New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
Complex knots can actually be easier to untie than simple ones
Mathematicians have solved a decades-old problem in knot theory, discovering that linking two knots together can actually produce a knot that is easier to untie – the opposite of what was expected
Categories: Astronomy
Water might be even more important for alien life than we thought
Without enough liquid water on the surface, a planet's atmosphere can become choked with carbon dioxide, raising temperatures to a level beyond what is survivable for all known life
Categories: Astronomy
Climate scientists urge others to take up CO2 tracking as US cuts loom
Proposed budget cuts in the US will lead to the loss of vital carbon dioxide measurements, but no other countries are preparing to step in so far, researchers warn
Categories: Astronomy
Built-in fire extinguishers can prevent battery explosions
Adding fire-suppressing chemicals into batteries can prevent overheating, fires and explosions, cutting the risks for electric vehicles and portable electronics
Categories: Astronomy
Nor'easters slamming New England are growing more powerful
Much like hurricanes further south, the strongest storms to pummel the US north-east are getting even stronger as sea surface temperatures rise
Categories: Astronomy
You don't need to take drugs like Ozempic consistently to lose weight
People with disrupted access to GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, still seem to lose substantial amounts of weight
Categories: Astronomy
The truth about de-extinction: is it even possible, and why do it?
Ambitious projects aim to put dire wolves, woolly mammoths and passenger pigeons back into our ecosystems. But with so many technical and ethical hurdles, what is the real motivation?
Categories: Astronomy
Are batteries based on contact lenses the future of energy storage?
UK company Superdielectrics says its polymer technology could make batteries cheaper and easier to recycle, but its energy density must improve to compete with lithium-ion devices
Categories: Astronomy
Most warming this century may be due to air pollution cuts
Satellite data suggests cloud darkening is responsible for much of the warming since 2001, and the good news is that it is a temporary effect due to a drop in sulphate pollution
Categories: Astronomy
LIGO has spotted the most massive black hole collision ever detected
A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger
Categories: Astronomy
How government use of AI could hurt democracy
Countries are eager to use AI to automate some government processes, but this risks eroding citizens’ trust and feelings of democratic control – because AI mistakes can ruin their lives
Categories: Astronomy
We may have finally solved an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray puzzle
The IceCube neutrino detector has allowed researchers to resolve a debate about what types of particles make up ultra-high-energy cosmic rays – but much remains unknown about these rare events
Categories: Astronomy
Artificial cooling 'urgent' for Great Barrier Reef after warming spike
A drop in shipping emissions has caused a surge in warming at the Great Barrier Reef, fuelling calls for drastic actions such as marine cloud brightening to lower the risk of coral bleaching
Categories: Astronomy
Climate could warm another 0.5°C if we fail to capture far more CO2
Models suggest that meeting climate targets will be virtually impossible without steep emissions cuts paired with a huge expansion of carbon management technologies
Categories: Astronomy
Trees on city streets cope with drought by drinking from leaky pipes
Urban trees lining streets fare better in dry spells than those in parks – now it seems that leaky water pipes are the reason for their endurance
Categories: Astronomy
Hay fever relief could come in the form of a nasal 'molecular shield'
Mice experienced far fewer hay fever symptoms when a pollen-blocking antibody was applied within their nose
Categories: Astronomy
Why bizarre Cold War hoverboats are making a comeback
Sea-skimming crafts – which fly just above the water – were once considered Cold War relics of a failed Soviet experiment. Now, China and the US are resurrecting the technology as a possible Pacific conflict looms
Categories: Astronomy
Fatal genetic disorder treated by replacing the brain's immune cells
Microglia replacement therapy helps treat people with a rare genetic condition called ALSP, suggesting the approach could also work for other neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s
Categories: Astronomy
Inhaled insulin may free children with type 1 diabetes from injections
Inhaled insulin is effective for controlling blood sugar levels in children with diabetes, providing them with a faster-acting, needle-free option to manage their condition
Categories: Astronomy
Astronomers found a completely new type of plasma wave near Jupiter
Observations from NASA’s Juno spacecraft reveal that Jupiter’s strong magnetic field and the unique properties of its plasma can produce a truly novel kind of extraterrestrial wave near its poles
Categories: Astronomy