New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Imagining a future where smart glasses allow 'AI slop' to be avoided
In the latest in our imagined history of inventions yet to come, Future Chronicles columnist Rowan Hooper reveals how an ingenious way to avoid being swamped by AI content was invented in the late 2020s
Categories: Astronomy
Cars are getting bigger. This is a problem for us and for the planet
Sport utility vehicles and other larger cars are becoming more and more common, and this is dangerous for our health in many ways. But we have ways to counter "carspreading", says Anthony Laverty
Categories: Astronomy
Who finds dad jokes funniest? The answer might not astonish you
Feedback is delighted to discover that two academics have taken a scholarly interest in dad jokes, but is unsurprised by their key finding: the people who most enjoy dad jokes are dads
Categories: Astronomy
An ambitious look at quantum physics is fun – but overdoes it a little
Attempts to describe quantum physics are rarely enjoyable, but Paul Davies' zeal in Quantum 2.0 sometimes steers too close to hype, finds Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
Categories: Astronomy
Why quasicrystals shouldn’t exist but are turning up in strange places
Matter with “forbidden” symmetries was once thought to be confined to lab experiments, but is now being found in some of the world’s most extreme environments
Categories: Astronomy
Google's Gemini 3 model keeps the AI hype train going – for now
Google’s latest model reportedly beats its rivals in several benchmark tests, but issues with reliability mean concerns remain over a possible AI bubble
Categories: Astronomy
Quantum computers that recycle their qubits can limit errors
To make quantum computers more efficient and reliable, some of their basic components must be constantly reused – several quantum computer designs can now do just that
Categories: Astronomy
Physics of light and magnetism rewritten after almost two centuries
An experiment 180 years ago first demonstrated a connection between light and electromagnetism – but the link is deeper than we thought
Categories: Astronomy
Kissing may have evolved in an ape ancestor 21 million years ago
Rather than being a recent cultural development, kissing may have been practised by other early humans like Neanderthals and our ape ancestors
Categories: Astronomy
Four-fifths of the world's population now live in urban areas
A comprehensive UN report has found that cities and towns are home to 81 per cent of the world’s population, much more than previously thought
Categories: Astronomy
We can finally hear the long-hidden music of the Stone Age
Ancient rock art was meant to be heard as well as seen and now acoustic archaeologists are bringing the sounds of prehistoric rituals to life
Categories: Astronomy
Mathematicians say Google's AI tools are supercharging their research
AlphaEvolve, an AI system created by Google DeepMind, is helping mathematicians do research at a scale that was previously impossible - even if it does occasionally "cheat" to find a solution
Categories: Astronomy
What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best
Categories: Astronomy
Vast Bronze Age city discovered in the plains of Kazakhstan
A major settlement in Central Asia called Semiyarka dating back to 1600 BC had houses, a big central building and even an industrial zone for producing copper and bronze
Categories: Astronomy
Ancient figurine may show sexual encounter between woman and goose
A 12,000-year-old clay sculpture found in Israel depicts a goose on the back of a woman, and archaeologists suggest it may be a depiction of an animistic mythological scene
Categories: Astronomy
Neanderthals' hefty noses weren’t well adapted to cold climates
Neanderthals were thought to have structures inside their noses that helped them deal with the cold, but analysis of an exceptionally preserved specimen contradicts that
Categories: Astronomy
Parasitic ant tricks workers into killing their queen, then usurps her
Some ants kill the queens of another species and take over their colonies, but we now know at least one species gets workers to do the dirty work for them through a kind of chemical subterfuge
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
Cuts and scrapes may be slower to heal in redheads
Mice with the same genetic variant that contributes towards red hair in people were slower to recover from wounds than their black-haired counterparts
Categories: Astronomy
