The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination. But the combination is locked up in the safe.

— Peter De Vries

Feed aggregator

Digital ID cards could be a disaster in the UK and beyond

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
The British government isn't the only one looking to introduce digital ID cards. There is so much to worry about here, not least the threat of hacks, says Annalee Newitz
Categories: Astronomy

Is it really likely that humans will go extinct in exactly 314 years?

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
Feedback isn't entirely convinced by a new piece of research that claims by 2339 "there will be no humans", even though the authors used three methods to make their calculation
Categories: Astronomy

There is a major psychological flaw in how society punishes people

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
Our experiments have revealed that we're getting it wrong when it comes to crime and punishment. This is undermining society, say Raihan Alam and Tage Rai
Categories: Astronomy

New Scientist recommends Sheri S. Tepper's science fiction novel Grass

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Categories: Astronomy

There is a major psychological flaw in how society punishes people

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
Our experiments have revealed that we're getting it wrong when it comes to crime and punishment. This is undermining society, say Raihan Alam and Tage Rai
Categories: Astronomy

New Scientist recommends Sheri S. Tepper's science fiction novel Grass

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
Categories: Astronomy

Del Toro's Frankenstein is a sumptuous take on a classic parable

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
With enthralling visuals and intense performances, this version of Mary Shelley's sci-fi tale reminds us to ask not only if we can create life, but if we can live with our creations, says Davide Abbatescianni
Categories: Astronomy

Del Toro's Frankenstein is a sumptuous take on a classic parable

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 2:00pm
With enthralling visuals and intense performances, this version of Mary Shelley's sci-fi tale reminds us to ask not only if we can create life, but if we can live with our creations, says Davide Abbatescianni
Categories: Astronomy

Dip a Toe in the Orionid Meteor Stream on Oct. 20-21

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 12:50pm

Circumstances are ideal for watching debris from Halley's Comet set the morning sky ablaze.

The post Dip a Toe in the Orionid Meteor Stream on Oct. 20-21 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Dinosaur fossil rewrites the story of how sauropods got long necks

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 12:00pm
A 230-million-year-old fossil found in Argentina shows that the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs’ long necks began earlier than previously thought
Categories: Astronomy

Dinosaur fossil rewrites the story of how sauropods got long necks

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 12:00pm
A 230-million-year-old fossil found in Argentina shows that the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs’ long necks began earlier than previously thought
Categories: Astronomy

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 12:00pm
In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real
Categories: Astronomy

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 12:00pm
In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real
Categories: Astronomy

CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 11:25am
The global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million to reach 423.9 ppm last year, fuelling worries that the planet’s ability to soak up excess carbon is weakening
Categories: Astronomy

CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere jumped by a record amount in 2024

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 11:25am
The global average concentration of CO2 surged by 3.5 parts per million to reach 423.9 ppm last year, fuelling worries that the planet’s ability to soak up excess carbon is weakening
Categories: Astronomy

Men’s Brains Shrink Faster than Women’s. What That Means for Alzheimer’s

Scientific American.com - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 11:00am

Women’s brains age more slowly than men’s, but they still have higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease

Categories: Astronomy

Foldable Solar Sails Could Help With Aerobraking and Atmospheric Reentry

Universe Today - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 10:58am

Use cases for smart materials in space exploration keep cropping up everywhere. They are used in everything from antenna deployments on satellites to rover deformation and reformation. One of the latest ideas is to use them to transform the solar sails that could primarily be used as a propulsion system for a mission into a heat shield when that mission reaches its final destination. A new paper from Joseph Ivarson and Davide Guzzetti, both of Auburn’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, and published in Acta Astronautica, describes how the idea might work and lists some potential applications exploring various parts of the solar system.

Categories: Astronomy

The AI bubble is heading towards a burst but it won't be the end of AI

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:08am
Economists, bankers and even the boss of OpenAI are warning of a rapidly inflating AI bubble. If and when it bursts, what will happen to the technological breakthroughs of the past few years?
Categories: Astronomy

The AI bubble is heading towards a burst but it won't be the end of AI

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 9:08am
Economists, bankers and even the boss of OpenAI are warning of a rapidly inflating AI bubble. If and when it bursts, what will happen to the technological breakthroughs of the past few years?
Categories: Astronomy

Flying through the biggest solar storm ever recorded

ESO Top News - Wed, 10/15/2025 - 8:00am

No communication or navigation, faulty electronics and collision risk. At ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, teams faced a scenario unlike any before: a solar storm of extreme magnitude. Fortunately, this nightmare unfolded not in reality, but as part of the simulation campaign for Sentinel-1D, pushing the boundaries of spacecraft operations and space weather preparedness.

Categories: Astronomy