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Climate change: Four things you can do to help fight climate change
Climate change: Four things you can do to help fight climate change

Small changes to our lifestyles and choices could limit our personal carbon footprint.

The African tech firm hoping to power space missions
The African tech firm hoping to power space missions

Hypernova hopes that its thruster technology will be adopted on thousands of future small satellites.

Climate change: Sir David Attenborough in
Climate change: Sir David Attenborough in 'act now' warning

"If we don't act now, it'll be too late," warns Sir David Attenborough ahead of COP26 climate summit.

Signs of first planet found outside our galaxy
Signs of first planet found outside our galaxy

Astronomers have found hints of what could be the first planet ever to be discovered outside our galaxy.

Blue Origin unveils plans for commercial space station
Blue Origin unveils plans for commercial space station

The privately-funded outpost will provide a destination in orbit after the International Space Station is retired.

Blue Origin teams up with Sierra Space, Boeing and others on
Blue Origin teams up with Sierra Space, Boeing and others on 'Orbital Reef' space station project

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space venture is joining forces with Colorado-based Sierra Space and a host of other partners, including Boeing, to propose building ...

Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin unveils plans for Orbital Reef, a 'business park' in outer space

Take a look at Blue Origin's sketches for a space station that could house a crew of 10 people, as well as lease space for business and tourism.

Where does recycling and rubbish from the UK go?
Where does recycling and rubbish from the UK go?

As Boris Johnson says we have to cut our use of plastic, where does our recycling and rubbish go?

Climate change: Greenhouse gas build-up reached new high in 2020
Climate change: Greenhouse gas build-up reached new high in 2020

Despite the pandemic, atmospheric levels of CO2 and methane once more broke records last year.

Climate change quiz: Test your knowledge of how to reduce emissions
Climate change quiz: Test your knowledge of how to reduce emissions

How much do you know about the steps you could take to help curb climate change?

Millions of second-hand or used nitrile gloves came into the US as scammers took advantage of demand during the pandemic: CNN
Millions of second-hand or used nitrile gloves came into the US as scammers took advantage of demand during the pandemic: CNN

A US company informed the FDA and CBP in February and March that they got a shipment of used and tainted nitrile gloves from a Thai-based company.

Climate change: How do we know it is happening and caused by humans?
Climate change: How do we know it is happening and caused by humans?

What's the evidence for global warming and how do we know it's being caused by human activity?

Climate change: The environmental disasters we
Climate change: The environmental disasters we've almost fixed

From acid rain to the ozone hole: Can we learn from the environmental "success stories" of the past?

An astronomer at Japan
An astronomer at Japan's space agency is making simple animations that reveal the surprising physics of the solar system

As a scientist at both NASA and JAXA, James O'Donoghue has studied the planets. In his free time, he makes award-winning animations of them.

'Beautiful' 900-year-old Crusader sword discovered by diver off the coast of Israel

An unsuspecting diver spotted the treasure while on a scuba dive in the Meditteranean Sea near the port city of Haifa.

New infant planet discovered by researchers in Hawaii
New infant planet discovered by researchers in Hawaii

The baby planet burns at the same temperature as the lava erupting from Kīlauea Volcano in Hawaii.

Greta Thunberg:
Greta Thunberg: 'We need public pressure, not just summits'

The climate activist speaks to the BBC about the COP26 conference, emissions targets and rickrolling.

NASA
NASA's uncrewed Artemis moon mission is due to launch in February, following delays caused by the pandemic and Hurricane Ida

Artemis 1, which is due to launch early next year, would be the first step in NASA's long-term plan to return people to the moon.

A 193-million-year old nesting ground with more than 100 dinosaur eggs offers evidence they lived in herds
A 193-million-year old nesting ground with more than 100 dinosaur eggs offers evidence they lived in herds

Paleontologists found 100 eggs and 80 skeletons from a dinosaur called Mussaurus at a site in Patagonia, suggesting the animals lived in groups.

Electric Zambonis, rainwater for ice at new climate-friendly Seattle arena
Electric Zambonis, rainwater for ice at new climate-friendly Seattle arena

Seattle's new Climate Pledge Arena is hardly subtle with its message.

Norfolk sand: Has a colossal experiment worked?
Norfolk sand: Has a colossal experiment worked?

Millions of tonnes of sand were shifted to part of the Norfolk coast - have they held back the sea?

Mockups of NASA
Mockups of NASA's newest Mars rover and helicopter will kick off a road trip in Seattle

Seattle's Museum of Flight says it'll serve as the first stop on a road trip for NASA's full-scale replicas of the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity...

Climate change disrupting natural cycles at drier Lake Tahoe
Climate change disrupting natural cycles at drier Lake Tahoe

Drought fueled by climate change has dropped Lake Tahoe below its natural rim and halted flows into the Truckee River, an historically cyclical event that's ...

Vikings beat Columbus across the Atlantic by 470 years. Astrophysics and tree rings helped scientists nail down the timeline.
Vikings beat Columbus across the Atlantic by 470 years. Astrophysics and tree rings helped scientists nail down the timeline.

Thanks to tree-ring dating and astrophysics, scientists have pinpointed the precise year the Vikings inhabited Newfoundland.

All the differences between COVID-19 vaccines, summarized in a simple table
All the differences between COVID-19 vaccines, summarized in a simple table

This table shows the important differences between COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca.

Here
Here's how climate change is hurting your health

"There is no safe global temperature rise from a health perspective," a new report says, "and additional warming will affect every U.S. region."

James Balog
James Balog's photos chronicle climate change - "The Takeout"

On "The Takeout" podcast this week, nature photographer James Balog confronts climate skeptics with his photographic evidence of climate change.

Amid air quality concerns, districts embrace electric buses
Amid air quality concerns, districts embrace electric buses

For several years, the Miami-Dade County Pubic Schools had toyed with replacing some of its 1,000 diesel buses with cleaner electric vehicles. Two years on,...

La Niña expected to bring warmer-than-average winter to parts of U.S.
La Niña expected to bring warmer-than-average winter to parts of U.S.

This winter may be warmer and drier than usual for some parts of the U.S., the NOAA said.

Contrails: How tweaking flight plans can help the climate
Contrails: How tweaking flight plans can help the climate

Why experts say cutting contrails costs less than $1bn a year but may be worth so much more.

Number of poor Asian Americans in N.Y.C. area up 15 percent in 10 years, study says
Number of poor Asian Americans in N.Y.C. area up 15 percent in 10 years, study says

Asian American poverty in the new york metro area

Why no tusks? Poaching tips scales of elephant evolution
Why no tusks? Poaching tips scales of elephant evolution

A hefty set of tusks is usually an advantage for elephants, allowing them to dig for water, strip bark for food and joust with other elephants. Now...

Female African elephants evolved toward being tuskless over just a few decades as poachers sought ivory
Female African elephants evolved toward being tuskless over just a few decades as poachers sought ivory

During the civil war in Mozambique, armies hunted African elephants for ivory. That poaching led to an uptick in the number of tuskless animals born.

China brought the first moon rocks back to Earth in 45 years. They hint at mysterious volcanic eruptions.
China brought the first moon rocks back to Earth in 45 years. They hint at mysterious volcanic eruptions.

China brought the first moon samples to Earth since 1976. They're lava remnants from a mysterious volcanic eruption 2 billion years ago.

How the
How the 'Dune' science-fiction saga parallels the real science of Oregon's dunes

The deserts of Abu Dhabi and Jordan play starring roles in the blockbuster sci-fi movie "Dune," which premieres this week in theaters and on HBO Max - but...

There
There's an ideal window to get your flu shot for the best protection: late October or the first week of November

Your flu shot becomes less effective month over month after you get it, and flu cases usually peak between December and March.

Orion: Nasa
Orion: Nasa's Moon-ship is attached to SLS megarocket

Nasa's next-generation spaceship is attached to the rocket that will launch it to the Moon.

How
How 'mix and match' COVID-19 booster shots work, and why we're using them

The FDA has approved mix-and-match boosters, allowing fully vaccinated people to get an extra dose of a different COVID-19 vaccine. Here's why.

Vikings landed in North America 471 years before Columbus
Vikings landed in North America 471 years before Columbus

A solar storm and chopped wood proved that Vikings were present in Newfoundland, Canada in 1021 AD.

Prolonged grief disorder recognized as official diagnosis. Here
Prolonged grief disorder recognized as official diagnosis. Here's what to know about chronic mourning.

With the United States surpassing 727,000 deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, millions have been left grieving the losses of their...

South Korea has partial success with 1st launch into the space race
South Korea has partial success with 1st launch into the space race

The country successfully launched a home-grown rocket for the 1st time, but the payload, a dummy satellite, failed to make it into orbit.

Pfizer says its booster shot has 95.6% efficacy against COVID-19 amid the Delta variant
Pfizer says its booster shot has 95.6% efficacy against COVID-19 amid the Delta variant

The results came from Pfizer's late stage COVID-19 booster trial. The results haven't yet been formally published or scrutinized by other experts.

Extreme heat is scorching fast-growing cities and it could be deadly, study finds
Extreme heat is scorching fast-growing cities and it could be deadly, study finds

The risk of extreme heat is a rising threat to fast-growing cities around the world.

The amount of coastal water that can harbor harmful Vibrio bacteria has spiked 56%. One species is flesh-eating.
The amount of coastal water that can harbor harmful Vibrio bacteria has spiked 56%. One species is flesh-eating.

There's been a 56% increase in the coastal waters where bacteria that can cause severe infections thrive, according to a new report.

Inaction on climate change imperils millions of lives, doctors say
Inaction on climate change imperils millions of lives, doctors say

Climate change is set to become the "defining narrative of human health," a top medical journal warned Wednesday - triggering food shortages, deadly...

Reports: Health problems tied to global warming on the rise
Reports: Health problems tied to global warming on the rise

Health problems tied to climate change are all getting worse, according to two reports published Wednesday. The annual reports commissioned by the medical...

Fossil stuck in 100 million-year-old amber is oldest "true crab" ever discovered
Fossil stuck in 100 million-year-old amber is oldest "true crab" ever discovered

The tiny crab bridges an evolutionary gap that stumped scientists for years.

Climate change is skewing economic data - and the stakes are high for economists to get it right
Climate change is skewing economic data - and the stakes are high for economists to get it right

"What we can assume, reasonably, is that climate change is impacting business operations," said one economist.

TotalEnergies accused of downplaying climate risks
TotalEnergies accused of downplaying climate risks

Research says oil giant TotalEnergies linked fossil fuels and global warming in 1971.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks this week, but a Hunter
The Orionid meteor shower peaks this week, but a Hunter's Moon will make shooting stars harder to spot

The Orionids appear when Earth travels through debris from Halley's Comet. But the full moon will likely scuttle skywatchers this year.

Hundreds of ancient ceremonial sites found in southern Mexico

Researchers have uncovered 478 ceremonial sites that were probably built by the Olmec and the Maya thousands of years ago

Haunting lemur songs have a rhythm similar to human music

Human music often has a natural rhythm to it, and the roots of that rhythm might stretch back to the ancestors we shared with indris, a type of lemur

Promising radio signal isn’t aliens, just human-generated interference

The Breakthrough Listen project detected radio waves that seemed to be the best candidate yet for an alien signal, but it turns out it was just human technology

El Salvador's bitcoin adoption hit by an easy money-making loophole

El Salvador recently became the first country in the world to make bitcoin legal tender, but traders have been exploiting the state issued bitcoin "wallet app" to make a quick profit

What to expect from the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

The COP26 climate summit will be held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November and will include more than 100 heads of state, who will hash out timetables to limit carbon emissions and address other issues such as adaptations to climate change

Arctic wildfires threatening North America’s black spruce trees

The black spruce is a common species in North American boreal forests and it needs wildfires to survive, but the blazes are now so frequent that the spruces are struggling

AI can turn a collection of 2D images into an explorable 3D world

A neural network can turn a selection of photographs of a scene into a 3D world that can then be viewed from any angle, and could eventually be used in the movie industry

Glass flask catalysed famous Miller-Urey origin-of-life experiment

The Miller-Urey experiment showed how precursor molecules for life can be generated from simple chemicals – now we know the glass flask holding the mixture catalysed the reaction

Covid-19 news: Javid hints at mandatory vaccines for NHS staff

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

‘It’s anarchic’: Ed Miliband on what COP climate talks are really like

Ed Miliband was the UK’s climate minister at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009. He talks to Adam Vaughan about the anarchy that ensues during such big events ahead of COP26

'It's anarchic': Ed Miliband on the reality of climate talk like COP26

Ed Miliband was the UK’s climate minister at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009. He talks to Adam Vaughan about the anarchy that ensues during such big events ahead of COP26

How much less likely are you to spread covid-19 if you're vaccinated?

Vaccination still greatly reduces the risk of infecting others despite the arrival of the delta variant, recent studies show

Astronomers left puzzled by the dimmest supernova ever seen

The dimmest supernova ever spotted is at least 100 times fainter than a normal explosion of its type, and astronomers aren’t sure why

Covid-19 news: Pfizer trial finds booster vaccine over 95% effective

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

AI can change a fashion model’s pose and alter their clothes to match

The technology used to create deepfake videos has been applied to fashion models, and can put them in a pose they never actually stood in

Children born without key immune cells saved with engineered organ

Children who would normally have died because they lack an important immune organ can now survive thanks to a special thigh implant that produces immune cells

Saturn’s moon Titan may be doomed to fly away or smash into the planet

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is slowly migrating away from the planet, which is tilting Saturn onto its side and may eventually doom the moon to orbital chaos

Gun violence rose 30 per cent in the US during the covid-19 pandemic

Gun violence rose overall in the US during the covid-19 pandemic. The highest increase was seen in Minnesota, while Alaska had a dip in gun violence cases

How Finland plans to create a circular bioeconomy that runs on wood

Finland wants to make everything from ceramics to medical devices and even satellites from wood, helping it to hit carbon neutrality by 2035

Dinosaurs lived in herds 40 million years earlier than we thought

We thought large plant-eating dinosaurs began to herd about 150 million years ago, but now we know the behaviour goes back at least 193 million years

Lab-grown human mini-brains kept alive for a year by slicing them up

Human mini-brains grown in the lab soon die because oxygen and nutrients can’t penetrate to their core, but if they are sliced thinly they survive for a year

Sperm quality has been declining for 16 years among men in the US

Data from 170,000 semen analyses performed in the US between 2005 and 2021 reveals a worrying decline in sperm quality

Female African elephants evolved to lose tusks due to ivory poaching

Poaching in Mozambique triggered female elephants in the country to evolve and lose their tusks – but the genetic mutations that cause tusk loss seem to be lethal to male elephants

COP26: A moment for the world to truly confront the climate emergency

The international climate summit in the UK is a big moment in the fight against global warming. In the spirit of optimism, we look forward to a successful outcome

Why hope and optimism are crucial for fighting climate change

Doom-filled facts will never be enough to tackle climate change. Here is why hope is more important than ever, writes Katharine Hayhoe

Should everyone have their own personal carbon budget?

Personal carbon allowances were once deemed to be too far ahead of the curve, but the time may finally be right for a revival, writes Graham Lawton

We now know Vikings were in the Americas exactly 1000 years ago

Ancient wooden artefacts from Newfoundland cut using Viking tools have been dated to AD 1021, telling us that Vikings were in the Americas exactly 1000 years ago

Watch a wooden knife that is sharper than steel cut through steak

Wood knives sharpened to be three times sharper than steel require less energy to produce than standard tableware

We've found the time and place that horses were first domesticated

The domestication of horses revolutionised transport and warfare, and we finally know when and where it happened

Microplastics in the air have a small cooling effect on our climate

Microplastics pollute the air, and now there’s evidence that they have a cooling effect on climate - although it’s far smaller than the cooling effect of other particulates

99-million-year-old crab discovered trapped inside amber

A 99-million-year-old crab trapped in amber might show us when the shelled animals moved into freshwater

Quick saliva test can reveal cannabis use over the past 12 hours

A sample of saliva placed on a strip and analysed with a smartphone camera can reveal if a person has ingested cannabis in the last 12 hours

UK net zero strategy under fire for failure to show carbon savings

The UK's net zero strategy does not detail any of the anticipated emissions savings that will stem from action on homes, transport, industry and more

Extinct Japanese wolf is the closest wild relative of dogs yet found

The extinct Japanese wolf is not the direct ancestor of dogs but its DNA shows it is more closely related to those ancestors than any other wolves yet found

Covid-19 news: No 10 warns of ‘challenging’ months ahead for UK

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

UK university climate targets strongly criticised for lack of ambition

A group of 140 UK universities says it will cut its carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 and hit net zero by 2050, but critics say these targets don't go far enough, particularly on international travel

Impaled turtle reveals new insight on the day the dinosaurs died

A controversial fossil site claimed to preserve a scene of destruction from the day the dinosaurs died seems to show the even happened in spring there and led to a turtle being impaled on a branch

Nearly every person in Iran seems to have had covid-19 at least once

Strap: An analysis of covid-19 infections among Iranian people casts further doubt on the idea that herd immunity can be achieved without vaccination

UK plans £5000 grants for heat pumps ahead of gas boiler ban in 2035

Under the UK’s long-delayed Heat and Buildings Strategy, households in England and Wales will be encouraged to shift from gas boilers to heat pumps

IVF embryos discarded as 'abnormal' can actually become healthy babies

One in four embryos made via IVF contain some seemingly abnormal cells and are typically considered too risky to use, but new research shows they are just as viable

Microsoft and Nvidia build largest ever AI to mimic human language

An artificial intelligence with more than 530 billion parameters - the largest ever - has achieved record scores at understanding human language

This koala was first to be vaccinated against chlamydia in new trial

Shano was the first of 200 koalas to receive a chlamydia vaccine that may help curb an epidemic that is ravaging koala populations across Australia

Covid-19 news: Valneva reports positive results from vaccine trial

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

Self-healing plastic repairs itself in 10 seconds even under water

A new type of strong, flexible self-healing plastic can repair itself rapidly, even in salty or acidic water, which may be useful for divers or underwater pipes

Climate change could slow recovery of southern right whales

Extreme El Niño weather events caused by climate change could slow the recovery of southern right whale populations

Your unique pattern of brain activity can be spotted in 100 seconds

Everyone has a unique pattern of brain activity and it can be spotted after just 100 seconds inside a brain scanner

Contraceptive pill may reduce polycystic ovary syndrome diabetes risk

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who take the contraceptive pill have three-quarters of the diabetes risk as those with PCOS who don’t

Covid-19 news: UK lab may have given 43,000 false PCR test results

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

Arid meteor shower makes new appearance in southern hemisphere skies

A meteor shower called the Arids has appeared in southern hemisphere skies, as predicted by astronomers

Venomous viper species from the Tibetan plateau discovered in museum

A DNA analysis of museum snake specimens has revealed two previously unrecognised species of Asian pit viper, both from the eastern Tibetan plateau

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