New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
Forests may grow more slowly than expected as CO2 levels rise
Rising CO2 levels will spur the growth of forests, which store carbon, but an experiment suggests this effect could be restricted by the availability of phosphorus in the soil
Categories: Astronomy
Eczema may sometimes be caused by eating too much salt
People with eczema have higher levels of sodium in their urine than those without the skin condition, with every additional 1 gram linked to an 11 per cent increase in the risk of a diagnosis
Categories: Astronomy
Tiny brain sensor implanted without surgery dissolves after weeks
In animal tests, a cube of hydrogel the length of a rice grain was implanted in the brain with a needle to monitor temperature or pressure, and then dissolved away after a few weeks
Categories: Astronomy
How to easily satisfy your salt cravings without damaging your health
Could potassium fortification be the answer we're looking for when it comes to battling our unhealthy addiction to salt?
Categories: Astronomy
May 2024 is the twelfth month in a row to break heat records
The global average temperature during May was highest for any May on record, reaching 1.52°C above the 1850 to 1900 average
Categories: Astronomy
Earth’s atmosphere is trapping twice as much heat as it did in 1993
Earth’s energy imbalance, a key measure of global warming, has doubled in the past 20 years, raising concerns about how much heat the oceans are absorbing
Categories: Astronomy
Mathematicians can't agree what 'equals' means, and that's a problem
What does "equals" mean? For mathematicians, this simple question has more than one answer, which is causing issues when it comes to using computers to check proofs. The solution might be to tear up the foundations of maths
Categories: Astronomy
An already dead star is dying for a second time
A pulsar, the spinning remnants of a star that blew up in a supernova, has been spotted rotating at a comparatively slow rate of once every 54 minutes. That means it may be about to cross the "death-line" - the first time we have seen one of these stars die a second death
Categories: Astronomy
How bats pick out their own calls when flying in enormous swarms
Researchers trained a hawk outfitted with microphones to fly through a swarm of 600,000 bats, revealing how they can hear their own voice in a crowd
Categories: Astronomy
Glasses coated in lithium could let us see in the dark
A film made of lithium niobate and gratings of silicon dioxide converts infrared light into visible light better than the other leading compound, potentially allowing nighttime vision
Categories: Astronomy
Starship launch 4: What time is the SpaceX flight tomorrow?
SpaceX is getting ready to launch its massive Starship rocket tomorrow and we have all the details on the mission
Categories: Astronomy
Gene therapy enables five children who were born deaf to hear
Five children have had gene therapy to treat inherited deafness, this time in both ears, following the success of earlier treatments in just one ear
Categories: Astronomy
People are less likely to believe an AI if it conveys uncertainty
When a large language model expresses doubt about the information it supplies, people are less likely to accept it as fact and more likely to find accurate information elsewhere
Categories: Astronomy
Why excessive positivity is bad for your health and mental well-being
There are real benefits to a positive mindset, but the idea that we should always look on the bright side has gone too far. Research into toxic positivity can help restore balance
Categories: Astronomy
China is sending giant pandas to US zoos for the first time in decades
In recent years, China recalled pandas from three out of four US zoos that had the bears, signalling diplomatic tensions between the two countries – but this year China has offered two new pairs of giant pandas
Categories: Astronomy
Glitching radio waves from dead stars explained by swirling superfluid
Pulsars that emit radio waves “glitch” as they rotate – this seems to be caused by interruptions to swirling vortices inside these ultra-dense stars
Categories: Astronomy
Diet-monitoring AI tracks your each and every spoonful
An AI that watches you while you eat can estimate how much you’re consuming, and could help people track their calorie intake
Categories: Astronomy
Ancient snake drawings are among the largest known rock art worldwide
Rock art along the Orinoco river in South America is made up of some of the largest etchings we know of and could date back 2000 years
Categories: Astronomy
Morning exercise may be optimal for improving bone health
Mice that exercised soon after waking up had stronger and longer bones than those that exercised later in the day
Categories: Astronomy
Endangered giant pangolin spotted in Senegal after nearly 24 years
A rare sighting of a giant pangolin revives hopes for the species' survival in West Africa, despite threats from poaching and deforestation
Categories: Astronomy