New Scientist – News

A wireless contact lens that monitors eye pressure and delivers glaucoma drugs on demand has been tested in animals

A study looking at more than 55,000 pairs of words has found why word pairings like “gnome bone” and “spam scrotum” seem to be more amusing than their constituent parts

Quantum-encrypted messages sent through cables over long distances are sensitive to tiny vibrations, suggesting a possible by-product of a future secure network

Simulations of more than 140,000 possible planetary systems show that pairs of giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn may make their star systems more hospitable to habitable Earth-like worlds

As demand for crops grows, the pollination services provided by the honeybees managed by beekeepers are becoming increasingly insufficient

The value of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has plummeted in recent weeks, but the computer power devoted to the industry continues to rise

Detailed analysis of mosquito bites in the Central African Republic found that, contrary to assumptions, many occur indoors during the daytime when people are not well protected by traditional anti-malaria defences

New varieties of South American darter fish were documented in Brazil’s Apuí region. But deforestation in the area means they may soon be extinct

An AI was designed to predict when people are at risk of having a mental health crisis, based on their health records, but plans to extend the project with mobile phone data seem to have been scrapped

Poorly supported assumptions about typical levels of lung function among Black men in the US are leading medics to miss cases of emphysema

Epithelial cells in the gut remain active in mice even after an irritant clears, which may be the source of chronic gut pain associated with irritable bowel syndrome

E-cigarettes may be more effective than nicotine patches as a tool for quitting smoking during pregnancy, suggests a UK study

Since 7 May, the UK Health Security Agency has announced three cases of monkeypox, two of which required hospital care

A regular round-up of the latest coronavirus news, plus insight, features and interviews from New Scientist about the covid-19 pandemic

In Glasgow, 196 countries promised to “revisit and strengthen” their plans for curbing emissions, but there is little sign of this happening before the next talks in November

Beautiful floating organisms called neuston are gathered up by the same ocean currents as plastic pollution, and they may be endangered by clean-up efforts

Ending abortion protections in the US could start the unravelling of many hard-won rights – with dire consequences for health and equality

The new-to-science Chiriquí fire salamander was found by a Panamanian team that has been investigating one of the least-explored regions of Central America

A supersolid is an exotic state of matter that behaves like both a solid and a fluid. It was first predicted 60 years ago, but has only recently been created in the lab

The gel, which was implanted alongside a pancreatic cell transplant in monkeys with type 1 diabetes, releases a protein that kills overactive immune cells, preventing the pancreatic cells from being rejected

Brewers could create new recipes that produce beers with desired properties using AI, and it will even work if you are missing some ingredients

A sweater containing tubes filled with a liquid metal alloy can charge up wearable electronic devices

Neither ARIA’s chief executive nor its chair have been appointed yet, though announcements are expected imminently

E. coli bacteria modified to act like electronic components called memristors can be set up to act as a simple neural network and trained to play noughts and crosses

A seminal research lab that has revolutionised our understanding of the minds of rooks and jays is set to be closed down as funding dries up

Neuroscientists measured 75 volunteers’ physiological responses while they watched eight countries’ performances to predict which songs will do well in the popular vote

Now that the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration has released its image of the Milky Way’s black hole, the team is focusing on making movies of the two photographed black holes and finding other distant black holes large enough to study

State laws could restrict abortion in large parts of the US, and other reproductive healthcare offerings may be at stake if Roe v Wade is overturned

When dropped upside down, dragonflies rapidly flip 180 degrees by changing the angle of their wings – but only if they can see their surroundings

Thale cress plants have been grown in regolith, the fine dust that covers the moon’s surface, using samples from Apollo missions – but they turn out small and stunted

Tiny cilia on coral reef polyps coordinate to generate currents that run across the reef surface, perhaps to carry food to all colony members

After mating, female octopuses increase production of a steroid hormone, which may drive them to starve themselves while guarding their eggs

The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration has released the first picture of our galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, and it’s just as predicted

Television often portrays researchers as lab coat-wearing weirdos who hate social interactions, but the name of the game is collaboration plus hoodies. We need to get better at showing the public what we do, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Matabele ants (Megaponera analis) in sub-Saharan Africa apply an antimicrobial substance to nestmates whose limbs are lost while raiding termite nests

A meta-analysis of studies involving 9000 people suggests those who receive a flu vaccine also gain some protection against heart attacks

When Australian animals such as platypuses and wombats are described as bizarre or primitive, it makes it harder to protect these incredible, highly adapted species, says Jack Ashby

Blue-green algae, a type of cyanobacteria, set in a container on a windowsill powered a computer continuously for six months using photosynthesis

The Research Excellence Framework, an assessment of UK universities’ research output, has found that “world-leading” research is distributed across the country rather than concentrated in a few elite institutions

Cross-government support for the 25-year environment plan lacks the gravitas or urgency of the UK’s net zero goal, says the Office for Environmental Protection

Adding invisible tags to 3D printed objects could link the objects to information or turn them into controllers for gaming

Chameleons introduced to Hawaii in 1972 have started flaunting brighter colours, probably because they have fewer predators to hide from

There may have been liquid water on Mars much more recently than we thought, according to an analysis of rocks by China’s Zhurong rover

Two drugs called dexamethasone and diclofenac relieve pain in the short term but may block healing of the injury and so cause worse pain long term

A US body in charge of choosing new encryption algorithms that can withstand quantum computers has delayed announcing them due to undisclosed legal reasons, while a team at Google is calling for an immediate switch

The shape of a city can influence the amount of rainfall it gets, because circular cities are better at mixing air fronts together

A mask that can make it easier or harder to breathe by controlling your air supply adds more realism to virtual reality

A type of Streptomyces bacterium that lives in soil forms multicellular structures in which some bacterial cells have specialised roles, like the cells of complex organisms – and a computer model suggests how this phenomenon evolved

The area cleared in April almost doubled, from 579 square kilometres in April last year to 1012 square kilometres, despite a pledge to halt deforestation

Genetic analysis has previously hinted that there are several species of Amazon river dolphin, and now differences in skull shape have added to the evidence

Neutrinos from the early universe have never been detected directly but a device that uses the atom-thick material graphene might be able to change that

Pre-pubescent children who become infertile because of cancer treatment may be able to make sperm after reimplanting frozen testicular tissue, if animal research translates to humans

A thought experiment called Maxwell’s demon, long hypothesised to break the laws of physics, could be made using simple electronic devices at macroscopic scales – without upsetting the laws of thermodynamics

Viruses sequenced from century-old lung samples in German and Austrian museums have shed light on how flu can change over time

India is no stranger to high temperatures but they don’t normally occur in March and April, when many people aren’t used to dealing with extreme heat

A controller called the AirRacket shoots out a burst of compressed air to produce strong forces similar to those produced when striking a ball

Backed by Alphabet and Meta, Frontier is a $925 million approach borrowed from vaccine creation that hopes to boost embryonic companies taking carbon out of the atmosphere

Camera traps in Slovenia have recorded golden jackals eating deer recently killed by Eurasian lynx in the first sign of conflict between these carnivores

Temporarily passing the threshold does not mean the world has missed the Paris Agreement’s goal, but it shows we are getting very close

Some period-tracking apps share data with third parties. With the potential rolling back of abortion protections in the US, people are reassessing if the data collected by these apps could be used as evidence against them

A chemical computer can now be programmed to solve concrete problems. The way it performs calculations is closer to a brain than a traditional computer so may help researchers to better understand how brains work

A sufficiently advanced alien civilisation would be able to arrange the orbits of the planets in its star system in a pattern that could never form naturally, signaling its existence to others

For the first time, researchers have recorded mammals mimicking the sounds of stinging insects as a survival mechanism: mouse-eared bats buzzing to keep barn and tawny owls at bay

Since omicron became the dominant coronavirus variant, reinfections are on the rise – but it is unclear how long people can expect to be protected between bouts of covid-19

The Central African Republic has become the second country to adopt the cryptocurrency as legal tender, but experiences in El Salvador, the first nation to do so, point to a gloomy outlook

Without investigating all the possible health impacts from the pandemic, we will remain at risk of further nasty ambushes like the hepatitis outbreak in children

People from societally advantaged groups think equality-promoting policies will affect them negatively, even if they would actually benefit

A new estimate by the World Health Organization suggests that deaths from the pandemic are much higher than official figures – but that is because these figures are unreliable in many places

Viral infection may explain why a pig’s heart failed months after being transplanted in a ground-breaking surgery

The award-winning primatologist says the war in Ukriane is preoccupying her and she is losing sleep over the “horrific” conflict

People using virtual reality at work could use a new system to capture what happens around them and play back a 3D reconstruction later

Laser beams normally take the shape of a dot, but by manipulating light with liquid crystals, researchers have bent one into the shape of a photo of a cat

When enticed by the smell of buttered popcorn, food-deprived nematodes are more willing to cross a toxic copper barrier to reach the smell of a snack compared to their well-fed counterparts

The 10 remaining vaquitas have enough genetic diversity to rebuild their species, but only if there is a dramatic reduction of illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of California

Ice streams in Antarctica carry ice from the continent’s centre to the ocean, and there appears to be a huge amount of water buried beneath one, which may affect its flow

High-tech genetic sequencing has found the brain cells connected to the movement disorder, which could lead to new treatments

Lunar soil collected by the Chang’e 5 rover has been analysed, revealing it could be used to help generate oxygen and fuel on the moon

Taking anti-vaccine arguments to the extreme makes unvaccinated people in the US – but not the UK – more likely to say they will get covid-19 shots

A technique borrowed from ancient “magic mirrors” uses liquid crystals to conceal images from all but the exactly the right kind of light

It may soon be possible to diagnose people with aphantasia, the inability to picture images in their head, using a simple test

Outlawing adverts that push high-carbon products such as SUVs would be a simple win for regulators looking to take climate action, says Andrew Simms

The jab could ward off Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever and is increasingly being linked to multiple sclerosis, lymphoma and stomach cancer

People who had weekly injections of a drug that mimics natural appetite-suppressing hormones lost 22.5 per cent of their body weight on average

The rise in demand for exotic houseplants is damaging the environment. We need to make sure our gardening is green, writes Beronda L. Montgomery

Citizen science survey finds decline in insect ‘splats per mile’ was 65% England, 55% in Wales and lowest in Scotland, at 27.9%

Clouds of foam containing toxic chemicals are floating through a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Bogotá, and residents say they it is making them sick

A survey suggests only one in 20 people aged 19 to 64 are meeting England’s strictest weekly strength exercising guidelines  

Compared with capturing the CO2 released by burning bioenergy crops, planting forests will lock away more carbon while also causing much less water stress and pollution

Two of the world’s five most extreme heatwaves occurred in the US, with the others in South-East Asia, Brazil and Peru

A new navigation system for drones reduces the processing power needed to avoid obstacles, even in tricky environments like forests

Even a modest shift from ruminant meat to microbial proteins could cut deforestation and carbon emissions 56 per cent by 2050

A large body of evidence shows that restricting access to abortion doesn’t reduce the number of abortions, only increases the risk of death for those who need them

Billionaire who recently flew to orbit says that we should have big ambitions for the near future of space travel

Some manakin males court females with elaborate aerial routines – and in these species, males have evolved to be more lightweight for extra agility

Since we split from chimpanzees, a single letter change in our DNA appears to have made us more likely to get cancer, possibly as a trade-off for extra fertility

The AI algorithms used in business are often built by third-party companies, which means it is theoretically possible for rogue workers at the firms to insert undetectable backdoors into the AI

In a world first, Rocket Lab caught its Electron rocket as it fell from space, using a hook mounted on a helicopter, but then had to let it go

A device that uses electrodes to stimulate points on the neck can force a wearer to turn their head – which could be used to direct attention in virtual reality environments

A fossilised leg bone found in Japan belonged to a prehistoric swan species with adaptations similar to several other water birds, including a duck-like bill and the feet of a loon

Huge networks of interconnected telescopes may run into image-sharpening problems that classical physics can’t handle. Accounting for the quantum properties of starlight could allow astronomers to get past these constraints