New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Why aren't young people having sex any more?
Sexual activity in young people is on the decline, but why? And what's more, should we be worried about what this means for society and the future of the human race?
Categories: Astronomy
Fossil fuel emissions rise again – but China's are levelling off
Global emissions from fossil fuels are expected to hit another record high in 2025, but China’s carbon emissions appear to be reaching a peak
Categories: Astronomy
Strongest evidence yet that the Epstein-Barr virus causes lupus
Lupus has been linked to the Epstein-Barr virus – which causes glandular fever, or mono – before, but we now have evidence of how it can bring about the autoimmune condition
Categories: Astronomy
Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us all
Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone
Categories: Astronomy
The 19th-century maths that can help you deal with horrible coffee
Do you need to fairly allocate players to teams, or sort out a pot of badly brewed coffee? Katie Steckles has a mathematical solution
Categories: Astronomy
Breaking Bad showrunner uses sci-fi for smart dive into happiness
Vince Gilligan, the showrunner behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is back, this time using sci-fi to explore a deceptively rich premise about the pursuit of happiness and the notion of utopia, finds Bethan Ackerley
Categories: Astronomy
New Scientist recommends this extreme birdwatching documentary
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Categories: Astronomy
Smart new book takes an axe to the myth of human exceptionalism
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
Categories: Astronomy
Is the future of education outside universities?
New technologies and academic funding cuts are upending the ways we learn today. Newly enrolled student Annalee Newitz finds some silver linings
Categories: Astronomy
Sperm are selfish – and so are we
A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman
Categories: Astronomy
Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNA
Francis Crick's biography is full of surprises as author Matthew Cobb reveals the life and work of the co-discoverer of DNA's structure, finds Michael Le Page
Categories: Astronomy
Kim Kardashian has wrangled an invite to NASA HQ. Can we get one too?
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian apparently thinks the 1969 moon landing was fake. If Feedback comes up with an equally outlandish conspiracy theory, maybe we can also get a guided tour of NASA
Categories: Astronomy
Remarkable robot images provide a vision of the future
These photographs of humanoid robots by Henrik Spohler are part of his project Tomorrow Is the Question
Categories: Astronomy
Sex could help wounds heal faster by reducing stress
Mild wounds healed faster if people took a spray containing the "love hormone" oxytocin and set aside time to praise their partner – but they cleared up even quicker if these individuals were also intimate with their other half
Categories: Astronomy
Huge cloud of plasma belched out by star 130 light years away
A coronal mass ejection from a distant star has been confirmed for the first time, raising questions about how such events could impact exoplanet habitability
Categories: Astronomy
Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you
When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells New Scientist about his 50-year career in planetary defence
Categories: Astronomy
Chemical computer can recognise patterns and perform multiple tasks
Previous attempts at building a chemical computer have been too simple, too rigid or too hard to scale, but an approach based on a network of reactions can perform multiple tasks without having to be reconfigured
Categories: Astronomy
Women prefer to be prettier than a partner, but men want to be funnier
When measuring yourself against your partner, which traits do you prefer to have compared with your significant other? A survey that forced people to choose has found that men and women have different preferences when it comes to being smarter, funnier or more attractive
Categories: Astronomy
IBM has unveiled two unprecedentedly complex quantum computers
IBM revealed two new quantum computers, called Loon and Nighthawk – the qubits they use are connected in newly intricate ways and may enable a way to run error-free computations
Categories: Astronomy
Cradle of humanity is still revealing new insights about our origins
The Omo-Turkana basin in Africa is home to a treasure trove of ancient human fossils and tools that span 300,000 years – today it is still yielding new discoveries about our species
Categories: Astronomy
