New Scientist Space - Cosmology
AI can reveal what’s on your screen via signals leaking from cables
Electromagnetic radiation leaking from the cable between your computer and monitor can be intercepted and decoded by AI to reveal what you are looking at
Categories: Astronomy
Millions of trees could grow faster with a boost from wild fungi
The largest tree nursery in North America is helping scale up efforts to inoculate seedlings with native fungi and other soil microbes, a treatment that helps trees grow faster and capture more carbon
Categories: Astronomy
Watch a robot peel a squash with human-like dexterity
A robot can hold a squash, pumpkin or melon in one hand, while it is peeled by the other
Categories: Astronomy
Biodegradable microplastics may actually be worse for soil and plants
Biodegradable plastic that gets broken down into microplastics may decrease soil nitrogen levels more than conventional ones, which stunts plant growth
Categories: Astronomy
Mars rover found a rock with possible signs of ancient life
The Perseverance rover has found some of the most promising hints of ancient Martian life yet, but we can’t know for sure until its samples are sent back to Earth
Categories: Astronomy
A type of brain cell helps explain the calming influence of mothers
Mouse pups have increased activity in certain neurons in the centre of their brains when they interact with their mothers, which is linked to them showing fewer signs of distress
Categories: Astronomy
We may finally know what caused the biggest cosmic explosion ever seen
The gamma ray burst known as GRB221009A is the biggest explosion astronomers have ever glimpsed and we might finally know what caused the blast
Categories: Astronomy
Evidence mounts that shingles vaccines protect against dementia
Being immunised against shingles has been linked to a reduced dementia risk before and now a study suggests that the newer vaccine wards off the condition more effectively than an older one
Categories: Astronomy
DeepMind AI gets silver medal at International Mathematical Olympiad
AlphaProof, an AI from Google DeepMind, came close to matching the top participants in a prestigious competition for young mathematicians
Categories: Astronomy
Space travel may make muscles age extremely quickly
Muscle cells that spent a week on the International Space Station revealed changes in gene expression that suggest microgravity can speed up ageing
Categories: Astronomy
One of Earth's major carbon sinks collapsed in 2023
Forests and other land ecosystems emitted almost as much carbon dioxide as they absorbed in 2023 – if this persists it will be much harder to restrict global warming to agreed targets
Categories: Astronomy
Why many studies wrongly claim it’s healthy to drink a little alcohol
It is becoming clear that any amount of alcohol is harmful, so why do so many studies claim that moderate drinking could help you live longer?
Categories: Astronomy
Egyptian pyramid may have been built using a water-powered elevator
Ancient Egyptians may have relied on a vertical shaft that could be filled with water, along with a network of water channels and filtration structures, to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser 4500 years ago
Categories: Astronomy
Early humans began wiping out elephant relatives 1.8 million years ago
Elephant-like species started going extinct faster when early humans evolved, and the rate of extinction rose even higher when modern humans appeared
Categories: Astronomy
Lunar samples reveal exactly when the moon’s largest crater formed
By analysing lunar samples from NASA's Apollo missions, researchers calculated exactly when – and why – the moon was once covered with magma
Categories: Astronomy
Epic images show old mines transformed into a library, lab and museum
Amazing images of an open-air library, underground lab and design museum show the reincarnation of dead mines, captured in a new book, 102 Things to Do With a Hole in the Ground
Categories: Astronomy
Nine profiles of neurodiverse people reveal rich and creative worlds
From a police detective to an orthopaedic surgeon, Daniel Tammet shows that there is no such thing as a single neurodiverse experience in his book, Nine Minds: Inner lives on the spectrum
Categories: Astronomy
Ants are incredible navigators - let's celebrate their brilliance
Ants and other insects are capable of astounding navigational feats. Perhaps an appreciation of this could aid conservation efforts, says Robert Barrie
Categories: Astronomy
How a spot of coral cosplay helped put marine pollution on the map
Feedback is amused that marine researchers worried about microplastics dressed up as coral polyps and a Greek sea goddess to visit a Comic-Con. Their awareness-raising went down a storm
Categories: Astronomy
What happens at a black hole's edge? It depends on your perspective
To find out what happens at the centre of a black hole, we may need to consider its event horizon - and think about where we're looking from, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Categories: Astronomy