New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
Why do some people experience anxiety more intensely than others?
A new understanding of how our genes, environment, brain and gut interact is helping to explain differences in our disposition to anxiety
Categories: Astronomy
The new evidence that explains what anxiety really is
What anxiety actually is has puzzled scientists for decades. Now we are starting to figure out how it may arise from miscommunication between the body and the brain
Categories: Astronomy
Astronomers have found what may be the smallest galaxy ever
A tiny clump of stars orbiting our galaxy should have been ripped apart by the Milky Way, but its continued existence hints it may be held together by a massive amount of dark matter
Categories: Astronomy
Bird flu confirmed in person who had contact with infected dairy cows
A person in Texas has been infected with bird flu after exposure to dairy cows who had the virus – it is the first time a human has contracted the disease from a mammal
Categories: Astronomy
How the infamous Pitcairn Island became a model of ocean conservation
Pitcairn Island, one of the remotest places on Earth, was once home to mutineers. Today it’s a trailblazer in biodiversity protection with lessons for us all
Categories: Astronomy
‘Yell at your robot’ technique teaches robots household chores
AI allows robots to listen to verbal instructions while learning to correctly perform household tasks. That could enable more natural interactions between humans and robots
Categories: Astronomy
How solar eclipses have been revealing cosmic secrets for centuries
Records of total solar eclipses go back thousands of years, and in all that time they have allowed scientists to uncover key information about not just the sun but the whole universe
Categories: Astronomy
Why vigorous exercise could inadvertently lead to weight gain
Intense exercise may make the body compensate for energy used during this vigorous activity by reducing other forms of energy use, leading to weight gain, according to a study in mice
Categories: Astronomy
The best new science fiction books of April 2024
There’s an abundance of exciting new science fiction out in April, by writers including The Three-Body Problem author Cixin Liu, Douglas Preston and Lionel Shriver
Categories: Astronomy
AI chatbots beat humans at persuading their opponents in debates
When people were challenged to debate contentious topics with a human or GPT-4, they were more likely to be won over by the artificial intelligence
Categories: Astronomy
Physicists have worked out how to melt any material
A new equation shows a surprisingly simple relationship between pressure and the temperature needed to melt any solid substance into a liquid
Categories: Astronomy
Heatwaves now last much longer than they did in the 1980s
A global analysis of heatwaves over a span of 40 years shows that they are getting more frequent, moving slower and lasting longer
Categories: Astronomy
Unprecedented GPS jamming attack affects 1600 aircraft over Europe
A 63-hour-long marathon of GPS jamming attacks disrupted global satellite navigation systems for hundreds of aircraft flying through the Baltic region – and Russia is thought to be responsible
Categories: Astronomy
Tooth loss linked to early signs of Alzheimer’s disease
A brain region critical for memory is smaller in older adults with fewer than 10 teeth than in those who have most of their teeth, suggesting that tooth loss may precede the development of dementia
Categories: Astronomy
DNA sequencing may give hope to critically ill adults in hospital
Genome analysis as a way of helping people with baffling medical conditions has so far mainly been seen as a diagnostic tool for babies and children, but it also helps adults
Categories: Astronomy
The ambitious plans to study the sun during April's solar eclipse
Solar scientists have been preparing for years for a 4-minute window, during the total solar eclipse on 8 April, in which they will study the sun's corona
Categories: Astronomy
Hyperelastic gel is one of the stretchiest materials known to science
A super-stretchy hydrogel can stretch to 15 times its original length and return to its initial shape, and could be used to make soft inflatable robots
Categories: Astronomy
Japan’s SLIM moon lander surprisingly survived a second lunar night
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon spacecraft has sent back images after surviving its second lunar night – generally these periods are so cold they destroy spacecraft electronics
Categories: Astronomy
Could bone marrow transplants transmit Alzheimer's disease?
The mainstream view is that Alzheimer's starts in the brain, but researchers were able to transfer the condition in mice by injections of bone marrow
Categories: Astronomy
Mathematicians are bitterly divided over a controversial proof
An attempt to settle a decade-long argument over a controversial proof by mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki has seen a war of words on both sides, with Mochizuki dubbing the latest effort as akin to a "hallucination" produced by ChatGPT
Categories: Astronomy