New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
Nanoscale robotic ‘hand’ made of DNA could be used to detect viruses
A tiny hand crafted out of DNA has jointed fingers that can be used to grab small objects like gold nanoparticles or viruses
Categories: Astronomy
A wolf-dog hybrid has been confirmed in India for the first time
A strange canine was spotted in a pack of wolves near Pune in western India, but it stood out for its lighter coat and dog-like facial features. It was confirmed to be a wolf-dog hybrid through genetic sequencing
Categories: Astronomy
How to avoid deer fly bites, according to science
An experiment with a sticky fly trap in a Canadian forest suggests you will get more deer fly bites if you walk around than if you sit still
Categories: Astronomy
How a UK river serves as a natural lab for flood defence research
A river near Edinburgh, UK, has served for more than a decade as a natural laboratory for studying flood defences, providing benefits such as improved water quality worth millions of pounds
Categories: Astronomy
US police are selling seized phones with personal data still on them
Nude photos, bank details and stolen credit card numbers have been found on devices sold by US police forces via auction sites
Categories: Astronomy
We may finally know why psychological stress worsens gut inflammation
A pathway between the brain and the immune system discovered in mice could explain why prolonged stress can exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease
Categories: Astronomy
Elon Musk's brain implant firm Neuralink gets approval for human trial
The brain implant company Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk among others, previously tested implants in pigs and monkeys. Now it has approval for human trials
Categories: Astronomy
AI is a key issue in negotiations between actors and Hollywood studios
The US actors’ union will negotiate with Hollywood studios over the rights to use AI to create "digital twins" of actors, and the results could determine the viability of acting as a career
Categories: Astronomy
mRNA trial shows promise for these therapies to revolutionise medicine
People with a rare condition experienced fewer or no complications after receiving an experimental mRNA therapy, with the technology having the potential to treat a range of disorders
Categories: Astronomy
Capital letter test is a foolproof way of sorting AIs from humans
A trick for asking questions using capital letters seems to baffle artificial intelligences like ChatGPT, while humans can easily give the right answer
Categories: Astronomy
Sunlight could cool an atom to its coldest possible temperature
Sunlight transmitted through an optical fibre could be used to help cool a single charged atom to a temperature only a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero
Categories: Astronomy
Ocean-fertilising bacteria work together to adapt to light levels
Trichodesmium, a kind of cyanobacterium that is vital to ocean ecosystems, forms colonies that work together and change shape to get the light and nutrients the microbe needs to grow
Categories: Astronomy
Fake alien message sent to Earth to prepare us for first contact
A coded message has been sent from a spacecraft orbiting Mars to simulate potential communication from an advanced alien civilisation
Categories: Astronomy
US Supreme Court slashes protections for wetlands
Around half of all wetlands in the contiguous US will now lose their protections under the Clean Water Act, exposing them to pollution and development
Categories: Astronomy
5000 species not known elsewhere live in area set for deep-sea mining
Thousands more species are probably waiting to be discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region of the Pacific Ocean where companies are planning to extract valuable metals
Categories: Astronomy
We now know how Botox enters neurons and paralyses muscles
Molecular imaging shows that botulinum neurotoxin uses three receptors to enter neurons. The finding could help develop drugs to stop the toxin from infecting cells
Categories: Astronomy
Chemicals used to make decaf coffee are contributing to ozone damage
A group of unregulated polluting gases known as very short-lived substances are partly responsible for depleting the ozone layer in the tropics
Categories: Astronomy
Ultrasound can trigger a hibernation-like state in mice and rats
Focused ultrasound waves targeting a certain area of the brain can lower body temperature in rodents, showing a possible way to put people in suspended animation
Categories: Astronomy
The Ferryman review: A profound new take on a sci-fi staple
Justin Cronin's new science fiction novel transmutes the familiar trope of a utopia with a dark secret into a deep story with humanity at its centre. Read along with us at New Scientist's book club
Categories: Astronomy
Read an extract from The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
This tantalising extract is taken from the prologue of The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, a science fiction novel which is the first pick for New Scientist's book club
Categories: Astronomy