New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Food, sex, drugs and more – are we addicted to addiction?
New proposals for addictions seem to keep cropping up, but the reality is we don't truly understand the mechanisms behind our cravings in the first place
Categories: Astronomy
Quantum to cosmos: Why scale is vital to our understanding of reality
From the vastness of the universe to the infinitesimal particles that comprise it, extremes of scale defy comprehension – and present a problem for physicists seeking a unified theory of everything
Categories: Astronomy
Ancient viruses in the human genome linked to mental health conditions
People with higher genetic risk for depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are more likely to have unusual activity levels of "fossil viruses" in their genomes
Categories: Astronomy
How quantum entanglement really works and why we accept its weirdness
Subatomic particles can appear to instantly influence one another, no matter how far apart they are. These days, that isn't a source of mystery – it's a fact of the universe and a resource for new technologies
Categories: Astronomy
Source of the sun’s magnetic field may hide right under its surface
Scientists have long thought the source of the sun's magnetic field sat deep within the star, but it may exist in a far more convenient spot for us to observe it
Categories: Astronomy
Mysterious element promethium finally reveals its chemical properties
The highly unstable radioactive element promethium is hard to study in the lab, but chemists have now coaxed it into forming a compound in water so they can observe its bonding behaviour
Categories: Astronomy
Could mental health conditions be 'transmitted' among teen classmates?
The largest study yet looking at whether conditions such as depression and anxiety could spread between teenagers finds that one person in a class being diagnosed is linked with a higher risk for their classmates
Categories: Astronomy
Some metals actually grow more resilient when hot
Pelting metals under high temperatures has revealed that some get even stronger when heated, which could help improve 3D printing and certain industrial processes
Categories: Astronomy
Zero-carbon cement process could slash emissions from construction
Cement production is a huge source of carbon emissions with no green alternative, but a new process that uses waste from demolished buildings could dramatically reduce its climate impact
Categories: Astronomy
Why viewing cancer as an ecosystem could lead to better treatments
Researchers have come to see cancers as akin to organisms, existing in complex ecosystems and subject to evolutionary pressures. Now they are targeting cancer’s ability to adapt
Categories: Astronomy
Fungus lost to science for 42 years found again in Chilean mountains
The big puma fungus hasn't been seen since it was discovered in 1982 in Chile’s Nahuelbuta mountains – now an expedition has finally rediscovered these tiny, elusive mushrooms
Categories: Astronomy
Will we get to net zero fast enough, and how will the climate respond?
To avoid the worst effects of climate change, the world must balance carbon emissions with carbon sinks by 2050. But even if we hit the target, a lot depends on how much we emit in the meantime
Categories: Astronomy
Early humans took northern route to Australia, cave find suggests
An excavation on Timor reveals humans first settled on the island 44,000 years ago, long after the earliest occupation of Australia – suggesting migration to the latter took another route
Categories: Astronomy
Cattle used for cuddling therapy may prefer women over men
Cattle seem to be more willing to lick and accept food from women, and are more likely to act aggressively around men
Categories: Astronomy
X-ray laser fires most powerful pulse ever recorded
The Linac Coherent Light Source in California fired an X-ray pulse that lasted only a few hundred billionths of a billionth of a second but carried nearly a terawatt of power
Categories: Astronomy
Why we still don't know exactly how bird flu is spreading between cows
Early evidence suggests that a bird flu virus called H5N1 may be infecting dairy cows through contaminated milking equipment – but poor surveillance has made it nearly impossible to rule out other possibilities
Categories: Astronomy
What are fractals and how can they help us understand the world?
Fractals are common in nature because of the surprisingly simple way they are made. Mathematically, they also help us make sense of complexity and chaos – and maybe even quantum weirdness
Categories: Astronomy
What is artificial general intelligence, and is it a useful concept?
The world's biggest AI companies have made artificial general intelligence, or AGI, their goal. But it isn't always clear what AGI means, and there is debate about whether it is a valuable idea
Categories: Astronomy
What neurodiversity means for psychiatrists and the people they help
Neurodiversity reframes neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD as differences to be embraced rather than treated – but that doesn’t mean abandoning diagnosis and intervention altogether
Categories: Astronomy
Snow and rising sea levels may have triggered Japan's earthquake swarm
In an ongoing swarm of earthquakes that began hitting Japan in 2020, the shifting weight of surface water may have spurred the shaking
Categories: Astronomy