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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

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its massive Starship rocket, perhaps as soon as 5 June, and we have all the details on the mission

Mars is a planet much beloved and much maligned, and in this episode of Dead Planets Society it is getting a dramatic makeover via an enormous orbiting magnet

Google's AI Overviews tool can offer impressive answers to search queries, but it will also make up facts and tell people to eat rocks. Can it be fixed, or will it have to be scrapped?

Cut marks on a 4000-year-old skull suggest ancient Egyptian doctors tried to treat a man with nasopharyngeal cancer

Several psychological biases undermine our ability to make new friends. Understand them and you’ll know the secrets to building meaningful relationships that last

Sophie Attwood is working with the food industry to promote some surprising psychological tricks designed to make environmentally friendly choices more desirable

Artificial intelligence models similar to ChatGPT are able to identify errors in computer code, letting people claim rewards for finding them - but others are using the same tools to report bugs that don't actually exist