The vital, overlooked role of body fat in shaping your health and mind
The discovery that fat is a communicative organ with a role in everything from bone health to mood is forcing a rethink of how we view our bodies ⌘ Read more

Rapid melt from Antarctica could help preserve crucial ocean current
Greenland’s melt is expected to slow the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but research suggests a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet could in some cases prevent it from shutting down ⌘ Read more

Oldest ever RNA sample recovered from woolly mammoth
RNA from an exceptionally well preserved woolly mammoth gives us a window on gene activity in an animal that died nearly 40,000 years ago ⌘ Read more

The 19 best Christmas gifts for science lovers (and nerds)
From microscopes to geodes, New Scientist staff share their top Christmas present ideas in a gift guide unlike any you’ve seen before ⌘ Read more

The forgotten women of quantum physics
Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its inception ⌘ Read more

Ancient silver goblet preserves oldest known image of cosmic creation
The images hammered into the sides of a goblet found in Palestine give us an idea of what people living more than 4000 years ago imagined the creation of the cosmos looked like ⌘ Read more

Analysing Hitler’s DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing useful
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page ⌘ Read more

Why aren’t young people having sex any more?
Sexual activity in young people is on the decline, but why? And what’s more, should we be worried about what this means for society and the future of the human race? ⌘ Read more

Fossil fuel emissions rise again – but China’s are levelling off
Global emissions from fossil fuels are expected to hit another record high in 2025, but China’s carbon emissions appear to be reaching a peak ⌘ Read more

Sex could help wounds heal faster by reducing stress
Mild wounds healed faster if people took a spray containing the “love hormone” oxytocin and set aside time to praise their partner – but they cleared up even quicker if these individuals were also intimate with their other half ⌘ Read more

Huge cloud of plasma belched out by star 130 light years away
A coronal mass ejection from a distant star has been confirmed for the first time, raising questions about how such events could impact exoplanet habitability ⌘ Read more

Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you
When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells New Scientist about his 50-year career in planetary defence ⌘ Read more

Chemical computer can recognise patterns and perform multiple tasks
Previous attempts at building a chemical computer have been too simple, too rigid or too hard to scale, but an approach based on a network of reactions can perform multiple tasks without having to be reconfigured ⌘ Read more

Women prefer to be prettier than a partner, but men want to be funnier
When measuring yourself against your partner, which traits do you prefer to have compared with your significant other? A survey that forced people to choose has found that men and women have different preferences when it comes to being smarter, funnier or more attractive ⌘ Read more

IBM has unveiled two unprecedentedly complex quantum computers
IBM revealed two new quantum computers, called Loon and Nighthawk – the qubits they use are connected in newly intricate ways and may enable a way to run error-free computations ⌘ Read more

Cradle of humanity is still revealing new insights about our origins
The Omo-Turkana basin in Africa is home to a treasure trove of ancient human fossils and tools that span 300,000 years – today it is still yielding new discoveries about our species ⌘ Read more

At-home hypnosis relieves menopausal hot flushes
Hot flushes could be relieved by listening to recordings that induce hypnosis from home, rather than having to venture to a clinic ⌘ Read more

Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon may rise to 30 per cent
In February, the James Webb Space Telescope will briefly be able to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 4 per cent chance of hitting the moon in 2032. Depending on what it sees, the odds of collision could drastically increase ⌘ Read more

The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computer
For over a decade, mathematicians have failed to agree whether a 500-page proof is actually correct. Now, translating the proof into a computer-readable form may finally settle the matter ⌘ Read more

Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past life
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life ⌘ Read more

Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health ⌘ Read more

Ultrasound may boost survival after a stroke by clearing brain debris
The damage of strokes caused by brain bleeds can be mitigated by removing dead blood cells. Scientists have now found a way of doing this non-invasively, with promising results in mice ⌘ Read more

Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a sudden
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states ⌘ Read more

AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it
There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way ⌘ Read more

When rift lakes dry up it can cause earthquakes and eruptions
Lake Turkana in Kenya, known as the cradle of humanity, has shrunk in recent millennia – and the loss of water has led to increased seismic activity, which could have impacted our ancient ancestors ⌘ Read more

AI power use forecast finds the industry far off track to net zero
Several large tech firms that are active in AI have set goals to hit net zero by 2030, but a new forecast of the energy and water required to run large data centres shows they’re unlikely to meet those targets ⌘ Read more

Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax ⌘ Read more

James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix, has died aged 97
As one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, James Watson pioneered the field of genetics and left behind a complicated legacy ⌘ Read more

Enceladus’s ocean may be even better for life than we realised
The buried ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus seems to be stable across extremely long periods of time, making it an even more promising place to hunt for life ⌘ Read more

Having children plays a complicated role in the rate we age
The effort of reproducing may divert energy away from repairing DNA or fighting illness, which could drive ageing, but a new study suggests that is only the case when environmental conditions are tough ⌘ Read more

A distant galaxy is being strangled by the cosmic web
A dwarf galaxy 100 million light years away is being stripped of its crucial star-forming gas, and it seems that the cosmic web is siphoning off this gas as the galaxy passes through ⌘ Read more

We may never figure out where interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from
The surface of comet 3I/ATLAS may have been so radically altered by cosmic rays that deducing its home star system would be impossible ⌘ Read more

A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected way
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy ⌘ Read more

Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire’s vast road network
Archaeologists have compiled the most detailed map yet of roads throughout the Roman Empire in AD 150, totalling almost 300,000 kilometres in length ⌘ Read more

Grafting trick could let us gene-edit a huge variety of plants
Many plants including cocoa, coffee and avocado cannot be gene-edited but a technique involving grafting could change that, opening the door to more productive and nutritious varieties ⌘ Read more

Skeleton with brutal injuries identified as duke assassinated in 1272
The identity of a skeleton buried under a Budapest convent has been confirmed as Béla of Macsó, a Hungarian royal murdered in a 13th-century power struggle, and archaeologists have pieced together how the attack unfolded ⌘ Read more

Is the expansion of the universe slowing down?
It is widely accepted that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but now researchers say our measurements of the mysterious force driving that may be wrong and that the universe began to slow 1.5 billion years ago – but other scientists disagree ⌘ Read more

New quantum computer is on the path to unravelling superconductivity
Using the Helios-1 quantum computer, researchers have used a record-breaking number of error-proof qubits to run the first and biggest quantum simulation of a model for perfect conductivity ⌘ Read more

Lumpy ‘caterpillar wormholes’ may connect entangled black holes
A mathematical model suggests that when a pair of black holes gets quantum entangled, this can give rise to a lumpy space-time tunnel between them ⌘ Read more

What we’re learning about consciousness from master meditators’ brains
Neuroscientist Matthew Sacchet is revealing how mastering meditation can not only enable transcendental states of bliss, but also reshape how we experience pain and emotion ⌘ Read more

Toxic algae blighting South Australia could pose a global threat
Researchers warn that the alga Karenia cristata, which has killed around a million animals in Australian waters in one of the biggest algal blooms ever seen, could harm marine life elsewhere ⌘ Read more

Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland’s earliest settlers
Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn’t chop down the island’s forests ⌘ Read more

COP30: What’s on the agenda at the Belém climate summit
Initiatives on the table at COP30 aim to evaluate which countries are most vulnerable, support efforts to clean up industries and pay for the protection of tropical forests ⌘ Read more

Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccination
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and sometimes protective ⌘ Read more

The fascinating story of the ultimate cosmic law
How do we know the speed of light – and why does it have a speed limit at all? Leah Crane explores the history of one of the most important numbers in the universe ⌘ Read more

We’re closing in on how genetics may influence your PCOS risk
In the largest genetic analysis of polycystic ovary syndrome to date, scientists have identified new variants linked to the condition, which could help us treat it more effectively ⌘ Read more

COP30: Can Brazil summit get climate negotiations back on track?
Expectations are low for the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, but the host’s pragmatic approach could help make progress on implementation ⌘ Read more

Advanced quantum network could be a prototype for the quantum internet
Building a working quantum internet would require overcoming a host of technical challenges, but researchers who have built one of the most advanced quantum networks to date say they think it is possible ⌘ Read more

Brightest black hole flare ever caused by huge star being ripped apart
A distant black hole has been caught releasing the brightest flare ever, which is the result of it ripping apart and devouring an enormous star ⌘ Read more

Cavities could be prevented by a gel that restores tooth enamel
Enamel does not naturally regenerate, which can lead to painful cavities, but a gel that harnesses some of the properties of saliva could restore the hard, shiny layer to teeth ⌘ Read more