New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Plastic pollution treaty would be 'failure' without tackling emissions
Plastic production is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than flying – at a summit in Canada, countries were divided on how to deal with this under-recognised part of the plastic problem
Categories: Astronomy
Foxes' skulls are specially adapted for diving into snow
Red foxes and Arctic foxes dive headfirst into snow at up to 4 metres per second to catch small rodents, and the shape of their snouts reduces the impact force
Categories: Astronomy
English oaks can withstand warming – but other trees will struggle
Climate change means many tree species planted today in Europe won’t survive to the end of the century, but English oaks could thrive in many areas
Categories: Astronomy
The galactic anomalies hinting dark matter is weirder than we thought
Cosmological puzzles are tempting astronomers to rethink our simple picture of the universe – and ask whether dark matter is even stranger than we thought
Categories: Astronomy
A new approach to dark matter could help us solve galactic anomalies
Cosmological puzzles are tempting astronomers to rethink our simple picture of the universe – and ask whether dark matter is even stranger than we thought
Categories: Astronomy
Genetically modified golden rice may yet succeed in the Philippines
A court in the Philippines revoked the permit to grow rice genetically modified to boost vitamin A, but the government is expected to appeal against the decision
Categories: Astronomy
Toxic chemicals from car tyres can get into soil and contaminate food
Governments need to take action to protect people from potentially toxic additives in tyre rubber, say researchers after finding they can get into food from contaminated soil
Categories: Astronomy
AI that determines risk of death helps save lives in hospital trial
An AI trained on the heart's electrical activity alerted physicians about patients at high risk of dying, significantly reducing deaths in a clinical trial with almost 16,000 patients at two hospitals
Categories: Astronomy
Image-generating AI creates uncanny optical illusions
Generative AI models designed to create images from text can be adapted to construct complex optical illusions - pictures that look like different things when viewed from far away or with motion blur
Categories: Astronomy
How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic
As the US grapples with an ongoing bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle, the country’s health agencies are ramping up surveillance efforts and working to develop a vaccine if needed
Categories: Astronomy
Bowhead whales still harmed from whaling that ended a century ago
Commercial bowhead whaling ended in the early 20th century, but the industry’s lasting effects on the whales’ genetic diversity are leading to declines again
Categories: Astronomy
5 extraordinary ideas about the mind and what it means to be conscious
To celebrate the launch of our new event series in the US, kicking off with a masterclass on the brain and consciousness, we have made five incredible stories on that subject free to read
Categories: Astronomy
Rare mutation that causes short stature may shed light on ageing
The genetic variant, which causes people to be insensitive to growth hormone, may also protect people from heart disease
Categories: Astronomy
Alpacas are the only mammals known to directly inseminate the uterus
When alpacas mate, males deposit sperm directly into the uterus, a reproductive strategy not confirmed in any other mammals
Categories: Astronomy
Asteroid that broke up over Berlin was fastest-spinning one ever seen
Before it shattered over Germany, the asteroid 2024 BX1 was clocked rotating once every 2.6 seconds – the fastest spin we have observed
Categories: Astronomy
Global warming could make tides higher as well as raising sea levels
In addition to the overall rise in sea level, the heights of tides are also changing as the oceans warm and separate into more distinct layers
Categories: Astronomy
Deepfake politicians may have a big influence on India’s elections
Political campaigns are deploying AI-generated deepfake versions of politicians to reach hundreds of millions of eligible voters in India’s 2024 election – the world’s largest ever
Categories: Astronomy
Two medicines for opioid addiction also help with compulsive gambling
The medicines nalmefene and naltrexone helped compulsive gamblers reduce their betting activities, trials have shown
Categories: Astronomy
Swarm of nanorobots can remove tiny plastic fragments from water
In just 2 hours, small metal robots can capture most nanoscopic plastic particles from a sample of water
Categories: Astronomy
Wasps use face-recognition brain cells to identify each other
The neurons in wasp brains that help them recognise hive mates are similar to those in the brains of primates, including humans
Categories: Astronomy