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: Does an exceptionally strange protein finally reveal where we came from?
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions. www.newscientist.com/issue/3572/
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions. www.newscientist.com/issue/3572/
We can't see dark matter directly, so studying it pushes the boundaries of our creativity as scientists. How exciting, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Why dark matter is still one of the biggest open problems in science
We can't see dark matter directly, so studying it pushes the boundaries of our creativity as scientists. How exciting, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:04 PM
We can't see dark matter directly, so studying it pushes the boundaries of our creativity as scientists. How exciting, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
For centuries, Europeans thought that eternal daylight saturated the cosmos. The shift to a dark universe has had a profound psychological impact upon us
Why we only recently discovered space is dark not bright
For centuries, Europeans thought that eternal daylight saturated the cosmos. The shift to a dark universe has had a profound psychological impact upon us
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
For centuries, Europeans thought that eternal daylight saturated the cosmos. The shift to a dark universe has had a profound psychological impact upon us
Reposted by New Scientist
Chocolate might have an anti-ageing effect, according to a study of 500 women that I reported on earlier this year 🧪
It's not definitively proven - but is all the excuse I need to indulge over Xmas
www.newscientist.com/article/2478...
It's not definitively proven - but is all the excuse I need to indulge over Xmas
www.newscientist.com/article/2478...
Key component of dark chocolate might have an anti-ageing effect
A chemical that is mainly found in dark chocolate seems to slow our rate of biological ageing, but it isn't clear if eating chocolate is good for us overall
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Chocolate might have an anti-ageing effect, according to a study of 500 women that I reported on earlier this year 🧪
It's not definitively proven - but is all the excuse I need to indulge over Xmas
www.newscientist.com/article/2478...
It's not definitively proven - but is all the excuse I need to indulge over Xmas
www.newscientist.com/article/2478...
New evidence suggests that alcohol was a surprisingly big motivator in our monumental transition from hunting and gathering to farming – but was beer really more important to us than bread?
Did ancient humans start farming so they could drink more beer?
New evidence suggests that alcohol was a surprisingly big motivator in our monumental transition from hunting and gathering to farming – but was beer really more important to us than bread?
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
New evidence suggests that alcohol was a surprisingly big motivator in our monumental transition from hunting and gathering to farming – but was beer really more important to us than bread?
As Australian teenagers lose access to social media, observers say there are still many unknown questions about the ban, which came into force on 10 December
Australia's social media ban faces challenges and criticism on day one
As Australian teenagers lose access to social media, observers say there are still many unknown questions about the ban, which came into force on 10 December
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
As Australian teenagers lose access to social media, observers say there are still many unknown questions about the ban, which came into force on 10 December
Reposted by New Scientist
"Three breaths is all you need to tune into the present moment" - how small bursts of mindfulness practices lasting a minute or less can have unexpected benefits for those with busy lives, by @davidarobson.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Too busy to meditate? Microdosing mindfulness has big health benefits
Small bursts of mindfulness practices lasting a minute or less can have unexpected benefits for those with busy lives - here’s how
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:13 PM
"Three breaths is all you need to tune into the present moment" - how small bursts of mindfulness practices lasting a minute or less can have unexpected benefits for those with busy lives, by @davidarobson.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Reposted by New Scientist
Why does the special Christmas issue of @newscientist.com feature a clam with Shakespeare's head?? Because I wrote about the world's longest-lived animal - who was already 100 in Shakespeare's time - and lived to be 507 years old.
December 10, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Why does the special Christmas issue of @newscientist.com feature a clam with Shakespeare's head?? Because I wrote about the world's longest-lived animal - who was already 100 in Shakespeare's time - and lived to be 507 years old.
We know that pets influence our microbiome, but scientists have now found that having a dog seems to change this ecosystem in a way that could boost our well-being
Dogs may make us more caring and sociable by changing our microbiome
We know that pets influence our microbiome, but scientists have now found that having a dog seems to change this ecosystem in a way that could boost our well-being
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:04 PM
We know that pets influence our microbiome, but scientists have now found that having a dog seems to change this ecosystem in a way that could boost our well-being
New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses
A revolutionary way to map our bodies is helping cure deadly diseases
New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:59 PM
New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses
From a dragonfly to marine organisms, photographer Michael Benson zoomed in with powerful scanning electron microscopes to take these extraordinary shots for his book Nanocosmos
Images reveal the astonishing complexity of the microscopic world
From a dragonfly to marine organisms, photographer Michael Benson zoomed in with powerful scanning electron microscopes to take these extraordinary shots for his book Nanocosmos
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:43 PM
From a dragonfly to marine organisms, photographer Michael Benson zoomed in with powerful scanning electron microscopes to take these extraordinary shots for his book Nanocosmos
Some of the elements used by living systems are far more abundant in Cassiopeia A than we thought, hinting that some parts of our galaxy might be more suitable for life than others
Odd elements in supernova blast might have implications for alien life
Some of the elements used by living systems are far more abundant in Cassiopeia A than we thought, hinting that some parts of our galaxy might be more suitable for life than others
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Some of the elements used by living systems are far more abundant in Cassiopeia A than we thought, hinting that some parts of our galaxy might be more suitable for life than others
Reposted by New Scientist
Robot dog spotted in the wild in Kensington. Glad to see my predictions about artificial pets are coming true: www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
December 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Robot dog spotted in the wild in Kensington. Glad to see my predictions about artificial pets are coming true: www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
The laws of thermodynamics don't accurately account for the complex processes in living cells – do we need a new one to accurately measure the ways living systems are out of equilibrium?
We may need a fourth law of thermodynamics for living systems
The laws of thermodynamics don't accurately account for the complex processes in living cells – do we need a new one to accurately measure the ways living systems are out of equilibrium?
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
The laws of thermodynamics don't accurately account for the complex processes in living cells – do we need a new one to accurately measure the ways living systems are out of equilibrium?
Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton
Stop treating your pet like a fur baby – you're damaging its health
Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton
New Scientist Book Club members share their thoughts on our November read, Grace Chan's Every Version of You
Our verdict on sci-fi novel Every Version of You: We (mostly) loved it
New Scientist Book Club members share their thoughts on our November read, Grace Chan's Every Version of You
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
New Scientist Book Club members share their thoughts on our November read, Grace Chan's Every Version of You
Reposted by New Scientist
this is a fascinating story by @grahamlawton.bsky.social about one of the most audacious scientific experiments ever attempted - a young physicist's quest to recreate the northern lights on the top of a mountain in northern Finland www.newscientist.com/article/2497...
The audacious quest to light up the sky with artificial auroras
How a Finnish physicist named Karl Lemström once became obsessed with recreating the aurora borealis from scratch – and may have ended up creating something even more intriguing
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:06 AM
this is a fascinating story by @grahamlawton.bsky.social about one of the most audacious scientific experiments ever attempted - a young physicist's quest to recreate the northern lights on the top of a mountain in northern Finland www.newscientist.com/article/2497...
Reposted by New Scientist
our bumper holiday double issue hits the newsstands this weekend, which means our Christmas features are starting to come out! 🎅
here's one of my favourites, about the saga of a family of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears www.newscientist.com/article/2496...
here's one of my favourites, about the saga of a family of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears www.newscientist.com/article/2496...
What the family drama of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears reveals
A hybrid grolar bear saga is unfolding in the Arctic, and the tale of this strange family has much to tell us about nature on our changing planet
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:04 AM
our bumper holiday double issue hits the newsstands this weekend, which means our Christmas features are starting to come out! 🎅
here's one of my favourites, about the saga of a family of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears www.newscientist.com/article/2496...
here's one of my favourites, about the saga of a family of interbreeding polar and grizzly bears www.newscientist.com/article/2496...
Reposted by New Scientist
I wrote about the ocean quahog, aka the Icelandic cyprine
December 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
I wrote about the ocean quahog, aka the Icelandic cyprine
There is relatively little information on the long-term health effects of tattooing, but a couple of recent studies suggest the art form might trigger prolonged inflammation
Tattooing may trigger localised damage to the immune system
There is relatively little information on the long-term health effects of tattooing, but a couple of recent studies suggest the art form might trigger prolonged inflammation
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:48 AM
There is relatively little information on the long-term health effects of tattooing, but a couple of recent studies suggest the art form might trigger prolonged inflammation
Conventionally, the moon is thought to have formed during one big impact, but a three-impact model might make more sense
Forming moon may have taken three big impacts early in Earth’s history
Conventionally, the moon is thought to have formed during one big impact, but a three-impact model might make more sense
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Conventionally, the moon is thought to have formed during one big impact, but a three-impact model might make more sense
Dental problems often arise or get worse during pregnancy, and a new study hints that rapid changes to the oral microbiome at this time could be at least partly to blame
Upheavals to the oral microbiome in pregnancy may be behind tooth loss
Dental problems often arise or get worse during pregnancy, and a new study hints that rapid changes to the oral microbiome at this time could be at least partly to blame
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Dental problems often arise or get worse during pregnancy, and a new study hints that rapid changes to the oral microbiome at this time could be at least partly to blame
The cultivation of wheat, barley and maize, which are easily stored and taxed, seems to have led to the emergence of large societies, rather than agriculture generally
Easily taxed grains were crucial to the birth of the first states
The cultivation of wheat, barley and maize, which are easily stored and taxed, seems to have led to the emergence of large societies, rather than agriculture generally
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:35 AM
The cultivation of wheat, barley and maize, which are easily stored and taxed, seems to have led to the emergence of large societies, rather than agriculture generally
The covid-19 pandemic opened the door to once-controversial human challenge trials. Now, volunteers are willingly catching norovirus and influenza to reveal how our immune systems really fight back
How deliberately giving people illnesses is supercharging medicine
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:17 AM
The covid-19 pandemic opened the door to once-controversial human challenge trials. Now, volunteers are willingly catching norovirus and influenza to reveal how our immune systems really fight back
Over the past 250 million years, periods when coral reef growth has peaked have coincided with big rises in sea temperatures
Coral reefs have fuelled severe global warming in Earth's past
Over the past 250 million years, periods when coral reef growth has peaked have coincided with big rises in sea temperatures
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Over the past 250 million years, periods when coral reef growth has peaked have coincided with big rises in sea temperatures
Screen time has been linked to all sorts of problems, from depression and obesity to poor sleep. But how worried should you really be? Jacob Aron sifts through the evidence
How worried should you be about spending too much time on your phone?
Screen time has been linked to all sorts of problems, from depression and obesity to poor sleep. But how worried should you really be? Jacob Aron sifts through the evidence
www.newscientist.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Screen time has been linked to all sorts of problems, from depression and obesity to poor sleep. But how worried should you really be? Jacob Aron sifts through the evidence