Will burying dead trees after a wildfire keep their carbon locked up?
Partially burnt trees still standing after a wildfire are typically felled and burned, but a US start-up claims burying them instead will trap the carbon underground for centuries
Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery
Muscle stem cells, which are crucial for building new muscle, don’t work as well as we get older, but giving them an artificial boost could rejuvenate them
3 things you need to know about quantum computers, from an expert
What use is a quantum computer? Perhaps both more and less than you think, according to quantum computing expert Shayan Majidy
Melting of Greenland ice sheet could release large stores of methane
Seismic surveys and sediment cores suggest that dozens of deep pockmarks on the sea floor were created when Arctic methane stores were disrupted by climate change after the last glacial maximum – and scientists warn it could happen again
Suzanne Simard on the wood wide web, connectedness – and Avatar
Rowan Hooper met ecologist Suzanne Simard under an oak tree in Kew Gardens, London, to talk about her new book, criticism of her work, and getting a call from James Cameron's people
Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth
A Neanderthal tooth shows clear signs of human intervention to treat bacterial decay, showing that the earliest dentistry began at least 59,000 years ago
Arctic fires are releasing carbon stored for thousands of years
A study of soils around the Arctic and boreal forests has found that some wildfires are releasing carbon stored over millennia, meaning higher CO2 emissions than assumed
Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth
Asteroid 2026JH2 has enough mass to wipe out a city and will zoom past Earth next week
Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum
After a career spent grappling with the neural underpinnings of autism, Uta Frith is unwavering in her controversial call to scrap our current view of the condition and start again
Ancient teeth hint at links between Denisovans and Homo erectus
Six teeth roughly 400,000 years old have yielded some of the first ancient proteins thought to belong to Homo erectus, providing molecular clues to their relationships with other hominins
Natural sunscreen found in fish eggs can be made by E. coli factories
Genetically altered bacteria can synthesise gadusol, a naturally occurring compound found in zebrafish eggs that could be developed as an alternative to existing sunscreen products that can harm marine life
New rules confirm public has a right to see how UK government uses AI
Government departments and other public bodies in the UK must consider requests to release information about AI-produced content, regulators have confirmed. The move follows a successful request by New Scientist for the release of a minister's ChatGPT logs
PCOS has been officially renamed PMOS, and it’s a momentous move
PCOS will now be known as PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome), and for Alice Klein, who has the condition, it's been a long time coming
Why do particle physicists like spending time in fields?
The concept of a field plays a key role in particle physics, but what exactly is it? From its origins in the study of magnetism to the quantum fields of today, columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein goes exploring
Can cloud seeding save us from water bankruptcy?
We’ve long tried to control the weather by engineering rainfall. Now such cloud-seeding efforts are escalating, creating conflict between countries and stoking conspiracy theories. But do they work?
Carbon credits are flawed, but they can still help save forests
Carbon credits bought by companies to offset their emissions really have reduced deforestation, but not by as much as credit developers claim, according to a rigorous analysis
A new tectonic plate boundary could be forming in southern Africa
Gases collected from boiling mineral springs in Zambia contain the chemical signature of having come directly from the Earth’s mantle, a sign of a rupture in the tectonic plates and the possible beginning of a new continental boundary
The story of the first human tool: the humble container
An analysis of ancient human artefacts finds that the container, a simple but critical tool, may have originated 500,000 years ago. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how slings, ostrich eggs and wooden trays helped our ancestors survive
Can floating data centres meet AI's huge energy demand?
A US start-up is putting autonomous data centres in the ocean, powered by wave energy, but experts warn that the harsh environment could make maintenance challenging
Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer
The rules governing gravity and other laws of nature seem like eternal truths, but cosmologist João Magueijo has always questioned their origins. Now, he has a bold new proposal
Huge study of ancient British DNA reveals only minor Roman influence
Genetic analysis of 1039 people buried in Britain between the Bronze Age and the Norman conquest highlights the impact of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings on the island’s ancestry
David Attenborough is one of a kind, for better or worse
People often ask who might replace the nature broadcaster, who turns 100 this week. The truth is that he’s irreplaceable, but a wide range of voices are attempting to fill his shoes.
Red-light therapy does have health benefits but not the ones you think
Red-light therapy promises to treat everything from acne and hair loss to depression and chronic pain. Many of these claims are overhyped, but evidence suggests it can have healing powers
Tiny 'metajets' could use light to steer sails for interstellar travel
Minuscule silicon wafers propelled by lasers could be used to steer light sails, helping them travel beyond the solar system
The 50-year quest to create a quantum spin liquid may finally be over
Creating quantum entanglement inside a solid material is tricky in the lab – but crystals buried in the earth could be growing it naturally. Now one scientist says he has proof he’s found them
There has been a sudden increase in the rate of sea level rise
Satellite measurements show that in the early 2010s sea level rise suddenly accelerated to a rate of 4.1 millimetres per year, possibly in response to an increase in the rate of global warming
A vast dam across the Bering Strait could stop the AMOC collapsing
If a key ocean current collapses it could plunge northern Europe into a big freeze. Now researchers are weighing up a drastic intervention – building a 130-kilometre-wide dam between the US and Russia
A lost ancient script reveals how writing as we know it really began
A long-overlooked writing system from 5000 years ago is still largely undeciphered, but could mark the moment humans first represented their speech with written words
Neanderthal 'kneeprint' found next to mysterious stalagmite circle
An impression made in clay around 175,000 years ago could be a kneeprint left by one of the builders of a strange stalagmite circle found deep inside Bruniquel cave in south-west France
US government releases huge batch of UFO files
The US Department of Defense has released hundreds of documents and photographs related to UFOs, some of which have been declassified, in the first of many drops to come
Doubling their genomes may have helped plants survive mass extinctions
Many flowering plants have duplicated genomes, which could have helped them evolve to deal with extreme stress in times of environmental upheaval
Fire is spreading in the Chernobyl exclusion zone after drone crash
A drone has crashed in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, causing a fire that has spread to 12 square kilometres of land. Dry weather, strong winds and the presence of land mines are complicating efforts to bring the blaze under control
Slow breathing can calm the mind without any need for mindfulness
How important is thinking about your breath for calming yourself down? We now know that slow breathing is effective even without conscious involvement
PCOS postpones perimenopause and allows pregnancies at older ages
Only 3 per cent of those with polycystic ovary syndrome reach perimenopause by the age of 46, which may allow them to conceive when older
New Scientist recommends Attenborough documentary Making Life on Earth
The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week
The mathematician who doesn’t exist
A secret society of French mathematicians has been revolutionising the field of mathematics under a pseudonym for nearly a century. Columnist Jacob Aron finds that this mythic collective provided maths a rigorous and useful foundation, and did some real harm along the way
Former Soviet scientific megastructures captured in striking photos
Eric Lusito crossed the former Soviet Union to explore vast scientific sites, some of which have been deserted for years, for his new book
Hantavirus outbreak will not cause a covid-style pandemic, says WHO
The World Health Organization sought to quell worldwide fears over the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius and reassure the public that the risk of widespread transmission is low
Coffee's mood-boosting effects aren't just down to caffeine
A comprehensive study exploring coffee’s physiological effects finds that some of its benefits are down to polyphenols and their influence on gut bacteria
What to read this week: the excellent Beyond Belief by Helen Pearson
Solving society's problems with evidence is a work in progress, argues a must-read new book. The process is surprisingly new – and riddled with complexities, finds Michael Marshall
Where has the deadly hantavirus come from and how does it spread?
Three passengers on the cruise ship MV Hondius have died due to an outbreak of hantavirus, a rare illness transmitted by rodents
The best new popular science books of May 2026
A guide to walking, a look at the world’s Google searches and a deep dive into the secrets of our DNA are some of the topics tackled by the popular science books out this month
Less nostalgia, more pain: scientists study 1763 Eurovision songs
Feedback discovers that the prevailing themes of Eurovision songs may come and go, but the urge to win stays the same.
What to read this week: The 21st Century Brain by Hannah Critchlow
Our brains need to adapt quickly to meet the challenges of our digital world, but a rigorous new book by a neuroscientist brings hope that we can do it, says Graham Lawton
Pressure from individual particles measured for the first time
A device made using a tiny bead floating in a beam of light can measure extremely small pressures and could help find a mysterious kind of neutrino
Dating over 50 is probably on the rise – but we know little about it
Research into dating has until now almost exclusively focused on younger people, but we’re finally beginning to investigate how romance changes in later life
Bronze Age Britons fashioned copper-mining tools out of old bones
An analysis of 150 artefacts from a site in Wales shows that the ancient practice of making tools out of bone persisted even after the advent of metal-working
Deforestation could trigger Amazon tipping point in the 2030s
At least 15 per cent of the Amazon has already been lost, and further destruction could unleash widespread rainforest dieback with as little as 1.5°C of global warming
Huge landslide in Alaska caused 481m-high tsunami
When the slope of a mountain above Tracy Arm fjord, in Alaska, gave way on 10 August 2025, 64 million cubic metres of rock fell into the fjord, causing a 5.4 magnitude seismic event
Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass is still an essential read
This 2013 book by an Indigenous botanist is a quietly urgent act of healing that forces Western science to look at the world in a different way
Read the winner of this year’s Young Science Writer Award
Prize-winning young writer Hasset Kifle, 17, explores how the world of super-competitive running is being transformed by so-called “super shoes” – and what cost this will have on the sport
Extinct relative of koalas discovered in Western Australia
Fossils reveal that there were at least two kinds of koala when humans first arrived in Australia, but one died out about 30,000 years ago when the west of the continent dried out
Backlash builds over NHS plan to hide source code from AI hacking risk
NHS England is pulling its open-source software from the internet because of fears around computer-hacking AI models like Mythos. Opposition is growing among those who say the move is bad for transparency and efficiency, and will also do nothing to improve security
Woman in cancer remission without treatment in highly unusual case
A biopsy of a woman's cancer seems to have triggered an immune response against the tumour, putting her into remission
The problem of cosmic inflation and how to solve it
One of the best-performing models in cosmology is also one with the least physical rationale behind it. Columnist Leah Crane says this leaves us with a puzzle that could make or break physics as we know it
Man destined for Alzheimer's may have been saved by accidental therapy
Doug Whitney has a genetic mutation that means he should have developed Alzheimer’s disease decades ago, but his long-term work in hot engine rooms may have protected him in a similar way to sauna therapy
Quantum computers simulated their biggest molecule yet – with help
Two quantum computers and two supercomputers teamed up to break the record for the biggest molecule yet to be simulated using quantum hardware
Honey has been used as medicine for centuries – does it really work?
It is appealing to think something as simple as honey could cure a cold or prevent hay fever, but is there evidence to back up honey’s health benefits? Columnist Alice Klein finds that it has legitimate medicinal uses, depending on the type of honey you’ve got
Tiny frozen world unexpectedly appears to have an atmosphere
A 500-kilometre-wide object in a similar orbit to Pluto challenges our assumptions about small bodies in the outer solar system
300-year-old experiment could become world's best dark matter detector
An update to an experiment run by Henry Cavendish in 1773 could be a cheaper and faster way to spot a potential dark matter particle – and may be 10,000 times more sensitive
An unorthodox version of quantum theory could reveal what reality is
The implications of quantum mechanics suggest reality isn't as solid as we think it is, but physicist David Bohm had a spin on the theory that restores reality. Columnist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan explores how we could test Bohmian mechanics – and if it will ever become more widely accepted
The greatest David Attenborough documentaries you really need to watch
To mark David Attenborough turning 100, New Scientist staff have been set a tricky task: pick your favourite of his many amazing documentaries...
Prebiotic chewing gum could be helpful for gum disease
A small trial found that chewing gum containing nitrate can ease the symptoms of gum disease by favouring the growth of beneficial mouth bacteria
Smart underwear detects lactose intolerance by tracking your farts
A device you attach to your underwear reveals how often you really break wind – and it’s probably more frequently than you think
Why dinosaurs lived much more complex lives than we thought
A wave of dinosaur discoveries over the past decade has completely reshaped our understanding of these long-extinct animals. Palaeontologist Dave Hone spills the secrets of how dinosaurs lived, from how social they were to how much they really fought
Is consciousness more fundamental to reality than quantum physics?
The idea that everything that exists can be built from the bottom up has long held sway among physicists. Now, a new kind of science is under construction that centres conscious experience – and might unravel the universe’s biggest mysteries
Our verdict on Red Mars: Mostly great, with a few quibbles
The New Scientist Book Club read Kim Stanley Robinson's acclaimed science fiction story about the first settlers on Mars in April – and had a lot to say about it
Ann Leckie continues to shine with new sci-fi novel Radiant Star
Set on a planet whose population lives underground, Radiant Star is Ann Leckie's latest Radch-universe novel. Its rich characterisation and meticulous world-building shine through, says our science-fiction columnist Emily H. Wilson
2026 will be the hottest year on record, leading scientist predicts
The second half of this year will almost certainly see the start of an El Niño phase that could lead to extreme heat across much of the globe, and James Hansen expects that to make this year surpass 2024 as the hottest on record
Why the keto diet could be a revolutionary way to treat mental illness
You may think of the high-fat, low-carb eating plan as a faddish way to lose weight. But the keto diet is now being used to tackle conditions from severe depression to bipolar disorder and anorexia, with transformative results
NHS England rushes to hide software over AI hacking fears
National Health Service rules state that all software created with public money should be publicly available, but fears of computer-hacking AI models like Mythos have prompted a change in policy
The 4 biggest myths about hydration, according to an expert
Should you really be drinking eight glasses of water a day? What about reaching for a sports drink after exercise? Physiologist Tamara Hew-Butler is here to bust these hydration myths and more.
Oak trees use delaying tactics to thwart hungry caterpillars
An infestation of caterpillars can make an oak tree postpone when it opens its leaves next year by three days, wrong-footing the insects when they attack again
Why I explore our inevitable love for robots in my novel Luminous
Silvia Park, author of the May read for the New Scientist Book Club, reveals how a book that was originally intended to be for children took a darker route following a death in the family
Read an extract from Luminous by Silvia Park
In this extract from Luminous, the May read for the New Scientist Book Club, we meet a mysterious robot discovered in a salvage yard in Seoul, in a future reunified Korea
Will Colombia summit kick-start the end of the fossil fuel era?
With progress at COP climate meetings stalling, 57 countries took part in the first of a new series of conferences aiming to develop road maps away from fossil fuels, but big emitters like China and the US were absent
The rings of Uranus are even stranger than we thought
Uranus’s outermost two rings are surprisingly dissimilar, which opens up a mystery about the tiny moons and moonlets that form them
'Green' cryptocurrency uses 18 times more energy than makers claim
A cryptocurrency that aims to avoid the disastrous energy consumption of bitcoin is actually using 18 times more energy than its makers claim – but it promises improvements are on the way
Your oral microbiome could affect your weight, liver and diabetes risk
An ambitious study has explored how the oral microbiome may affect our metabolic health, raising hopes that conditions like pre-diabetes could one day be screened for via a simple mouth swab
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
A technique inspired by the film Interstellar suggests a new way of communicating backwards in time, but it could help improve conventional communication systems as well
Human heads have changed shape a lot in the past 100 years
Since the early 20th century, people’s skulls have got rounder and their jaws have got wider, probably because of changes in health, diet and environment
Doubts cast over 'wild' claim that magnetic control can turn on genes
Researchers in South Korea say they have made a major advance by turning on genes with an electromagnetic signal, but critics say the claims are implausible and the paper is flawed
The best new science fiction books of May 2026
New science fiction from big names including Ann Leckie, Alan Moore and Martha Wells are just some of the exciting crop of titles out this month
The rich but complicated legacy of genome pioneer Craig Venter
Craig Venter has died aged 79. He was at the forefront of sequencing the human genome and of synthetic biology, but divided opinion in how he went about it
Thought-provoking photographs capture what it feels like to have ADHD
These unusual images were created by visual artist Daniel Regan by submerging Polaroid photographs in his ADHD medication, to represent his experiences with the condition through art
Is an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg – or any boss – a good plan?
Feedback has learned that, according to reports, Meta is building an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg to interact with staff. Feedback hopes this doesn't become a trend
Simple treatment tweak drastically reduces blood loss from severe cuts
A procedure that could be done in half an hour, and prepared ahead of time, could seriously reduce blood loss from severe wounds, such as during surgery
Weird 'transdimensional' state of matter is neither 2D nor 3D
An experiment with a carbon material in a magnetic field has revealed a novel way for electrons to move, which doesn't fully belong in two or three spatial dimensions
The chips in your phone are probably broken – and that's a good thing
Reports suggest that Apple is using defective chips originally destined for high-end devices to create its latest affordable laptop. Reusing partially broken chips is common practice for all device makers and produces less waste
Scorpions reinforce their claws and stingers with metals
Many scorpion species use blends of iron, zinc and manganese to enhance the toughness of their deadly weaponry
Extreme weather in 2025 drove record wildfire emissions in Europe
Europe, the fastest-warming continent, saw unprecedented wildfires and heatwaves in 2025, including a three-week hot spell that hit 30°C inside the Arctic circle
Cancer is increasing in young people and we still don't know why
Obesity might be to blame for part of the increase in cancer among young people, a study in the UK has found, but the causes largely remain a mystery
Gamblers are betting millions of dollars on measles outbreaks
People are increasingly placing bets that predict measles outbreaks in the US, which could help researchers modelling the spread of the disease
Humanoid robots may be about to break the 100-metre sprint record
Robots can now run a half-marathon faster than humans and are rapidly homing in on the men's 100-metre sprint record. But why are companies so keen to create speedy robots that have no obvious application in homes or factories?
How I pay almost nothing to power my house and electric car
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has seen energy prices soar, but Alice Klein pays just A$25 (£13) a month for her electricity, even when charging an electric car or running an air conditioner.
Coral reefs on a remote archipelago shrugged off a massive heatwave
Scientists were shocked to find that the Houtman Abrolhos Islands’ coral reefs survived a prolonged extreme heatwave in 2025 virtually unharmed, which may reveal how to protect corals elsewhere
We may finally have a cure for many different autoimmune conditions
A revolutionary cancer treatment is now being applied to a wide range of autoimmune disorders. Columnist Michael Le Page finds it is proving to be even more effective than expected
Giant Arctic continent launched dinosaurs to world domination
Coincident with the rise of the dinosaurs, a large landmass filled most of the Arctic circle, potentially contributing to global cooling that advantaged the famous reptiles
10,000 new planets found hidden in NASA telescope data
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has been searching for exoplanets since its launch in 2018, and it turns out it may have found plenty more of them than we had thought
Why your opinion of used electric vehicles is probably wrong
The idea that EV batteries age poorly is a misconception – and a new report has found they often outlive the cars themselves
