New Scientist Space - Space Headlines

Boeing's Starliner capsule had a helium leak in one of its thrusters, but it is still scheduled to launch on 1 June for its first crewed flight to the International Space Station

One of the first bioelectronic devices to combine living bacteria with sensors has successfully improved healthy skin regeneration in mice with psoriasis

Landing on the far side of the moon is rarely attempted, due to difficulties communicating with Earth, but China is about to try. If successful, its Chang'e 6 mission will then bring lunar samples back home

A 2020 rule that slashed air pollution from ships may have boosted global temperatures sooner than thought, helping to explain why 2023 was so hot

Humans from many cultures tend to associate the nonsense words “bouba” and “kiki” with different shapes – and now it seems that 3-day-old chicks have the same inclinations

We asked New Scientist staff to pick their favourite science fiction books. Here are the results, ranging from 19th-century classics to modern day offerings, and from Octavia E. Butler to Iain M. Banks

A star in a distant galaxy appears to have been almost torn apart in a close shave with a supermassive black hole, not once but twice – and astronomers hope to see it happen again

A survey of 253 US teens has found that, on average, their mood lifted after using their smartphones

Babies seem to cluster together their squeals and growling noises, rather than making them sporadically, which suggests they are part of their preparation for talking

Calculating probabilities can be complicated, as this classic "what's behind the doors" problem shows, says Peter Rowlett

Scrap screens for a while and enjoy the real feel of Aqua, a board game where colourful tiles grow into ecosystems. It's mostly relaxing – apart from the fiendish scoring system, says Jacob Aron

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

When I heard Stephen Hawking extol the mysteries of black holes, I knew theoretical physics was what I wanted to do. There is still so much to learn about these strange regions, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Feedback wonders if previous research into 'courtship behaviours of ostriches' in the UK will be taken into account by the owner of a new ostrich farm in New Hampshire

Ponds have long been neglected by science, but we can't overlook these diverse and important nature hotspots any more, say Jeremy Biggs and Penny Williams

To understand the power – and limitations – of artificial intelligence, we need information, not hype. Alex Wilkins explores what four new books, from Ray Kurzweil, Nick Bostrom, Neil Lawrence and Shannon Vallor, offer

The El Niño climate pattern has contributed to a year of record-breaking temperatures. We must bend the curve of carbon emissions before the next one arrives

Cow udders have lots of bird-like flu virus receptors but no human-like ones, a study has found, meaning there’s no reason for the virus to evolve to become better at infecting people

People who have had a recent vaccine against tetanus appear to be less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, suggesting that the bacterial infection is involved in the condition

Time loops have long been the stuff of science fiction. Now, using the rules of quantum mechanics, we have a way to effectively transport a particle back in time – here’s how