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Virtual robot run by artificial intelligence acts in a way that conforms to toxic stereotypes when asked to pick faces that belong to criminals or homemakers

Worlds that hold onto their dense primordial atmospheres of hydrogen and helium may stay warm enough to maintain liquid water on their surfaces, even without starlight

After the Higgs, the Large Hadron Collider was expected to find other theorised particles. It didn’t, but particle physicists are optimistic about a new era of experiment-led exploration

After the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, abortion bans in states such as Louisiana and Tennessee won't include exceptions for cases of rape or incest

Pom-pom-shaped molecules rip apart MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria in minutes, are cheap and easy to make, and don’t seem to lead to bacterial resistance

A study of people with prediabetes shows that the same foods affect blood sugar levels very differently. The findings add to a growing body of evidence undermining the idea of a standard glycaemic index

Testing how chimpanzees navigate in virtual environments could help researchers understand why they prefer certain routes in the wild over others

An effort to track global changes in human society over the past 10,000 years concludes that warfare drove an increase in social complexity – but others are unconvinced by the work

We subconsciously sniff people when we first meet them and are more likely to become friends with those who have similar body odours to our own

A robot that learned to manipulate modelling clay to make letters of the alphabet without any human training could one day make dumplings for you

Shaking antibubbles – droplets of liquid encased in a thin layer of air – prevents them from popping for several hours. These could be used in chemical engineering in the future

A study of 116 species of hummingbird suggests the group is collectively more colourful than any other type of bird

With the number of confirmed cases exceeding 3500, the World Health Organization's emergency committee may declare it a public health emergency of international concern – its highest alert level – in the coming days

The UK is making plans to launch its own science funding programme in September, science minister George Freeman tells New Scientist, if the EU refuses access to the Horizon scheme

A loss of smell is a key covid-19 symptom, with researchers finding a link between increasing coronavirus cases in the US and Amazon reviews complaining a scented candle is odourless

Volunteers who maintain the standard of content on Reddit’s forums do 466 hours of work every day – labour that would cost 2.8 per cent of the firm’s revenue

Tata Chemicals Europe plant at Northwich will eventually capture 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year for use in making sodium biocarbonate

An analysis of 120 of the world's top-ranked English-language websites has found that many of them allow weak passwords, including those that can be easily guessed, such as “abc123456” and “P@$$w0rd”

Most bacteria are just 2 micrometres long, but Thiomargarita magnifica is thousands of times bigger, and is unusually complex

In zoos and aquariums, some species of turtles and tortoises have a lower rate of ageing as they grow older