored over…

Science doesn't have a monopoly on good ideas

2026-05-13 · 18:00

Scientific disciplines often shy away from asking fundamental "what if" questions.

New Scientist recommends a smart new account of human exceptionalism

2026-05-13 · 18:00

Why did humans decide they weren't like other animals, or animals at all?

Suzanne Simard on the wood wide web, connectedness – and Avatar

2026-05-13 · 18:00

Rowan Hooper met ecologist Suzanne Simard under an oak tree in Kew Gardens, London, to talk about her new book,…

Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth

2026-05-13 · 16:08

Asteroid 2026JH2 has enough mass to wipe out a city and will zoom past Earth next week

Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum

2026-05-13 · 16:00

After a career spent grappling with the neural underpinnings of autism, Uta Frith is unwavering in her controversial…

Ancient teeth hint at links between Denisovans and Homo erectus

2026-05-13 · 16:00

Six teeth roughly 400,000 years old have yielded some of the first ancient proteins thought to belong to Homo erectus,…

Natural sunscreen found in fish eggs can be made by E. coli factories

2026-05-13 · 16:00

Genetically altered bacteria can synthesise gadusol, a naturally occurring compound found in zebrafish eggs that could…

Can cloud seeding save us from water bankruptcy?

2026-05-12 · 16:00

We’ve long tried to control the weather by engineering rainfall.

Carbon credits are flawed, but they can still help save forests

2026-05-12 · 12:00

Carbon credits bought by companies to offset their emissions really have reduced deforestation, but not by as much as…

PCOS has been officially renamed PMOS, and it’s a momentous move

2026-05-12 · 10:00

PCOS will now be known as PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome), and for Alice Klein, who has the condition,…

Why do particle physicists like spending time in fields?

2026-05-12 · 10:00

The concept of a field plays a key role in particle physics, but what exactly is it?

A new tectonic plate boundary could be forming in southern Africa

2026-05-12 · 05:00

Gases collected from boiling mineral springs in Zambia contain the chemical signature of having come directly from the…

The story of the first human tool: the humble container

2026-05-11 · 18:00

An analysis of ancient human artefacts finds that the container, a simple but critical tool, may have originated 500,000…

Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer

2026-05-11 · 16:00

The rules governing gravity and other laws of nature seem like eternal truths, but cosmologist João Magueijo has always…

Huge study of ancient British DNA reveals only minor Roman influence

2026-05-11 · 12:00

Genetic analysis of 1039 people buried in Britain between the Bronze Age and the Norman conquest highlights the impact…

Tiny 'metajets' could use light to steer sails for interstellar travel

2026-05-10 · 07:00

Minuscule silicon wafers propelled by lasers could be used to steer light sails, helping them travel beyond the solar…

A vast dam across the Bering Strait could stop the AMOC collapsing

2026-05-09 · 07:00

If a key ocean current collapses it could plunge northern Europe into a big freeze.

US government releases huge batch of UFO files

2026-05-08 · 18:33

The US Department of Defense has released hundreds of documents and photographs related to UFOs, some of which have been…

Doubling their genomes may have helped plants survive mass extinctions

2026-05-08 · 16:00

Many flowering plants have duplicated genomes, which could have helped them evolve to deal with extreme stress in times…

There has been a sudden increase in the rate of sea level rise

2026-05-08 · 14:08

Satellite measurements show that in the early 2010s sea level rise suddenly accelerated to a rate of 4.1 millimetres per…

Slow breathing can calm the mind without any need for mindfulness

2026-05-08 · 12:00

How important is thinking about your breath for calming yourself down?

Neanderthal 'kneeprint' found next to mysterious stalagmite circle

2026-05-08 · 10:11

An impression made in clay around 175,000 years ago could be a kneeprint left by one of the builders of a strange…

The mathematician who doesn’t exist

2026-05-08 · 09:00

A secret society of French mathematicians has been revolutionising the field of mathematics under a pseudonym for nearly…

Hantavirus outbreak will not cause a covid-style pandemic, says WHO

2026-05-07 · 16:40

The World Health Organization sought to quell worldwide fears over the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius…

PCOS postpones perimenopause and allows pregnancies at older ages

2026-05-07 · 16:00

Only 3 per cent of those with polycystic ovary syndrome reach perimenopause by the age of 46, which may allow them to…

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