New Scientist Space - Space Headlines

An ancient skull has finally shown us what the Denisovans looked like. Now it turns out they, not Neanderthals, might be our closest relatives, redrawing our family tree and transforming the hunt for Ancestor X

A study of more than 6 million children finds that exposure to antibiotics in the womb or early in life tends not to increase the risk of autoimmunity – but the relationship is complicated

Immersing yourself in nature has repeatedly been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, but it could also have serious benefits for your physical health

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has assembled a team of researchers to make communication networks more secure by injecting them with quantumness

A social media notification popping up on your phone can be quite distracting, even if you don't engage with it

A quantum computer that uses particles of light took about two dozen microseconds to complete a calculation that may take trillions of trillions of trillions of years on the world’s best supercomputers

An analysis of active US mines finds they already collect virtually all of the minerals the country needs for batteries, solar panels and wind turbines – but these critical minerals mostly go to waste

Dark-coloured cars can make a measurable difference on nearby air temperature, and in cities of millions the effect can add up and noticeably increase how hot it feels

The failure to agree a global treaty on plastic pollution highlights how the UN’s requirement for unanimity holds back environmental policy, but there are better ways to make progress

Astronomers have picked up evidence of an Earth-sized world, distinct from the previously hypothesised Planet Nine and Planet X, that might be warping the orbits of objects beyond Neptune

Previous research in macaques suggests that part of the brain reorganises itself when a limb is removed, but now a study in people has turned that idea on its head

Edible microbeads made of vitamin E and seaweed helped rats lose weight by absorbing excess fat in their guts