How to nurture infant microbiomes for a lifetime of good mental health
The microbes that take hold in our bodies during early life have long-term effects on our brain health. Helen Thomson investigates how to get kids’ microbiomes off to the best start. ⌘ Read more

Antidepressants vary widely in their physical side effects
Antidepressants can be very effective, but they also come with side effects that vary from one drug to the next, supporting the idea of more personalised prescriptions ⌘ Read more

Exclusive: Climate scientists expect attempts to dim the sun by 2100
An exclusive New Scientist survey of leading scientists reveals widespread concern that schemes to tweak Earth’s atmosphere could launch within decades in a risky bid to cool the planet ⌘ Read more

Ultracold atoms could test relativity in the quantum realm
Confining and rotating extremely cold atoms or molecules within atomic “Ferris wheels” made from laser light could test relativity’s predictions on the quantum scale ⌘ Read more

How worried should we be about noxious chemicals from dead satellites?
We have more satellites than ever before, but when they burn up they create a new kind of air pollution. Evidence is now revealing what effects this could have and how to tackle it ⌘ Read more

A distant comet is forming new rings while we watch in real time
The comet-like object Chiron has been caught in the process of forming new rings, which could help us understand how these complex systems work ⌘ Read more

The extraordinary influence of the lymphatic system on our health
It has remained mysterious for millennia, but we’re finally uncovering the profound role the lymphatic system plays in everything from preventing dementia to fighting cancer ⌘ Read more

Eye implant and high-tech glasses restore vision lost to age
Age-related macular degeneration is a common cause of vision loss, with existing treatments only able to slow its progression. But now an implant in the back of the eye and a pair of high-tech glasses have enabled people with the condition to read again ⌘ Read more

Hand-powered device disinfects drinking water with nanoparticles
Turning the crank on a simple device filled with nanoparticles can remove serious pathogens from water in seconds, making it suitable for areas without electricity ⌘ Read more

Neanderthal-human hybrids may have been scourged by a genetic mismatch
When Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred, a genetic variation affecting red blood cells may have hindered reproduction in women who were hybrids, and this might have played a part in Neanderthals’ demise ⌘ Read more

mRNA covid vaccines spark immune response that may aid cancer survival
An analysis of patient records suggests that mRNA covid-19 vaccines boost the immune response to cancerous tumours when given soon after people start a type of immunotherapy, extending their lives ⌘ Read more

‘Nightmare’ calculation may be too tricky for even quantum computers
Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are starting to identify where they could falter ⌘ Read more

Replacing sugar with artificial sweetener may help your gut microbiome
One of the longest trials of artificial sweeteners to date found that they may increase beneficial gut bacteria, though the boost may also be related to weight loss ⌘ Read more

We’re starting to understand why childhood adversity leaves its mark
Experiencing severe hardship in childhood can have a lasting impact. Understanding this better could open the door to more effective treatments ⌘ Read more

Record-breaking chip sidesteps Moore’s law by growing upwards
A new chip design includes 41 vertical layers of semiconductor and insulator materials, which allow it to outrun the limits of miniaturisation ⌘ Read more

The centre of our galaxy may be teeming with dark matter particles
A mysterious excess of gamma rays in the middle of the Milky Way may come from dark matter particles smashing into one another and annihilating ⌘ Read more

There’s a simple way we could drastically cut AI energy use
If users chose the most efficient model each time they performed a task with AI, researchers calculate it would slash energy consumption by more than a quarter ⌘ Read more

School phone bans may actually harm some students’ mental health
The evidence to support phone bans in schools has been inconclusive, and now it seems that the move could harm some students’ mental health in a particular way ⌘ Read more

Mathematicians have found a hidden ‘reset button’ for undoing rotation
Mathematicians thought that they understood how rotation works, but now a new proof has revealed a surprising twist that makes it possible to reset even a complex sequence of motion ⌘ Read more

Why the next generation of mRNA vaccines is set to be even better
Scientists are designing mRNA vaccines to produce virus-like nanoparticles, which should lead to a more robust immune response with even fewer side effects than either of these immunisation approaches on their own ⌘ Read more

Ancient lead exposure may have influenced how our brains evolved
Lead poisoning isn’t just a modern phenomenon: fossil teeth show signs that it affected ancient hominids, and Homo sapiens may have coped better than our close relatives ⌘ Read more

Dinosaur fossil rewrites the story of how sauropods got long necks
A 230-million-year-old fossil found in Argentina shows that the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs’ long necks began earlier than previously thought ⌘ Read more

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality
In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real ⌘ Read more

CO2 levels in Earth’s atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024
The global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million to reach 423.9 ppm last year, fuelling worries that the planet’s ability to soak up excess carbon is weakening ⌘ Read more

The AI bubble is heading towards a burst but it won’t be the end of AI
Economists, bankers and even the boss of OpenAI are warning of a rapidly inflating AI bubble. If and when it bursts, what will happen to the technological breakthroughs of the past few years? ⌘ Read more

Who were the first humans to reach the British Isles?
As ancient humans left Africa, they encountered many harsh environments including the Sahara and the high Arctic, but one of the last places they inhabited was Britain, likely due to the relentless cold and damp climate ⌘ Read more

Paralysed man can feel objects through another person’s hand
Keith Thomas, a man in his 40s with no sensation or movement in his hands, is able to feel and move objects by controlling another person’s hand via a brain implant. The technique might one day even allow us to experience another person’s body over long distances. ⌘ Read more

Martian volcanoes may have transported ice to the planet’s equator
The equatorial regions of Mars are home to unexpectedly enormous layers of ice, and they may have been put there by dramatic volcanic eruptions billions of years ago ⌘ Read more

We’re finally reading the secrets of Herculaneum’s lost library
A whole library’s worth of papyri owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law were turned to charcoal by the eruption of Vesuvius. Nearly 2000 years later, we can at last read these lost treasures ⌘ Read more

‘Pregnancy test’ for skeletons could help reveal ancient mothers
Progesterone, oestrogen and testosterone can be detected in skeletons over 1000 years old, offering a way to identify individuals who died while pregnant or soon after giving birth ⌘ Read more

Mother’s voice seems to boost language development in premature babies
Babies born too soon seem to have stronger connections in one of the major brain areas that supports language processing if they regularly heard their mother read them a story while in intensive care ⌘ Read more

Your diet is probably dangerously acidic but there’s a simple solution
Nutrition scientists have unlocked an entirely new way of thinking about why certain foods are good for you and others are harmful. Here’s what to eat to function at your best ⌘ Read more

Chatbots work best when you speak to them with formal language
Are you terse and informal when speaking to an AI chatbot? If so, you might be getting worse answers than if you used more formal language ⌘ Read more

A black hole fell into a star – then ate its way out again
Stars often fall into black holes, and now it seems the opposite can also occur, producing an extra long-lasting explosion as the star is consumed from within ⌘ Read more

What makes a quantum computer good?
Claims that one quantum computer is better than another rest on terms like quantum advantage or quantum supremacy, fault-tolerance or qubits with better coherence – what does it all mean? Karmela Padavic-Callaghan sifts through the noise ⌘ Read more

Coral reefs are at a tipping point after surging global temperatures
Record-breaking ocean temperatures have caused widespread bleaching and death among warm-water corals, which could have far-reaching consequences ⌘ Read more

Physicists are uncovering when nature’s strongest force falters
The strong nuclear force may abruptly loosen its grip on the fundamental particles that make up matter at a special “critical point” – researchers are now getting a clearer picture of when that point is reached ⌘ Read more

Serum based on plant extracts boosts hair growth in weeks
Applying a daily serum that contains extracts of a tropical plant improved hair density and strand thickness in just 56 days ⌘ Read more

Evolution of intelligence in our ancestors may have come at a cost
By tracing when variations in the human genome first appeared, researchers have found that advances in cognitive abilities may have led to our vulnerability to mental illness ⌘ Read more

‘Sword Dragon’ ichthyosaur had enormous eyes and a lethal snout
A beautifully preserved skeleton found on the UK’s Jurassic Coast has been identified as a new species of the marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs ⌘ Read more

Robotic underwater glider sets out to circumnavigate the globe
Redwing, a robotic submarine about the size of a surfboard, is embarking on a five-year journey that will follow the famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage around the world ⌘ Read more

Therapy may be the most effective way to ease irritable bowel syndrome
People with irritable bowel syndrome are often only given treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy after others have failed, but research suggests this approach is more effective than we thought ⌘ Read more

We’ve discovered another reason why naked mole rats live for so long
The longevity of naked mole rats may partly be due to them having a variant of a key protein that boosts DNA repair – a discovery that could help extend our own lives ⌘ Read more

Swirly lasers can control an ungovernable cousin of magnetism
Short pulses of light that impart rotation on a material’s atoms can be used to switch a property called ferroaxiality, which could let us build very stable and efficient memory devices ⌘ Read more

Hidden ecosystem of the ovaries plays a surprising role in fertility
A woman’s fertility declines with age, which is often attributed to a fall in egg number and quality, but the environment of the ovaries themselves may also be responsible ⌘ Read more

Top 250 oil and gas firms own just 1.5% of the world’s renewable power
Despite public promises by many fossil fuel firms that they are investing in the green transition, it turns out that they have made little contribution to the growth of renewable energy ⌘ Read more

King Richard III’s oral microbiome hints he had severe gum disease
The skeleton of King Richard III, which was found beneath a car park more than a decade ago, has well-preserved teeth, allowing scientists to sequence his oral microbiome ⌘ Read more

Pig liver transplant into a living person edges it closer to the norm
The first ever transplantation of a pig’s liver into a living person helps us better understand how animal organs can be used to prolong, or even save, lives ⌘ Read more

Electrons inside graphene have been pushed to supersonic speeds
Making electrons flow like a liquid is difficult, but inside graphene researchers forced them to move so fast that they created dramatic shockwaves ⌘ Read more

Memory chips just 10 atoms thick could vastly increase capacity
A memory chip just 10 atoms thick has been tested in a lab and integrated into conventional chips, demonstrating a technology that could improve the capacity of our devices ⌘ Read more