New Scientist Space - Space Headlines

A virtual assistant for surgeons translates text prompts into commands for a robot, offering a simple way to instruct machines to carry out small tasks in operations

For the first time, astronomers have observed the area right at the edge of a black hole where matter stops orbiting and plunges straight in at near light speed

Artificial compound eyes made without the need for expensive and precise lenses could provide cheap visual sensors for robots and driverless cars

The research shows that getting back in touch with old friends is easier, and more welcome, than you might think, says David Robson, in his new evidence-based advice column

Enjoy the year's top documentaries so far, including David Attenborough on the rise of the mammals and a profile of Victor Glover, soon to be the first Black astronaut to orbit the moon

All farmland in the Indian state of Sikkim, shown in these images, has been certified organic since 2016, and local authorities say the change is already improving wildlife populations and the area's arid soil

What makes some people so creative? There are many common beliefs about the neuroscience of innovation, but they fail to capture its true complexity, says Anna Abraham in her book The Creative Brain: Myths and truths

The US has been honing its psychological warfare skills since the 19th century, when it started sending anthropologists onto battlefields, says Annalee Newitz

Feedback gets wind of new research into flatulence, and reminds us all of past studies into "the gas-producing ability of Boston baked beans"

The new Climate Fiction prize aims to reward the best novels about climate change, because books can shift the narrative on global warming, says Tori Tsui

Craig Kirkpatrick-Whitby's cancer diagnosis added urgency to his project, as part of musical collective Mining, to turn weather and sea data into music

Ageism is a widespread global prejudice. It's about time we started acknowledging our unconscious bias towards old age – not least because our own future health depends on it

With big announcements about the latest artificial intelligence models this week, tech firms are competing to have the most exciting products - but generative AI remains hampered by issues

Researchers aiming to create a secure quantum version of the internet need a device called a quantum repeater, which doesn't yet exist - but now two teams say they are well on the way to building one

A solar energy absorber that uses quartz to trap heat reached 1050°C in tests and could offer a way to decarbonise the production of steel and cement

If a building is hit with an earthquake or explosives, the entire thing can collapse – but a design balancing strong and weak structural connections lets part of it fall while preserving the rest

Ageism is pervasive, accepted and invisible. Stamping out this prejudice won’t just benefit society, it will also have huge payoffs for those people who hold it

The direct air capture industry got a boost last week with the opening of Mammoth, the largest plant yet for sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, but questions remain about whether the technology can scale up

In coming decades, major groundwater sources may become economically unfeasible — this could raise food prices and shift diets, among other impacts

Using a new approach, scientists have successfully frozen and thawed brain organoids and cubes of brain tissue from someone with epilepsy, which could enable better research into neurological conditions