New Scientist Space - Cosmology
Swarm of nanorobots can remove tiny plastic fragments from water
In just 2 hours, small metal robots can capture most nanoscopic plastic particles from a sample of water
Categories: Astronomy
Wasps use face-recognition brain cells to identify each other
The neurons in wasp brains that help them recognise hive mates are similar to those in the brains of primates, including humans
Categories: Astronomy
Supermassive black holes may provide a nursery for mini ones to grow
The supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies may capture smaller black holes. Not only does this prove a place for the small black holes to grow, it also makes the supermassive ones look even bigger and brighter
Categories: Astronomy
Birthplace of red asteroid Kamo‘oalewa pinned to specific moon crater
The redness of asteroid 469219 Kamo‘oalewa marks it out as probably originating on the moon, and now we might know the exact impact crater it was launched from
Categories: Astronomy
Rat neuron injection lets mice that can’t smell sniff out cookies
Mice that had been genetically modified to lack the ability to smell could sniff out hidden cookies when sensory neurons from rats were grown in their brains
Categories: Astronomy
Modern rose hybrids have a worrying lack of genetic diversity
Intensive breeding since the 19th century has created thousands of varieties of rose, but a reduction in genetic diversity could leave them vulnerable to diseases and climate change
Categories: Astronomy
Brain activity seems to be more complex in baby girls than boys
When fetuses and babies were exposed to sound stimuli, their brains' subsequent activity appeared to be more complicated in the females than the males
Categories: Astronomy
India’s healthcare system falls short despite Modi’s improvements
More than 1.4 billion people live in India, giving its healthcare system a major role in planetary well-being. In the past 10 years, prime minister Narendra Modi has worked to improve India's healthcare, but there is still much work to be done
Categories: Astronomy
Can India build a world-leading computer chip industry from scratch?
India currently has a fairly small chip-manufacturing industry, but prime minister Narendra Modi wants the country to become a dominant player in the sector in just a few years
Categories: Astronomy
Japan’s SLIM moon lander has shockingly survived a third lunar night
Almost all moon landers break down during the extraordinary cold of lunar night, but Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon has astonishingly survived three nights
Categories: Astronomy
Quantum forces used to automatically assemble tiny device
The very weak forces of attraction caused by the Casimir effect can now be used to manipulate microscopic gold flakes and turn them into a light-trapping tool
Categories: Astronomy
Culling predatory starfish conserves coral on the Great Barrier Reef
Targeted culling of crown-of-thorns starfish has resulted in parts of the Great Barrier Reef maintaining and even increasing coral cover, leading researchers to call for the programme to be dramatically scaled up
Categories: Astronomy
Vindication for maths teachers: Pythagoras's theorem seen in the wild
For all the students wondering why they would ever need to use the Pythagorean theorem, Katie Steckles is delighted to report on a real-world encounter
Categories: Astronomy
These photos show how a warmer climate is damaging Earth's waters
Photographer Diane Tuft has documented how global warming is affecting bodies of water around the world
Categories: Astronomy
This one-room sci-fi thriller should take its MacGuffin more seriously
In Breathe, Earth is stripped of its oxygen, the plants are dead, oceans are dried up, no one trusts anyone — but we don't know what caused it. This sci-fi film fails to stand out among superior one-room thrillers, says Simon Ings
Categories: Astronomy
Why curbing chatbots' worst exploits is a game of whack-a-mole
AI companies are trying to impose safety measures on their chatbots, while researchers are finding ways around them all the time. Where will this end, asks Alex Wilkins
Categories: Astronomy
The next frontier of forensic science: blood splatter in microgravity?
Feedback is pleased to see that researchers are looking into the urgent issue of which angle blood might travel at following a violent act in space
Categories: Astronomy
Why we need to modernise our emotional relationship with cancer
Cancer has been one of the world's most feared diseases for decades. But this "cancerphobia" no longer matches the evidence and is doing great harm, argues David Ropeik
Categories: Astronomy
A radical new book sets out to hunt for 'pure consciousness'
Thomas Metzinger's The Elephant and the Blind explores deep meditation, which can take us to states where the sense of self vanishes, arguing that this may be crucial in cracking consciousness
Categories: Astronomy
Let's not trash recycling technologies that could end plastic waste
Some environmental campaigners claim that attempts to create a circular economy for plastics are doomed to fail – but the arguments can be disingenuous
Categories: Astronomy