New Scientist Space - Cosmology
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
'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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
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
Categories: Astronomy
Stunning images highlight fight to save Earth’s rich biodiversity
From an alien-looking flat-faced longhorn beetle to an abandoned baby rhino, images at London’s Natural History Museum show what we stand to lose from the decimation of global biodiversity
Categories: Astronomy
Learning to play nice with other people
How did cooperation emerge in a cut-throat world? There are clues in the prisoner's dilemma experiment, says Peter Rowlett
Categories: Astronomy
Blue Planet Red is wrong about Mars – but it's surprisingly poignant
Brian Cory Dobbs's documentary promotes the baseless idea that Mars was once inhabited by an advanced civilisation. But there's some value in how it inadvertently documents a generation of otherwise-sensible scientists, says Simon Ings
Categories: Astronomy

