New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Hay fever relief could come in the form of a nasal 'molecular shield'
Mice experienced far fewer hay fever symptoms when a pollen-blocking antibody was applied within their nose
Categories: Astronomy
Why bizarre Cold War hoverboats are making a comeback
Sea-skimming crafts – which fly just above the water – were once considered Cold War relics of a failed Soviet experiment. Now, China and the US are resurrecting the technology as a possible Pacific conflict looms
Categories: Astronomy
Fatal genetic disorder treated by replacing the brain's immune cells
Microglia replacement therapy helps treat people with a rare genetic condition called ALSP, suggesting the approach could also work for other neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s
Categories: Astronomy
Inhaled insulin may free children with type 1 diabetes from injections
Inhaled insulin is effective for controlling blood sugar levels in children with diabetes, providing them with a faster-acting, needle-free option to manage their condition
Categories: Astronomy
Astronomers found a completely new type of plasma wave near Jupiter
Observations from NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveal that Jupiter’s strong magnetic field and the unique properties of its plasma can produce a truly novel kind of extraterrestrial wave near its poles
Categories: Astronomy
Peculiar plant could help us reconstruct ancient Earth’s climate
Something strange happens to water as it moves through the stems of horsetail plants – and this unique process provides valuable clues for understanding past and present ecosystems
Categories: Astronomy
Interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS might be the oldest comet ever seen
Astronomers tracking an interstellar object flying through the solar system think it comes from a star at least 8 billion years old, almost twice the age of our sun
Categories: Astronomy
Surgical robots take step towards fully autonomous operations
An AI system trained on videos of operations successfully guided a robot to carry out gall bladder surgery on a dead pig, with minimal human assistance
Categories: Astronomy
Stunningly intimate octopus image wins aquatic photography prize
Kat Zhou has won the Aquatic Life category in the 2025 BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition, while a shot of a death-defying leap by a lemur took the top prize
Categories: Astronomy
Slay the new slang: check out a guide to social media’s baffling lingo
Language is evolving rapidly in a world of social media. Our millennial reviewer finds Adam Aleksic's Algospeak to be a much-needed helping hand
Categories: Astronomy
The cosmos is vast, so how do we measure it?
The awe-inspiring distances of the cosmos are hard to visualise, so how can we be certain we are measuring them correctly? Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explains
Categories: Astronomy
Is this the raciest conference invite ever?
Feedback has been invited to an event next year in Shaoxing, China. It's an academic conference promising "revolutionary thinkers who are redefining human intimacy through cutting-edge robotics and AI"
Categories: Astronomy
Plans to genetically screen newborns for rare diseases are problematic
The UK's health secretary has announced a 10-year plan to check newborns for a huge range of rare conditions. There are major medical and ethical issues with this, argues neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan
Categories: Astronomy
Provocative new book says we must persuade people to have more babies
The population is set to plummet and we don't know how to stop it, warn Dean Spears and Michael Geruso in their new book, After the Spike
Categories: Astronomy
Will we ever feel comfortable with AIs taking on important tasks?
An example from the history of mathematics shows how views on the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence can quickly start to change
Categories: Astronomy
Antidepressant withdrawal symptoms may be less common than we thought
Previous estimates have suggested that more than half of people who stop taking antidepressants experience withdrawal symptoms, but now a review of the evidence suggests this isn't the case, at least for short-term use.
Categories: Astronomy
Evolution has made humans both Machiavellian and born socialists
Humanity’s innate treachery is behind social ills ranging from inequality to abuse of power. Lessons from our ancestors can help defeat the enemy within
Categories: Astronomy
Exercise helps fight cancer – and we may finally know why
Exercise seems to help prevent cancer and reduce the growth of tumours, and that protective effect may be due to the way working out changes the gut microbiome
Categories: Astronomy
Oldest proteins yet recovered from 18-million-year-old teeth
The oldest protein fragments ever recovered have been extracted from fossilised teeth found in Kenya's Rift Valley, revealing the remains belonged to the ancient ancestors of rhinoceroses and elephants
Categories: Astronomy
Why falling in love with an AI isn’t laughable, it’s inevitable
It’s easy to sneer at people who say they’ve fallen in love with ChatGPT. But we've been developing confusing feelings for bots for decades longer than you might think, writes Alex Wilkins. With so many people feeling lonely, can that be a good thing?
Categories: Astronomy
