New Scientist Space - Cosmology
How a new way of thinking about fat could transform your health
Body fat, often reviled, is actually a vital organ that contributes to your health and well-being. It is time for us to stop vilifying fat and to start exploring how we can harness its power
Categories: Astronomy
Is there any evidence that playing music to plants is beneficial?
Botanist James Wong is constantly asked if he plays music to his army of plants. Time to put this notion to the test...
Categories: Astronomy
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe discuss their new spacebound album, Liminal
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe's album Liminal is being transmitted into space by Nobel laureate Robert Wilson. They give Chelsea Whyte the lowdown
Categories: Astronomy
New Scientist recommends the Society of Wildlife Artists' annual expo
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Categories: Astronomy
A fascinatingly grisly guide to replacing and repairing body parts
Mary Roach's new book Replaceable You explores what we do when bits of our bodies break down or need switching out. It makes for a brilliant read – just beware the gory details, warns Carissa Wong
Categories: Astronomy
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
