New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
Categories: Astronomy
Ultrasound may boost survival after a stroke by clearing brain debris
The damage of strokes caused by brain bleeds can be mitigated by removing dead blood cells. Scientists have now found a way of doing this non-invasively, with promising results in mice
Categories: Astronomy
Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a sudden
Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states
Categories: Astronomy
AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it
There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way
Categories: Astronomy
Could electric race cars soon be faster than Formula 1?
The electric cars of the Formula E racing championship can accelerate faster than Formula 1 cars and their top speeds are catching up – but battery capacity would let them down in a head-to-head
Categories: Astronomy
When rift lakes dry up it can cause earthquakes and eruptions
Lake Turkana in Kenya, known as the cradle of humanity, has shrunk in recent millennia – and the loss of water has led to increased seismic activity, which could have impacted our ancient ancestors
Categories: Astronomy
AI power use forecast finds the industry far off track to net zero
Several large tech firms that are active in AI have set goals to hit net zero by 2030, but a new forecast of the energy and water required to run large data centres shows they’re unlikely to meet those targets
Categories: Astronomy
Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet
Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax
Categories: Astronomy
James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix, has died aged 97
As one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, James Watson pioneered the field of genetics and left behind a complicated legacy
Categories: Astronomy
Enceladus’s ocean may be even better for life than we realised
The buried ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus seems to be stable across extremely long periods of time, making it an even more promising place to hunt for life
Categories: Astronomy
Having children plays a complicated role in the rate we age
The effort of reproducing may divert energy away from repairing DNA or fighting illness, which could drive ageing, but a new study suggests that is only the case when environmental conditions are tough
Categories: Astronomy
AI scientist claimed to do six months of research in just a few hours
Could an AI scientist help researchers come up with breakthroughs by analysing data and searching the existing scientific literature? That's the claim of the inventors of Kosmos, but not everyone is convinced
Categories: Astronomy
A distant galaxy is being strangled by the cosmic web
A dwarf galaxy 100 million light years away is being stripped of its crucial star-forming gas, and it seems that the cosmic web is siphoning off this gas as the galaxy passes through
Categories: Astronomy
We may never figure out where interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from
The surface of comet 3I/ATLAS may have been so radically altered by cosmic rays that deducing its home star system would be impossible
Categories: Astronomy
A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected way
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
Categories: Astronomy
Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire's vast road network
Archaeologists have compiled the most detailed map yet of roads throughout the Roman Empire in AD 150, totalling almost 300,000 kilometres in length
Categories: Astronomy
Grafting trick could let us gene-edit a huge variety of plants
Many plants including cocoa, coffee and avocado cannot be gene-edited but a technique involving grafting could change that, opening the door to more productive and nutritious varieties
Categories: Astronomy
Skeleton with brutal injuries identified as duke assassinated in 1272
The identity of a skeleton buried under a Budapest convent has been confirmed as Béla of Macsó, a Hungarian royal murdered in a 13th-century power struggle, and archaeologists have pieced together how the attack unfolded
Categories: Astronomy
Is the expansion of the universe slowing down?
It is widely accepted that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but now researchers say our measurements of the mysterious force driving that may be wrong and that the universe began to slow 1.5 billion years ago – yet other scientists disagree
Categories: Astronomy
New quantum computer is on the path to unravelling superconductivity
Using the Helios-1 quantum computer, researchers have used a record-breaking number of error-proof qubits to run the first and biggest quantum simulation of a model for perfect conductivity
Categories: Astronomy
