New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Selfish sperm see older fathers pass on more disease-causing mutations
Older men are more likely to pass on disease-causing mutations to their children because of the faster growth of mutant cells in the testes with age
Categories: Astronomy
Why everything you thought you knew about your immune system is wrong
Immunologist Daniel Davis wants to eradicate long-held myths and replace them with wonder at the complexity of the body’s defence system
Categories: Astronomy
Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on molecular architecture
Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi have been honoured for the development of metal-organic frameworks, porous materials that can capture water or pollutants
Categories: Astronomy
There are five types of sleep – here's what that means for your health
Scientists have identified five sleep profiles, each of which is linked to distinct mental health symptoms and brain activity patterns
Categories: Astronomy
Is the universe really one big black hole?
According to the equations that govern black holes, the larger one of these cosmic behemoths is the lower its average density – given that the universe contains a lot of relatively empty space, could the whole cosmos be a black hole?
Categories: Astronomy
One of Earth’s most vital carbon sinks is faltering. Can we save it?
For decades, forest, grasslands and other land ecosystems have collectively absorbed up to a third of the carbon dioxide we emit each year - but this climate buffer may be collapsing far sooner than anyone expected
Categories: Astronomy
Biodegradable plastic made from bamboo is strong and easy to recycle
Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, and its cellulose fibres can be turned into a hard, mouldable plastic for use in cars and appliances
Categories: Astronomy
Nobel prize for physics goes to trio behind quantum computing chips
The 2025 Nobel prize in physics has gone to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis, whose work has led to the development of today's quantum computers
Categories: Astronomy
Galaxies fling out matter much more violently than we thought
An analysis of the afterglow of the big bang sheds light on how black holes distribute mass in the universe, and why some matter previously seemed to have been missing
Categories: Astronomy
General relativity might save some planets from death
Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity
Categories: Astronomy
What’s my Alzheimer’s risk, and can I really do anything to change it?
Can you escape your genetic inheritance, and do lifestyle changes actually make a difference? Daniel Cossins set out to understand what the evidence on Alzheimer’s really means for him
Categories: Astronomy
Shackleton knew his doomed ship wasn’t the strongest before sailing
Endurance, the wooden ship that Ernest Shackleton took to Antarctica in 1915, wasn't built to withstand frozen seas – and the famous explorer knew it
Categories: Astronomy
Nobel prize for medicine goes to trio for work on immune tolerance
The 2025 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has gone to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries around how we keep our immune system under control
Categories: Astronomy
Would a ban on genetic engineering of wildlife hamper conservation?
Some conservation groups are calling for an effective ban on genetic modification, but others say these technologies are crucial for preserving biodiversity
Categories: Astronomy
Your happiness in life may not be U-shaped - here's how it could vary
We thought happiness peaked at the beginning and end of life, but a study from Germany suggests a more pessimistic outlook for our later years
Categories: Astronomy
There is an odd streak in the universe – and we still don’t know why
Astronomers have long thought the universe should look generally the same in every direction, but an anomaly in the radiation from the big bang persists even after a new analysis from radio telescopes
Categories: Astronomy
Exceptional star is the most pristine object known in the universe
A star found in the Large Magellanic Cloud is remarkably unpolluted by heavier elements, suggesting it is descended from the universe’s earliest stars
Categories: Astronomy
20 bird species can understand each other’s anti-cuckoo call
Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language
Categories: Astronomy
Kids as young as 4 innately use sorting algorithms to solve problems
It was previously thought that children younger than 7 couldn't find efficient solutions to complex problems, but new research suggests that much earlier, children can happen upon known sorting algorithms used by computer scientists
Categories: Astronomy
Why Our Brains, Our Selves won the Royal Society science book prize
Sandra Knapp, chair of the judging panel for the 2025 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, explains why neurologist Masud Husain’s collection of case studies is such an enlightening, compassionate book
Categories: Astronomy