New Scientist Space - Cosmology
X-ray boosting fabric could make mammograms less painful
A flexible fabric called X-Wear could replace some parts of medical scanners, which would make taking X-rays and CT scans far more comfortable and convenient
Categories: Astronomy
Mathematicians create a tetrahedron that always lands on the same side
With the help of powerful computers, researchers discovered a four-sided shape that naturally rests on one side, and built a real-life version from carbon fibre and tungsten
Categories: Astronomy
The bold plan to save a vital ocean current with giant parachutes
Large sea anchors could be used to drag water under a bold plan to keep the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation moving – but some experts are sceptical
Categories: Astronomy
Our verdict on The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: A thumbs up
Culture editor Alison Flood rounds up the New Scientist Book Club's take on our latest read, a time-travelling romance
Categories: Astronomy
Read an extract from Adam Roberts’s far future-set Lake of Darkness
In this passage from near the opening of Lake of Darkness, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are given an insight into how deep-space travel works in Adam Roberts’s universe
Categories: Astronomy
Why Adam Roberts set out to write a sci-fi utopia, not a dystopia
The author of Lake of Darkness, the latest read for the New Scientist Book Club, on why, in a world awash with fictional dystopias, he set out to write the opposite
Categories: Astronomy
Mystery fireball spotted plummeting to Earth over the US
There have been hundreds of reports of sightings of a “fireball” in the skies over the southern US – it may have been a meteor breaking up as it falls through Earth’s atmosphere
Categories: Astronomy
Ash trees are rapidly evolving some resistance to ash dieback disease
DNA sequencing shows young trees are more likely to have gene variants that confer partial resistance to a fungus that has been wiping out ash trees across Europe
Categories: Astronomy
Deep sleep seems to lead to more eureka moments
After a nap, people who entered the second stage of sleep were more likely to spot a solution to a problem than those who slept lightly or not at all
Categories: Astronomy
These rocks are probably the last remains of Earth's early crust
Geologists have long debated whether a stony formation in Canada contains the world’s oldest rocks – new measurements make a compelling case that it does
Categories: Astronomy
Nearly a third of Tuvaluans have applied for climate migration visa
With their country threatened by sea level rise, the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route through an agreement with Australia, and many are contemplating leaving their home
Categories: Astronomy
Extreme winter weather isn’t down to a wavier jet stream
The recent erratic behaviour of the polar jet stream isn't out of the ordinary, researchers have found by compiling data from the past 125 years
Categories: Astronomy
What sleep scientists recommend doing to fall asleep more easily
Helping yourself get to sleep isn’t just about avoiding screens before bedtime. From cognitive shuffling to sleep-restriction therapy, columnist Helen Thomson finds out what actually works
Categories: Astronomy
Independent estimate of Gaza deaths is higher than official figures
A study based on household surveys suggests that from October 2023 to January 2025, around 75,000 people in Gaza died violent deaths, while Gaza's health ministry estimates 46,000 for the same period
Categories: Astronomy
Ancient mammoth-tusk boomerang is twice as old as we thought
A boomerang discovered in a Polish cave was originally dated as 18,000 years old, but it may have been contaminated by preservation materials. A new estimate suggests the mammoth-ivory artefact is 40,000 years old
Categories: Astronomy
Gastric bypass surgery may cut the risk of bowel cancer
Weight-loss surgery seems to lower the risk of colorectal cancer by changing where bile acids enter the small intestine, raising the possibility of developing treatments that mimic these effects
Categories: Astronomy
The maths hack that can help you count things
It is tricky to count things that are moving around – but this handy maths technique can help, says Katie Steckles, whether it is animals or vanishing spoons that you're trying to keep track of
Categories: Astronomy
This daringly experimental thriller is a puzzle-lover's delight
Packed with puzzles and narrative threads, Matt Wixey's novel Basilisk is an exhilarating read that is hard to put down
Categories: Astronomy
Dramatic Edward Burtynsky image shows stark desert divide
This shot by the acclaimed photographer, taken from a helicopter, is part of a new exhibition of his work at New York City's International Center of Photography
Categories: Astronomy
A new book reveals the deep flaws in our natural history museums
Natural history museums teach us about our world, but they aren’t telling us the whole story, writes curator Jack Ashby in Nature's Memory
Categories: Astronomy