New Scientist
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The best place to find out what’s new in science – and why it matters.
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In this week’s issue: Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can, teaching molecules to think is revealing what a 'mind' is, and the weird rules of temperature in the quantum realm.
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions. newscientist.com/issue/3582/
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions. newscientist.com/issue/3582/
We pick the sci-fi novels we’re most looking forward to reading this month, from a new Brandon Sanderson to the latest from Makana Yamamoto
The best new science fiction books of February 2026
We pick the sci-fi novels we’re most looking forward to reading this month, from a new Brandon Sanderson to the latest from Makana Yamamoto
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:05 AM
We pick the sci-fi novels we’re most looking forward to reading this month, from a new Brandon Sanderson to the latest from Makana Yamamoto
Feedback is delighted by an experiment on the Milan metro system, which involved a prosthetic bump, a Batman costume and some unexpected displays of public decency
Holy prosociality! Batman makes people stand for pregnant passengers
Feedback is delighted by an experiment on the Milan metro system, which involved a prosthetic bump, a Batman costume and some unexpected displays of public decency
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:20 AM
Feedback is delighted by an experiment on the Milan metro system, which involved a prosthetic bump, a Batman costume and some unexpected displays of public decency
Electric vehicle batteries are typically retired once they reach about 80 per cent of their original capacity, but they could be repurposed in electricity grids to balance out slumps in renewable generation
Old EV batteries could meet most of China's energy storage needs
Electric vehicle batteries are typically retired once they reach about 80 per cent of their original capacity, but they could be repurposed in electricity grids to balance out slumps in renewable generation
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Electric vehicle batteries are typically retired once they reach about 80 per cent of their original capacity, but they could be repurposed in electricity grids to balance out slumps in renewable generation
A type of cognitive training that tests people's quick recall seems to reduce the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease
Specific cognitive training has 'astonishing' effect on dementia risk
A type of cognitive training that tests people's quick recall seems to reduce the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:24 AM
A type of cognitive training that tests people's quick recall seems to reduce the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease
Scientists have captured remarkable footage of the young of a mouse-sized marsupial, called a fat-tailed dunnart, making their way to their mother’s pouch soon after being born
Newborn marsupials seen crawling to mother's pouch for the first time
Scientists have captured remarkable footage of the young of a mouse-sized marsupial, called a fat-tailed dunnart, making their way to their mother’s pouch soon after being born
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Scientists have captured remarkable footage of the young of a mouse-sized marsupial, called a fat-tailed dunnart, making their way to their mother’s pouch soon after being born
People classed as “overweight” according to BMI can be perfectly healthy. But there are better measures of fat, and physicians are finally using them
Your BMI can't tell you much about your health – here's what can
People classed as “overweight” according to BMI can be perfectly healthy. But there are better measures of fat, and physicians are finally using them
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:49 AM
People classed as “overweight” according to BMI can be perfectly healthy. But there are better measures of fat, and physicians are finally using them
Susan Wise Bauer's The Great Shadow investigates the effects of illness on individual lives and collective beliefs. It's a mixed bag, says Peter Hoskin
Fascinating but flawed book explores how sickness shapes our lives
Susan Wise Bauer's The Great Shadow investigates the effects of illness on individual lives and collective beliefs. It's a mixed bag, says Peter Hoskin
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:32 AM
Susan Wise Bauer's The Great Shadow investigates the effects of illness on individual lives and collective beliefs. It's a mixed bag, says Peter Hoskin
Building the human story based on a few artefacts is tricky – particularly for wooden tools that don’t preserve well, or cave art that we don’t have the technology to date. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how we determine what came first in the timeline of our species
Which humans first made tools or art – and how do we know?
Building the human story based on a few artefacts is tricky – particularly for wooden tools that don’t preserve well, or cave art that we don’t have the technology to date. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how we determine what came first in the timeline of our species
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Building the human story based on a few artefacts is tricky – particularly for wooden tools that don’t preserve well, or cave art that we don’t have the technology to date. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how we determine what came first in the timeline of our species
Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics
'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health
Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:23 AM
Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics
The New Scientist Book Club's February read is Tim Winton's novel Juice, set in a future Australia that is so hot it is almost unliveable. Here, the author lays out his reasons for writing it – and why he doesn't see it as dystopian
Tim Winton: 'Sometimes I think we use the word dystopia as an opiate'
The New Scientist Book Club's February read is Tim Winton's novel Juice, set in a future Australia that is so hot it is almost unliveable. Here, the author lays out his reasons for writing it – and why he doesn't see it as dystopian
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:58 AM
The New Scientist Book Club's February read is Tim Winton's novel Juice, set in a future Australia that is so hot it is almost unliveable. Here, the author lays out his reasons for writing it – and why he doesn't see it as dystopian
Thousands of years before the invention of compasses or sails, prehistoric peoples crossed oceans to reach remote lands like Malta and Australia. Doing so meant striking out in unknowable conditions. What do such crossings tell us about ancient minds?
Ancient humans were seafaring far earlier than we realised
Thousands of years before the invention of compasses or sails, prehistoric peoples crossed oceans to reach remote lands like Malta and Australia. Doing so meant striking out in unknowable conditions. What do such crossings tell us about ancient minds?
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:25 AM
Thousands of years before the invention of compasses or sails, prehistoric peoples crossed oceans to reach remote lands like Malta and Australia. Doing so meant striking out in unknowable conditions. What do such crossings tell us about ancient minds?
Readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to popular science reading this month, with new titles by major names including Maggie Aderin and Michael Pollan
The best new popular science books of February 2026
Readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to popular science reading this month, with new titles by major names including Maggie Aderin and Michael Pollan
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to popular science reading this month, with new titles by major names including Maggie Aderin and Michael Pollan
Ants rely on scent to recognise their comrades, and when they are exposed to common air pollutants, other members of their colony react as if they are enemies
Ants attack their nest-mates because pollution changes their smell
Ants rely on scent to recognise their comrades, and when they are exposed to common air pollutants, other members of their colony react as if they are enemies
www.newscientist.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Ants rely on scent to recognise their comrades, and when they are exposed to common air pollutants, other members of their colony react as if they are enemies
The planets around a nearby star seem to be in the wrong order, hinting that they formed through a different mechanism than the familiar one by which most systems grow
Weird inside-out planet system may have formed one world at a time
The planets around a nearby star seem to be in the wrong order, hinting that they formed through a different mechanism than the familiar one by which most systems grow
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:32 PM
The planets around a nearby star seem to be in the wrong order, hinting that they formed through a different mechanism than the familiar one by which most systems grow
Life may have begun when RNA molecules began to replicate themselves, and now we’ve finally found an RNA molecule that is very close to being able to do this
RNA strand that can almost self-replicate may be key to life's origins
Life may have begun when RNA molecules began to replicate themselves, and now we’ve finally found an RNA molecule that is very close to being able to do this
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Life may have begun when RNA molecules began to replicate themselves, and now we’ve finally found an RNA molecule that is very close to being able to do this
The activity of certain neurons may influence our endurance for exercise, and these could be targeted to help us run faster for longer
Endurance brain cells may determine how long you can run for
The activity of certain neurons may influence our endurance for exercise, and these could be targeted to help us run faster for longer
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:50 PM
The activity of certain neurons may influence our endurance for exercise, and these could be targeted to help us run faster for longer
The meaning of life has puzzled philosophers for millennia, but new research suggests it could be as simple as lending a helping hand
How to live a meaningful life, according to science
The meaning of life has puzzled philosophers for millennia, but new research suggests it could be as simple as lending a helping hand
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:31 PM
The meaning of life has puzzled philosophers for millennia, but new research suggests it could be as simple as lending a helping hand
About 4600 years ago, the population of Britain was replaced by a people who brought Bell Beaker pottery with them. Now, ancient DNA has uncovered the murky story of where these people came from
The surprising origins of Britain's Bronze Age immigrants revealed
About 4600 years ago, the population of Britain was replaced by a people who brought Bell Beaker pottery with them. Now, ancient DNA has uncovered the murky story of where these people came from
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:48 PM
About 4600 years ago, the population of Britain was replaced by a people who brought Bell Beaker pottery with them. Now, ancient DNA has uncovered the murky story of where these people came from
As Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth talk about wanting to make Star Trek real, long-time fan Chanda Prescod-Weinstein says they've misconstrued the heart of the story
Why Elon Musk has misunderstood the point of Star Trek
As Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth talk about wanting to make Star Trek real, long-time fan Chanda Prescod-Weinstein says they've misconstrued the heart of the story
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:59 PM
As Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth talk about wanting to make Star Trek real, long-time fan Chanda Prescod-Weinstein says they've misconstrued the heart of the story
An antibody that has the power to neutralise any influenza strain could be widely administered in the form of a nasal spray if a flu pandemic emerges
Nasal spray could prevent infections from any flu strain
An antibody that has the power to neutralise any influenza strain could be widely administered in the form of a nasal spray if a flu pandemic emerges
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:14 PM
An antibody that has the power to neutralise any influenza strain could be widely administered in the form of a nasal spray if a flu pandemic emerges
Columnist Michael Le Page delves into a catalogue of hundreds of potentially beneficial gene mutations and variants that is popular with transhumanists
Can we genetically improve humans using George Church’s famous list?
Columnist Michael Le Page delves into a catalogue of hundreds of potentially beneficial gene mutations and variants that is popular with transhumanists
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Columnist Michael Le Page delves into a catalogue of hundreds of potentially beneficial gene mutations and variants that is popular with transhumanists
It's a truism that weeds love poor soil, but is there anything to it? And what is a weed, anyway? James Wong investigates
Do weeds really love poor soil? Not if you look at the science
It's a truism that weeds love poor soil, but is there anything to it? And what is a weed, anyway? James Wong investigates
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:30 PM
It's a truism that weeds love poor soil, but is there anything to it? And what is a weed, anyway? James Wong investigates
Where is physics headed? No one knows for sure, but Beyond the Quantum by Antony Valentini is a striking new book that reminds us what a big idea really looks like, finds Jon Cartwright
A remarkable book on quantum mechanics reveals a really big idea
Where is physics headed? No one knows for sure, but Beyond the Quantum by Antony Valentini is a striking new book that reminds us what a big idea really looks like, finds Jon Cartwright
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Where is physics headed? No one knows for sure, but Beyond the Quantum by Antony Valentini is a striking new book that reminds us what a big idea really looks like, finds Jon Cartwright
The idea of self-amplifying gene editing is to get cells to pass on packages of CRISPR machinery to their neighbours, boosting the effect
Gene editing that spreads within the body could cure more diseases
The idea of self-amplifying gene editing is to get cells to pass on packages of CRISPR machinery to their neighbours, boosting the effect
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:33 PM
The idea of self-amplifying gene editing is to get cells to pass on packages of CRISPR machinery to their neighbours, boosting the effect
Reposted by New Scientist
A big challenge for CRISPR gene editing 🧬 is altering a high enough proportion of target cells in the body 🧪
So @doudna-lab.bsky.social have developed editors that can amplify themselves by spreading from cell to cell
Comment from @gaetanburgio.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
So @doudna-lab.bsky.social have developed editors that can amplify themselves by spreading from cell to cell
Comment from @gaetanburgio.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
Gene editing that spreads within the body could cure more diseases
The idea of self-amplifying gene editing is to get cells to pass on packages of CRISPR machinery to their neighbours, boosting the effect
www.newscientist.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
A big challenge for CRISPR gene editing 🧬 is altering a high enough proportion of target cells in the body 🧪
So @doudna-lab.bsky.social have developed editors that can amplify themselves by spreading from cell to cell
Comment from @gaetanburgio.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
So @doudna-lab.bsky.social have developed editors that can amplify themselves by spreading from cell to cell
Comment from @gaetanburgio.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...