New Scientist Space - Cosmology

ChatGPT often suggests lower-income neighbourhoods to people who are Black, showing prejudices reflecting generations of housing discrimination in the US

A trio of hexagonal islands could generate solar electricity to power a process that accelerates coral growth, with space for a research lab and a garden

An acid produced by an acne-causing bacterium reduced the severity of people's dandruff by adjusting their scalp's microbiome

There are all kinds of different ways to measure biodiversity. But if we are to arrest its alarming decline, biologists must agree on a method that best captures how it changes over time

For the first time, a quantum sensor has been used to record magnetic signals from the heart of a living animal, opening the door for future uses of quantum technology in medical settings

Experiments show that effect doesn’t always follow cause in the weird world of subatomic particles, offering fresh clues about the quantum origins of space-time

The rare Bornean flat-headed frog was thought to be the only frog with no lungs, but we now know it has very, very tiny ones

Electrical stimulation on the back during rehabilitation exercises causes lasting improvements in people’s ability to use their hands.

Estimates suggest there are trillions of free-floating worlds in our galaxy alone. Most of them will be frozen planets like Pluto, but some might be warmer – and possibly even habitable

We can describe different kinds of thought and how they arise, to some extent, but the relationship between neural activity and the nature of what we are thinking isn't well understood

Mathematicians are celebrating a 1000-page proof of the geometric Langlands conjecture, a problem so complicated that even other mathematicians struggle to understand it. Despite that, it is hoped the proof can provide key insights across maths and physics

A virtual reality system and a head-mounted 360-degree camera make it possible to look directly behind you without twisting your entire body

Children are more likely to be hospitalised for asthma complications during a heatwave, a problem that is expected to get worse with climate change

A contentious meeting of physicists highlighted concerns, failures and possible fixes for a crisis in condensed matter physics

In mice, a ketogenic diet increases the build-up of zombie-like cells in the heart, kidney, lungs and brain, which can accelerate organ ageing and lead to health problems

A common species of orchid seems to pass food packages to nearby seedlings, in a kind of plant parental care

A group of doctors and scientists is getting behind the controversial idea that people can be addicted to certain trigger foods, in the same way as drugs and alcohol. The team says this addiction should be treated with abstinence, which goes against mainstream medical advice

Analysis of pollen in sediment cores from a large lake in Greece shows that nomadic livestock herders took over the region after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire

Some AI firms think nuclear power can help meet the electricity demand from Silicon Valley’s data centres, but building new nuclear power stations takes too long to plug the gap in the short term

Strange quantum characteristics of molecules can weather the chaos of chemical reactions, which may benefit quantum technologies or unveil hidden natural phenomena