New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
2024 is set to be the first year that breaches the 1.5°C warming limit
This year’s average global temperature is almost certain to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial times – a milestone that should spur urgent action, say climate scientists
Categories: Astronomy
Vampire bats run on a treadmill to reveal their strange metabolism
Experiments where vampire bats were made to run on a treadmill have revealed how they extract energy from protein in their latest blood meal
Categories: Astronomy
Distant dwarf planet Makemake might have a surprising ice volcano
A small world in the outer solar system appears to have volcanic activity possibly spurred by liquid water
Categories: Astronomy
Cancer deaths expected to nearly double worldwide by 2050
Experts predict that the number of cancer cases around the world will skyrocket, resulting in millions more fatalities by 2050
Categories: Astronomy
Before the Stone Age: Were the first tools made from plants not rocks?
Our ancestors probably used a wide range of plant-based tools that have since been lost to history. Now we're finally getting a glimpse of this Botanic Age
Categories: Astronomy
Dazzling images illuminate research on cardiovascular disease
The British Heart Foundation’s Reflections of Research competition showcases beautiful images captured by researchers studying heart and circulatory disease
Categories: Astronomy
3D printing with light and sound could let us copy human organs
One day, doctors might be able to 3D print copies of your organs in order to test a variety of drugs, thanks to a new technique that uses light and sound for rapid printing
Categories: Astronomy
Natural fibres in wet wipes may actually be worse for soil and animals
Fibres in wet wipes and clothes often make their way into soil - and natural versions could be more damaging than synthetic ones
Categories: Astronomy
Ancient Mesopotamian clay seals offer clues to the origin of writing
Before Mesopotamian people invented writing, they used cylinder seals to press patterns into wet clay – and some of the symbols used were carried over into proto-writing
Categories: Astronomy
Spraying rice with sunscreen particles during heatwaves boosts growth
Zinc nanoparticles, a common sunscreen ingredient, can make plants more resilient to climate change – in a surprising way
Categories: Astronomy
Spraying rice with sunscreen particles during heat waves boosts growth
Zinc nanoparticles, a common sunscreen ingredient, can make plants more resilient to climate change – in a surprising way
Categories: Astronomy
Heat can flow backwards in a gas so thin its particles never touch
A surprising reversal of our usual understanding of the second law of thermodynamics shows that it may be possible for heat to move in the “wrong” direction, flowing from a cold area to a warm one
Categories: Astronomy
The COP16 biodiversity summit was a big flop for protecting nature
Although the COP16 summit in Colombia ended with some important agreements, countries still aren’t moving fast enough to stem biodiversity loss
Categories: Astronomy
The complete guide to cooking oils and how they affect your health
From seed oils to olive oil, we now have an overwhelming choice of what to cook with. Here’s how they all stack up, according to the scientific evidence
Categories: Astronomy
COP29: Clashes over cash are set to dominate the climate conference
The focus is on finance at the UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month, but countries are a long way from any kind of consensus
Categories: Astronomy
Bird flu was found in a US pig – does that raise the risk for humans?
A bird flu virus that has been circulating in dairy cattle for months has now been found in a pig in the US for the first time, raising the risk of the virus evolving to become more dangerous to people
Categories: Astronomy
We've seen particles that are massless only when moving one direction
Inside a hunk of a material called a semimetal, scientists have uncovered signatures of bizarre particles that sometimes move like they have no mass, but at other times move just like a very massive particle
Categories: Astronomy
Viruses may help store vast amounts of carbon in soil
Soil is full of an uncountable number of viruses, and scientists are only beginning to understand just how substantial their role in the carbon cycle may be
Categories: Astronomy
There may be a cosmic speed limit on how fast anything can grow
Alan Turing's theories about computation seem to have a startling consequence, placing hard limits on how fast or slow any physical process in the universe can grow
Categories: Astronomy
World's largest tree is also among the oldest living organisms
DNA analysis suggests Pando, a quaking aspen in Utah with thousands of stems connected by their roots, is between 16,000 and 81,000 years old
Categories: Astronomy