New Scientist Space - Cosmology
The cost of weight-loss drugs should fall in 2026
The price of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy put them out of reach for most people with obesity, but new arrivals and expiring patents should change that this year
Categories: Astronomy
2026 Mars mission will set out to solve the mystery of its moons
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will be launching the Martian Moons eXploration mission next year, which should finally tell us how Mars acquired the moons Phobos and Deimos
Categories: Astronomy
US to fire up small reactors in 2026 as part of 'nuclear renaissance'
Eleven companies are working towards an ambitious goal as part of the US Department of Energy's plan to fast-track the development of advanced nuclear reactor technologies
Categories: Astronomy
2026 is set to be an even bigger year for weight-loss drugs
GLP-1 agonists have already had an outsized influence on society, and with pill versions and more advanced formulations on the horizon, that looks set to continue
Categories: Astronomy
See how fire has changed the world's largest wetland, the Pantanal
Stunning and shocking images from upcoming exhibition Water Pantanal Fire show how this tropical wetland has been hit by wildfires
Categories: Astronomy
Why stroking seedlings can help them grow big and strong
The science behind why stroking your seedlings actually works. If you’re worried about your seedlings getting long and leggy, try a bit of home thigmomorphogenesis, advises James Wong
Categories: Astronomy
Why I'm going to reap the mental health benefits of stargazing in 2026
Navigating the night sky can have a positive effect on our well-being. This will be the year I learn the constellations, resolves Michael Brooks
Categories: Astronomy
The best new science fiction books of 2026
On the horizon for this year are Ann Leckie's latest, Neil Jordan's debut and more from Adrian Tchaikovsky. Exciting times, says our sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson
Categories: Astronomy
The best new popular science books of 2026
Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood
Categories: Astronomy
Could James and the Giant Peach inspire the future of food?
In the latest in our imagined history of inventions yet to come, Future Chronicles columnist Rowan Hooper reveals how by the 2030s, botanists had worked out how to grow hybridised superplants to help feed the world
Categories: Astronomy
Physicists stirred up controversy with scientific cooking tips in 2025
Cacio e pepe pasta and boiled eggs were the subjects of meticulous studies aiming to help cooks achieve perfection, but the reimagined recipes weren't always well-received
Categories: Astronomy
The emotion you never knew you had, and how to feel more of it
The warm and fuzzy emotion of kama muta underlies vital feel-good experiences like social connection and feeling part of something bigger. But are you getting enough of it?
Categories: Astronomy
The century-long hunt for the gigantic meteorite that vanished
A soldier returned from the Sahara desert in 1916 with a wild story about a meteorite that dwarfed all others. Over 100 years of hunting yielded nothing – but now twin brothers think they have solved the puzzle
Categories: Astronomy
The cassette tape made a comeback in 2025 thanks to a DNA upgrade
With a storage capacity of 36 petabytes, a DNA-based cassette tape can hold every song every recorded, and it could be on the market within five years
Categories: Astronomy
EU carbon border tax will force others to cut emissions from 2026
In 2026, the European Union will start charging a carbon-emissions-based tax on imported goods such as steel, cement and fertilisers – and countries including the UK are likely to follow
Categories: Astronomy
We'll learn about LSD's potential for treating anxiety in 2026
Two later-stage trials investigating LSD for treating anxiety are due to conclude in 2026, which could lead to the drug being approved for the common mental health condition
Categories: Astronomy
A controversial experiment threatened to kill the multiverse in 2025
A photon was apparently detected in two places at once in a twist on the classic double-slit experiment, but many physicists didn't accept the results
Categories: Astronomy
Benefits of mRNA cancer vaccines could exceed $75 billion in US alone
An analysis of ongoing trials suggests that mRNA cancer vaccines have the potential to deliver health benefits worth $75 billion each year in the US alone
Categories: Astronomy
Mathematicians unified key laws of physics in 2025
It took 125 years, but in 2025 a team of mathematicians discovered the solution to a long-puzzling problem about the equations that govern the behaviour of particles in a fluid
Categories: Astronomy
Low on energy? A new understanding of rest could help revitalise you
There is a state of relaxation that few of us spend much time in, but which comes with profound well-being benefits. With healthier ageing, reduced risk of disease and feeling more energised all on offer, here's how to get there
Categories: Astronomy

