New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
New Scientist recommends Never Let Me Go
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Categories: Astronomy
Owning our own data is the only way to stop enshittifcation
The internet is not what it once was, with so many apps and websites mere shadows of themselves. Thankfully, the inventor of the web Tim Berners-Lee, has a fix that we should adopt
Categories: Astronomy
Has life today been enshittified? Cory Doctorow's new book explores
Enshittification is a term coined by Cory Doctorow in 2022. In his new book, Doctorow lays out how tech companies have made our lives progressively worse, finds Matthew Sparkes
Categories: Astronomy
The end of US support for the CMB-S4 telescope is devastating
The US government's decision to stop supporting a telescope facility that would have given us unprecedented insight into the early universe is calamitous, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Categories: Astronomy
Minecraft fan may be most committed hobbyist out there
Feedback comes across a YouTuber's efforts to build a large language model in Minecraft and is impressed at the scale of it – even if it doesn't quite live up to its promise to blow your mind "in spectacular fashion"
Categories: Astronomy
Tough choices lie ahead when it comes to climate change adaptation
COP's negotiations this month will focus on money for climate change adaptation. While more money is essential, even a big increase won't be enough on its own and we need to face up to this, warns Susannah Fisher
Categories: Astronomy
Provocative book sets out to solve the hard problem of consciousness
Can sea slugs form abstract thoughts? Do we dare to see any "purpose" in evolution? Is the subjective just a complicated form of the objective? Nikolay Kukushkin's One Hand Clapping is a bold voyage around the mysteries of the human mind, finds Thomas Lewton
Categories: Astronomy
'Most of it is good': Tim Berners-Lee on the state of the web now
The man who invented the web is aware of the many issues it faces, from problematic social media use to the rise of unfettered AI. He also has a plan to remedy the situation
Categories: Astronomy
Analogue computers could train AI 1000 times faster and cut energy use
Computers built with analogue circuits promise huge speed and efficiency gains over ordinary computers, but normally at the cost of accuracy. Now, an analogue computer designed to carry out calculations that are key to AI training could fix that
Categories: Astronomy
Can't focus after a bad night's sleep? Your dirty brain is to blame
During sleep, your brain cleans itself by flushing through cerebrospinal fluid to prevent damage to brain cells. If you're lacking in sleep, this happens when you are awake – and seems to cause momentary lapses in attention
Categories: Astronomy
Can't focus after a bad's night sleep? Your dirty brain is to blame
During sleep, your brain cleans itself by flushing through cerebrospinal fluid to prevent damage to brain cells. If you're lacking in sleep, this happens when you are awake – and seems to cause momentary lapses in attention
Categories: Astronomy
Quantum-inspired algorithm could help reveal hidden cosmic objects
Combining a quantum-inspired algorithm and quantum information processing technologies could enable researchers to measure masses of cosmic objects that bend light almost imperceptibly
Categories: Astronomy
US public health system is flying blind after major cuts
The Trump administration has laid off government workers integral to major public health surveys, meaning the country will lack crucial information on births, deaths and illnesses nationwide
Categories: Astronomy
How a surge in ancient plagues 5000 years ago shaped humanity
Plague, leprosy, smallpox and other diseases didn't jump from animals to humans when we thought. Ancient DNA is revealing where they come from and how they changed history
Categories: Astronomy
Why Hurricane Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever
The monster hurricane pummelling Jamaica is powered by abnormal sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean, which were made at least 500 times more likely by global warming
Categories: Astronomy
Hurricane Melissa is being fuelled by exceptional ocean heat
The monster hurricane pummelling Jamaica is powered by abnormal sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean, which were made at least 500 times more likely by global warming
Categories: Astronomy
Men may have to exercise more than women to get same heart benefits
Among over-50s, women seem to require less exercise than men to get the same reduction in heart disease risk, suggesting health guidelines need to be updated
Categories: Astronomy
No space, no time, no particles: A radical vision of quantum reality
If we admit that quantum numbers are the true essence of reality – not particles, space or time – then a surprising and beautiful new vision of reality opens up to us
Categories: Astronomy
Why zero is the most important number in all of mathematics
It took a long time for zero to be recognised as a number at all, let alone one of the most powerful ones – but now it’s clear that every number is made up of zeroes, says Jacob Aron
Categories: Astronomy
Unpicking the genetics of fibromyalgia sheds new light on its causes
Fibromyalgia, which causes chronic pain all over the body, is poorly understood, but two studies – made up of millions of participants – are helping us get to the roots of the condition
Categories: Astronomy
