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Three human-like species lived side-by-side in ancient Africa
Three human-like species lived side-by-side in ancient Africa

Two million years ago, Africa was home to three human-like species, new discoveries reveal.

Amid
Amid 'rapidly evolving' COVID-19 outbreak, Blue Origin's launch plans spark debate

Discussions about future launch plans for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space venture have reportedly generated internal acrimony due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak - and that, in turn, has generated reassurances about safety. The acrimony is laid out in a report from The Verge, based on accounts from unnamed employees as well as an audio recording of a staff meeting at the company's headquarters in Kent, Wash. Employees reportedly worried that plans for a test flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital spaceflight could put them at risk, because the operation would involve traveling to the company's… Read More

'Dinosaurs walked through Antarctic rainforests'

Sediments drilled off the coast of the ice continent reveal a time of great warmth and plant growth.

Oceans can be successfully restored by 2050, say scientists
Oceans can be successfully restored by 2050, say scientists

Researchers say there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future of our oceans.

Hungry black hole may be cosmic
Hungry black hole may be cosmic 'missing link'

Astronomers say they have found the best evidence yet for an elusive class of black hole.

Japanese astronaut joins the crew for SpaceX Dragon mission to space station
Japanese astronaut joins the crew for SpaceX Dragon mission to space station

The first non-American to be added to the crew for a SpaceX Dragon flight to the International Space Station is Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi. Noguchi first visited the space station in 2005 during the first space shuttle flight following the 2003 Columbia shuttle tragedy, and rode a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a six-month orbital stay on the station in 2009-2010. For his next mission, Noguchi will be teaming up with NASA's Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover Jr. - plus Shannon Walker, who was also named today as a member of the first crew to begin a regular tour of duty… Read More

Climate change: Warming clips the nightingale
Climate change: Warming clips the nightingale's wings

Rising temperatures may be having a profound impact on one of the world's favourite songbirds.

Self-isolation proves a boon to rainfall project
Self-isolation proves a boon to rainfall project

Scientists have been amazed at the public's response to help digitise the UK's old rainfall records.

Univ. of Washington studies antimalarial drug
Univ. of Washington studies antimalarial drug's use to head off COVID-19, with Gates Foundation's aid

University of Washington researchers are among the leaders of a newly announced clinical trial investigating whether hydroxychloroquine, a drug that's commonly used to counter malaria and autoimmune disease, can prevent COVID-19. The multi-site trial, managed by UW in collaboration with New York

Peacock spiders show more of their colours
Peacock spiders show more of their colours

A new batch of these ostentatiously coloured and popular arachnids is described in Australia.

Machine translates brainwaves into sentences
Machine translates brainwaves into sentences

Scientists have taken a step forward in their ability to decode what a person is saying just by looking at their brainwaves when they speak.

Rock found in Mississippi proves to be fossilized tooth from prehistoric
Rock found in Mississippi proves to be fossilized tooth from prehistoric 'hell pig'

There were the size of a hippo and mean.

National parks like the Grand Canyon remain open and free to the public despite calls from frustrated and scared workers to close them
National parks like the Grand Canyon remain open and free to the public despite calls from frustrated and scared workers to close them

One Grand Canyon National Park staffer said he had 600 "close contacts" with people at the park in one day.

Relief for COVID-19 stress inside? It
Relief for COVID-19 stress inside? It's outside.

Mecklenburg County's "stay at home" order allows us to exercise outside, and though playgrounds and nature centers are closed, trails remain open, so long as people stay well apart.

SpaceX wins NASA moon program contract
SpaceX wins NASA moon program contract

SpaceX's Dragon XL cargo ships will support NASA's Artemis moonwalkers and allow extended research.

Heirloom plants: Saving the nation
Heirloom plants: Saving the nation's seeds from extinction

The incredible history of the UK's heirloom plants and why they're set to make a comeback.

SpaceX wins NASA contract to send cargo to lunar Gateway with new Dragon XL craft
SpaceX wins NASA contract to send cargo to lunar Gateway with new Dragon XL craft

NASA has tapped a type of SpaceX cargo craft that hasn't yet been built to deliver supplies to a moon-orbiting outpost that hasn't yet been launched. SpaceX's robotic Dragon XL, a cylindrical, supersized version of its workhorse Dragon spacecraft, will handle shipments to the Gateway space platform as the first commercial provider to receive a Gateway Logistics Services contract from NASA. The contract is similar to NASA's existing Commercial Resupply Services contracts with SpaceX, Northrop Grumman and Sierra Nevada Corp. for cargo shipments to the International Space Station. NASA's Artemis program calls for the first elements of the Gateway to… Read More

Neanderthals didn
Neanderthals didn't just hunt mammoths. They actually knew how to fish, researchers discover.

A new study suggests that Neanderthals were skilled fishermen and that seafood was a key ingredient in their diets.

A trio of studies suggest pregnant women could transfer the coronavirus in utero, contradicting prior research
A trio of studies suggest pregnant women could transfer the coronavirus in utero, contradicting prior research

Earlier research found it's very unlikely for pregnant women with COVID-19 to infect their fetuses in utero. New reports question that conclusion.

Sweden under fire for
Sweden under fire for 'relaxed' coronavirus approach - here's the science behind it

Swedish authorities estimate that there are more people with COVID-19 who don't show symptoms than those in other countries.

Our last-chance miracle baby was due just as the coronavirus wave began to hit hospitals
Our last-chance miracle baby was due just as the coronavirus wave began to hit hospitals

Coronavirus haunted the hospital, but the maternity ward felt like a sanctuary from the outside world constricting to save itself from a plague.

Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same
Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves - and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?As a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them. Stockpiling provisionsThe word "hoarding" might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call "hoarding disorder," keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and...

Plastic: How to predict threats to animals in oceans and rivers
Plastic: How to predict threats to animals in oceans and rivers

Scientists find out more about the threats of plastic to thousands of fish, whales and other aquatic life.

Climate change:
Climate change: 'Gob-smacking' vision for future UK transport

Public transport and active travel will be the "natural first choice", the Transport Secretary says.

Xplore
Xplore's Xcraft space probe lands in Xtronaut 2.0 board game - and STEM students are the winners

Seattle-based Xplore isn't due to launch its first Xcraft space probe until late 2021, but it's already landed in an educational board game. Xtronaut 2.0, a multiplayer game devised by planetary scientist Dante Lauretta and Xtronaut Enterprises CEO Michael Lyon, will feature Xcraft as one of the deck's playing cards. Players can combine the cards to create their own game-board missions to deep space. The arrangement is part of a sponsorship deal for Xtronaut 2.0's Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. "We are proud to have the Xcraft featured in Xtronaut 2.0, and are delighted that our sponsorship enables us to give 120… Read More

Help needed to rescue UK
Help needed to rescue UK's old rainfall records

Pre-1960s handwritten rain gauge data can inform drought and flood planning, but only if digitised.

Calling all kids: Send Blue Origin a space postcard while you
Calling all kids: Send Blue Origin a space postcard while you're stuck at home

Are you looking for educational activities to occupy the kids while you're cooped up due to the coronavirus outbreak? One option is to make space postcards for the Club for the Future, an educational campaign created by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space venture. Last year, Blue Origin collected thousands of student-decorated cards, and sent them to space and back on its New Shepard suborbital craft. After the flight, the cards were stamped "Flown in Space" (in some cases, by Bezos himself) and then mailed back to their senders. Now Blue Origin is inviting students, educators and parents to… Read More

Climate change: Green energy plant threat to wilderness areas
Climate change: Green energy plant threat to wilderness areas

Solar, wind and hydro electric installations are often built in conservation areas.

How are you doing during the COVID-19 crisis? Scientists want to hear your story
How are you doing during the COVID-19 crisis? Scientists want to hear your story

Researchers at the University of Washington are launching a study aimed at answering the question that's on a lot of people's minds as the coronavirus epidemic spreads through the Seattle area: How are you holding up? The King County COVID-19 Community Study, a.k.a. KC3S, is recruiting King County residents to tell their stories. The study is scheduled to collect data through April 19. "We want to start collecting this information now - as the COVID-19 pandemic is unfolding - about how families and communities are being impacted, and how they are adapting," Nicole Errett, a lecturer in the UW Department… Read More

An ER doctor who survived Ebola shares the harrowing reality of the coronavirus pandemic and levels a stark warning
An ER doctor who survived Ebola shares the harrowing reality of the coronavirus pandemic and levels a stark warning

Dr. Craig Spencer, who's cared for Ebola patients and survived the disease himself, works at an ER in NYC. He explains why he fears the COVID-19 virus.

There is hope: All the reasons to be optimistic about the end of the coronavirus crisis
There is hope: All the reasons to be optimistic about the end of the coronavirus crisis

These are the worst of times. And yet, there is hope. This is temporary. It will end. There are reasons to be optimistic.

The coronavirus is preventing medical students from getting hands-on training in hospitals. Frustrated future doctors are looking for new ways to help.
The coronavirus is preventing medical students from getting hands-on training in hospitals. Frustrated future doctors are looking for new ways to help.

Medical schools around the US have pulled students off clinical rotations amid the spread of the coronavirus.

The UK is transforming a huge London conference venue into a coronavirus hospital capable of treating 4,000 COVID-19 patients
The UK is transforming a huge London conference venue into a coronavirus hospital capable of treating 4,000 COVID-19 patients

12,000 retired doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have so far volunteered to help fight coronavirus in the UK

The global coronavirus fatality rate has doubled in just 2 months, according to WHO data
The global coronavirus fatality rate has doubled in just 2 months, according to WHO data

As the pandemic surpasses 400,000 cases and 16,000 deaths worldwide, its fatality rate has climbed as well - though it doesn't tell the full story.

Strong storm to lash South Korea, Japan with flooding rain and gusty winds
Strong storm to lash South Korea, Japan with flooding rain and gusty winds

A developing storm will increase the risk for flash flooding across parts of eastern Asia through the second half of the week.Periods of rain and thunderstorms will drench parts of China through the middle of the week as a storm system organizes over the country.The storm will begin to move away from

'Where are the ventilators?' New York governor Andrew Cuomo begs the US government to spring into action, says it's missing 'the magnitude of the problem'

"What are we going to do with 400 ventilators when we need 30,000 ventilators?" the NY governor said. "You're missing the magnitude of the problem."

Scientists discover an ancient wormlike creature that
Scientists discover an ancient wormlike creature that's the ancestor of all animals - including us

Scientists have discovered a fossil of our earliest ancestor: A tiny, wormlike creature that lived about 555 million years ago.

'You should do what you're capable of doing:' Businesses are stepping up to help amid coronavirus

Countries across the globe are running short of essential supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and some unexpected companies have entered the game in an attempt to spread the wealth.Hand sanitizer has been a rare find for anyone entering retail stores this month, with many people resorting to making

'You are not immune or safe:' Many young Americans aren't taking the coronavirus seriously, says the top US infectious disease expert

"You will play a major role in ultimately containing this infection by not being careless," Dr. Anthony Fauci keeps telling American youth.

The UK may have left it
The UK may have left it 'too late' to impose a coronavirus lockdown and stop millions of people getting COVID-19

The UK may have left if "too late" to impose its national coronavirus lockdown with around a million people likely already infected.

An American in Shanghai says the city isn
An American in Shanghai says the city isn't 'back to normal, but people feel safe again' as China's coronavirus cases drop

Emily Evans still lives in isolation in Shanghai. Her message to Americans: "It's your turn now, but the world has been dealing with this for months."

A week in the life of a doctor in an NYC hospital who is battling the coronavirus on the front lines
A week in the life of a doctor in an NYC hospital who is battling the coronavirus on the front lines

Business Insider spoke with a doctor working in a New York City hospital over a week as the coronavirus pandemic ramped up. Here's what he saw.

Spain
Spain's coronavirus crisis is so uncontrollable that some care-home residents have been abandoned or left dead in their beds and Madrid is using an ice rink as a makeshift morgue

Spain, the second-worst-affected country in Europe, is struggling to contain the coronavirus outbreak and deal with new deaths.

The city of Wuhan will end the world
The city of Wuhan will end the world's harshest coronavirus lockdown after 11 weeks. The world is petrified that the virus will come back.

Experts fear a "boomerang effect," where the coronavirus could reappear due to symptom-less infections and visitors bringing new cases.

Fossil worm shows us our evolutionary beginnings
Fossil worm shows us our evolutionary beginnings

A tiny, 555-million-year-old seafloor creature reveals why our bodies are organised the way they are.

June-like heat, humidity to build across southern US into the weekend
June-like heat, humidity to build across southern US into the weekend

Air conditioners may be getting an early workout across the South this week as temperatures soar to record-challenging levels more typical of June."Temperatures from the southern Plains to the Southeast will average 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal with highs well into the 80s," AccuWeather

New York state plans to treat severe coronavirus patients with a 100-year-old blood therapy, which uses the plasma of recovered patients
New York state plans to treat severe coronavirus patients with a 100-year-old blood therapy, which uses the plasma of recovered patients

The state will treat critically ill patients with convalescent plasma to lessen their symptoms. The therapy dates back to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.

Mammal study explains
Mammal study explains 'why females live longer'

Across wild mammal species, females live over 18% longer than males because of genetics and environment.

Some Americans who rely on 2 drugs to treat their arthritis or lupus can
Some Americans who rely on 2 drugs to treat their arthritis or lupus can't get prescriptions because Trump keeps touting them as potential treatments for the coronavirus

People who need the medication to treat their chronic illness have reported shortages of the medication at pharmacies.

OceanGate chooses Toray CMA to make carbon fiber for its Titanic submersibles
OceanGate chooses Toray CMA to make carbon fiber for its Titanic submersibles

Everett, Wash.-based OceanGate says Toray Composite Materials America is its preferred provider for the carbon fiber material that will be used in the company's next-generation submersibles. Toray CMA is the world's largest supplier of carbon fiber and the leader in providing fibers for numerous

Diet and exercise will keep your brain young – depending on your genes

Following a healthy diet or exercising could impact how your brain ages, but the effects on cognitive skills later in life depend on specific gene variants that not everyone has

Coronavirus: China wildlife trade ban could become law within months

China’s ban on eating and trading wildlife due to the coronavirus crisis could become law within the next three months, according to conservationists

Orangutans and other great apes under threat from covid-19 pandemic

Many great ape species are already in a precarious situation because of their dwindling numbers. Now they may also be at risk from the coronavirus pandemic

Hunt for George Clooney's face explains how stress affects decisions

Being stressed changes the way we make decisions, an experiment that sees people hunt for George Clooney's face while experiencing electric shocks could help explain why

Delaying the COP26 climate talks could have a silver lining

Crucial climate talks due to be held this November have been postponed, but a short delay could give countries time to get better organised - and see Donald Trump replaced with someone who supports a climate deal

Venus may have an underground magma ocean spanning the whole planet

When Earth and Venus formed, they both had global magma oceans deep underground. Earth’s has turned solid by now, but Venus’s may still remain hidden

Coronavirus latest: New York hospitals and morgues overwhelmed

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

How to get the health benefits of nature when you’re stuck inside

Going out into the natural world is good for your health and mind, and you can still get some of the same benefits even when stuck inside, says Graham Lawton

Diets do help you lose weight - but the benefits usually don't last

Atkins, Paleo or Zone – whichever diet you follow, you’ll probably only lose a bit of weight, and improvements to your cholesterol may disappear within a year

Coronavirus latest: US estimates between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

Europe’s cave bears may have died out because of their large sinuses

Plant-eating cave bears vanished when ice spread across Europe – maybe because their large sinuses prevented them chewing meat to adapt to the new conditions

We may now know what our common ancestor with Neanderthals looked like

A prehistoric human species that lived in Europe 1.2 million to 800,000 years ago is emerging as a contender to be our last common ancestor with Neanderthals

Will the spread of covid-19 be affected by changing seasons?

The factors that cause flu to decline in spring might apply to covid-19 too. But we don’t know yet if warm weather can curb the spread of the coronavirus

Microrobots made from pollen help remove toxic mercury from wastewater

Pollen has a natural tendency to adsorb mercury and forms the basis of a new class of tiny robots that speed through toxic water to purify it

Tiny bird-like dinosaur discovered in amber might actually be a lizard

A 99-million-year-old skull recently discovered in amber might actually belong to a lizard, rather than a tiny bird-like dinosaur as first thought

The hunt for patient zero: Where did the coronavirus outbreak start?

Growing evidence suggests the covid-19 outbreak may not have started at Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Market in December after all. Finding its origins may help us stop it happening again

Male bottlenose dolphins synchronise their calls to attract females

Bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia form alliances and coordinate the timing of their clicking noises to attract females and deter other males

We now know what causes wine ‘legs’ to drip down inside a glass

Wine tears – the drops that form inside a glass after wine is swirled in a glass – are caused by the formation of an unstable shock wave

Covid-19 has caused a drop in emissions – but it’s not a climate fix

The new coronavirus has led to a drastic reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, but no credible environmentalists say the response to the pandemic is a solution to climate change

World’s most essential open-source code to be stored in Arctic vault

Inside a mountain in the Arctic, Microsoft is building a backup of open-source software that it says will keep the code safe for 1000 years

Sharks are easier to catch in cooler waters, and we have no idea why

Tropical seas are ecological hotspots where predators should be active and easy to catch – but 50 years of data shows sharks are easier to catch in cooler seas

Rock peeling off continents may have triggered biggest mass extinction

The Permian extinction, which wiped out almost all complex life, may have been caused by the undersides of continents slipping off into Earth’s interior

New York City’s coronavirus outbreak is already overwhelming hospitals

New York City is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the US and hospitals are already struggling to treat everyone with covid-19, though the outbreak may not peak for three weeks

Coronavirus latest: British Airways suspends all flights at Gatwick

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

Blood test shows promise for detecting the deadliest cancers early

A blood test developed and checked using blood samples from 4000 people can accurately detect more than 50 cancer types

Pluto formed quickly with a deep ocean covering its entire surface

Pluto’s ancient oceans may have come about just after the icy world was born, melting from ice in a process that suggests the dwarf planet took just 30,000 years to form

Coronavirus latest: Interventions 'saved 59,000 lives' in 11 countries

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

Mind-reading AI turns thoughts into words using a brain implant

Four women already using a brain implant for their epilepsy have been able to turn their thoughts into words with the help of a mind-reading artificial intelligence

Mars may have had hot springs millions of years ago

The more we look at Mars, the more signs of ancient water we find. Now a study suggests that the Red Planet could have been home to hot springs

Soya protein can help make lab-grown beef with the texture of meat

Lab-grown ‘meat’ often uses gelatin produced in slaughterhouses to give artificial beef a meat-like texture – but substituting soya protein can achieve that without killing animals

Greta: We must fight the climate crisis and pandemic simultaneously

In an exclusive interview, climate activist Greta Thunberg has told New Scientist that the coronavirus pandemic shows we can act quickly in an emergency

Coronavirus latest news: US overtakes China with most confirmed cases

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

Will a home antibody test for covid-19 really be a game changer?

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has said a mass-produced antibody test for covid-19 that can be done at home will be a game changer - but this type of test has limitations

The coronavirus pandemic could make weather forecasts less accurate

Meteorologists rely on a steady stream of weather data collected by planes to produce accurate forecasts, but most commercial flights have been grounded to slow the spread of the coronavirus

UK science advisers expect coronavirus epidemic to peak within a month

The peak of the UK coronavirus epidemic now looks likely to arrive within the next month, according to analysis by the government’s science advisers.

Does a high viral load or infectious dose make covid-19 worse?

Does being exposed to more virus particles mean you’ll develop more severe illness? Data suggests the relationship between infection and severity may be complex

Which covid-19 patients will get a ventilator if there's a shortage?

If there's a ventilator shortage, doctors and ethicists say priority should be given to people with the best chance of recovery and most years likely left to live

Neanderthals feasted on seafood and nuts according to fossil remains

The fossilised remains of the food found in one of the few remaining coastal Neanderthal sites in Europe show they ate plenty of seafood, fish and nuts

Hepatitis C infection rates are being cut by testing and treatment

The infection is being eliminated as a public health threat by countries that introduce widespread testing and treatment for those at risk, and it seems to be working

Warming oceans are causing marine life to shift towards the poles

Climate change is leading to lower numbers of marine life towards the equator – including mammals, birds, fish and plankton – while populations nearer the poles increase

Velociraptor relative had a much stronger grip than its cousins

A new dinosaur species related to velociraptors has been found in New Mexico, and its claws were larger and stronger than average

Dino-killing asteroid choked whole world in dust within a few hours

When a large asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago, it sent huge curtains of dust flying tens of kilometres up into the air that quickly covered the planet

There are constructive steps we can all take to fight the coronavirus

The new coronavirus is upending our lives, but simple actions can slow its spread, help our neighbours, foster a sense of togetherness and rejuvenate our immune systems

Coronavirus latest news: Economic impact of pandemic 'worse than 2008'

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

We still don't understand a basic fact about the universe

Our measurements of the Hubble constant can't seem to come up with a consistent answer. What we learn next may alter our view of the cosmos, writes Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

How long does coronavirus stay on surfaces and can they infect you?

The coronavirus has been found to stick to surfaces for days – but you’re more likely to catch it when close to infected people, or possibly through plumbing and ventilation systems

How does coronavirus testing work and will we have a home test soon?

Scaling up testing for the covid-19 coronavirus has been difficult in some countries, and some tests are more accurate than others, which could make it harder to slow the spread

Spring-powered shoes could help us run more than 50 per cent faster

A spring-powered exoskeleton that minimises the amount of energy our legs lose when running could help boost human running speeds by more than 50 per cent

Farming and art arose in New Guinea at same time as Europe and Asia

New archaeological finds show that New Guinea developed sophisticated cultural practices around the same time as they were emerging in Europe and Asia

Eating too much salt seems to impair body's ability to fight bacteria

High salt intake seems to impair the immune cells in humans that fight bacteria because of a side effect of the hormones that help get rid of salt

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