New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Can genetically modifying a rare marsupial save it from extinction?
Researchers are aiming to make the northern quoll resistant to the toxic cane toads wiping it out in Australia, but little progress has been made
Categories: Astronomy
Hottest April on record is the 11th record-breaking month in a row
Global temperatures in April 2024 were 1.6°C higher than the average for April during the pre-industrial era
Categories: Astronomy
Longest-living cat breeds revealed by life expectancy study
Birman and Burmese cats typically live for more than 14 years while sphynxes live less than half as long on average, finds a study of pet cats in the UK
Categories: Astronomy
Renewables supply 30 per cent of global electricity for the first time
The rapid growth of solar power led to a record-breaking year for clean energy generation in 2023, and the year is expected to mark the start of a long-term decline in fossil fuels
Categories: Astronomy
Sperm whale clicks could be the closest thing to a human language yet
Analysis of thousands of exchanges between the intelligent cetaceans suggests they combine short click patterns – similar to letters of the alphabet - into longer sequences
Categories: Astronomy
Why we are finally within reach of a room-temperature superconductor
A practical superconductor would transform the efficiency of electronics. After decades of hunting, several key breakthroughs are inching us very close to this coveted prize
Categories: Astronomy
Hackers can steal data by messing with a computer's processor
Software that has been blocked from connecting to the internet should be secure from hacking attempts, but now researchers have found a way to sneak data out by varying the speed of the computer's processor
Categories: Astronomy
Lack of US bird flu tracking in cows may raise risk of human infection
The strategy for tracking bird flu in US dairy cattle falls worryingly short of what is needed to prevent the outbreak from widening and potentially spreading to humans
Categories: Astronomy
Bird flu has hit US cows but tracking efforts fall woefully short
The strategy for tracking bird flu in US dairy cattle falls worryingly short of what is needed to prevent the outbreak from widening and potentially spreading to humans
Categories: Astronomy
Implantable heart pump could let children wait for transplants at home
An implantable heart pump could help children with heart failure awaiting transplants forego bulky devices that require long hospital stays
Categories: Astronomy
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft launch delayed due to rocket fault
Two astronauts will have to wait to set off for the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, following a problem with the Atlas V rocket that caused the mission to be aborted before launch
Categories: Astronomy
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft is about to make its first crewed flight
Two astronauts are about to set off for the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule. If all goes well, Starliner will join SpaceX’s Dragon as a US shuttle into orbit
Categories: Astronomy
Ball-balancing robot could assist wheelchair users
A robot that moves around by balancing on a ball could prove a better assistant for wheelchair users than humanoid robots that walk on two legs
Categories: Astronomy
How Schrödinger's cat could make quantum computers work better
A quantum bit inspired by Schrödinger’s cat can resist making errors for an unprecedentedly long time, which makes it a candidate for building less error-prone quantum computers
Categories: Astronomy
Black holes scramble information – but may not be the best at it
Information contained within quantum objects gets scrambled when they interact. Physicists have now derived a speed limit for this process, challenging the idea that black holes are the fastest data scramblers
Categories: Astronomy
Zebras bob their heads at each other to signal cooperation
Head-bobbing seems to be a way for zebras to invite others to groom, graze or move together, suggesting sophisticated social and cognitive capabilities
Categories: Astronomy
Swallowable sensor unfurls in stomach to monitor gut health
A ribbon of electrodes could nestle in the gut to help diagnose gastrointestinal diseases linked to Parkinson’s
Categories: Astronomy
Stink bugs grow a fungal garden on their legs to fight parasitic wasps
A surprise discovery has revealed that female stink bugs have a small indent on their hind legs that they use for cultivating fungi before spreading it on their eggs
Categories: Astronomy
Autoimmune conditions linked to reactivated X chromosome genes
The inactivation of one copy of the X chromosome in female mammals may start to fail as they get older, which may be why women have a higher risk of autoimmune conditions such as lupus
Categories: Astronomy
Red squirrels were hosts for leprosy in medieval England
DNA analysis of remains found at medieval sites has identified closely related strains of leprosy-causing bacteria in the bones of humans and a red squirrel
Categories: Astronomy