New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
Solar drone with wingspan wider than jumbo jet could fly for months
A pioneering solar-powered drone aircraft operated by Skydweller Aero will be used for maritime surveillance
Categories: Astronomy
Negative social ties, like frenemies, could be ageing you
Having someone in your life who hassles you or causes problems could be adding 2.5 months to your biological age
Categories: Astronomy
Neanderthals were probably maggot-munchers, not hyper-carnivores
It has been claimed Neanderthals ate a huge amount of meat based on isotope ratios in their bones – but the explanation could instead be a diet rich in maggots
Categories: Astronomy
We are undergoing unprecedented loss of freshwater across the planet
Rising temperatures are causing water to evaporate and driving humans to extract more groundwater, which is moving freshwater from the land to the seas and creating a "continental drying" trend
Categories: Astronomy
Major carbon sink may have vanished for a second year in a row
Record heat in 2024 caused ecosystems on land to emit nearly as much carbon dioxide as they took out of the atmosphere
Categories: Astronomy
Peculiar galaxy seems to contain surprisingly pristine stars
Stars uncontaminated by heavier elements are thought to have formed very early in the universe, but a galaxy much later in cosmic history might let us see them for the first time
Categories: Astronomy
Intensely grieving a loved one could shorten a mourner's life
Feeling profound grief years after a loved one has died could affect our own longevity
Categories: Astronomy
Why Trump's order targeting 'woke' AI may be impossible to follow
President Trump signed an executive order requiring companies with US government contracts to make their AI models "free from ideological bias". That could get messy for Big Tech
Categories: Astronomy
Record marine heatwaves may signal a permanent shift in the oceans
Fierce marine heatwaves were recorded globally in 2023 and 2024, and some researchers now believe they mark the start of a fundamental change with devastating consequences for life on Earth
Categories: Astronomy
Why a tech start-up wants to pump your faeces deep underground
Start-up Vaulted Deep, which just signed a deal with Microsoft, says storing human waste deep underground can keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and pollutants like forever chemicals out of surface ecosystems
Categories: Astronomy
Thousands of seadragons are dying in Australia's toxic algal bloom
An algal bloom in South Australia has caused mass deaths of many species since March - now researchers warn that leafy and weedy seadragons could be facing the threat of extinction
Categories: Astronomy
Our brain's mitochondria may play a crucial role in the onset of sleep
Textbooks say that mitochondria exist to supply cells with energy, but experiments in fruit flies suggest they are also involved in sleep
Categories: Astronomy
The time you take an oral exam could affect whether you pass or fail
Midday seems to be the optimal time to take an oral exam at university, which could be due to students not generally being early risers
Categories: Astronomy
Walking 7000 steps a day seems to be enough to keep us healthy
Many people like to check that they have walked 10,000 steps over the course of a day, but falling short of that target still seems to bring serious health benefits
Categories: Astronomy
Remarkable set of tracks suggests different dinosaurs herded together
Late Cretaceous dinosaur tracks found in Canada might have been made by different species walking together, but the evidence is far from conclusive
Categories: Astronomy
The secret to what makes colours pop on dazzling songbirds
Hidden layers of colour in the plumage of tanagers and some other songbirds explain what makes them so eye-catching
Categories: Astronomy
The 25 best fictional robots – according to New Scientist
From R2D2 to the Terminator via Bender and Johnny-5, we choose our favourite robots from books, films and television series
Categories: Astronomy
How to spot the Delta Aquariids meteor shower this month
A new moon in late July will give us dark skies – perfect for spotting this beautiful meteor shower, says Abigail Beall
Categories: Astronomy
The Prestige is just as clever and thrilling 30 years on
Rival magicians in Victorian England both claim they can teleport. Is this all illusion, asks Emily H. Wilson, as she explores Christopher Priest’s extraordinary novel, The Prestige
Categories: Astronomy
Triumphant images of women who climbed to new heights
Mountaineering Women: Climbing through history tells the stories of more than a dozen female climbers who have conquered the world's greatest peaks
Categories: Astronomy