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: Why endless grit can harm your health - and how to know when to quit.
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions.
www.newscientist.com/issue/3569/
Grab a copy in shops now or download our app for digital editions.
www.newscientist.com/issue/3569/
An ancient skull has finally shown us what the Denisovans looked like. Now it turns out they, not Neanderthals, might be our closest relatives, redrawing our family tree and transforming the hunt for Ancestor X.
This Ancient Skull Just Broke Human Evolution
An ancient skull has finally shown us what the Denisovans looked like. Now it turns out they, not Neanderthals, might be our closest relatives, redrawing our...
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November 18, 2025 at 6:47 PM
An ancient skull has finally shown us what the Denisovans looked like. Now it turns out they, not Neanderthals, might be our closest relatives, redrawing our family tree and transforming the hunt for Ancestor X.
AlphaEvolve, an AI system created by Google DeepMind, is helping mathematicians do research at a scale that was previously impossible - even if it does occasionally "cheat" to find a solution
Mathematicians say Google's AI tools are supercharging their research
AlphaEvolve, an AI system created by Google DeepMind, is helping mathematicians do research at a scale that was previously impossible - even if it does occasionally "cheat" to find a solution
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:54 PM
AlphaEvolve, an AI system created by Google DeepMind, is helping mathematicians do research at a scale that was previously impossible - even if it does occasionally "cheat" to find a solution
Sex, or just touching your partner, seems to help wounds heal faster by reducing stress - but only if combined with a nasal oxytocin spray.
Sex could help wounds heal faster by reducing stress
Mild wounds healed faster if people took a spray containing the "love hormone" oxytocin and set aside time to praise their partner – but they cleared up even quicker if these individuals were also intimate with their other half
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Sex, or just touching your partner, seems to help wounds heal faster by reducing stress - but only if combined with a nasal oxytocin spray.
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women.
Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women.
The artwork on a 4300-year-old silver goblet unearthed in the Palestinian West Bank appears to show the universe forming out of primordial chaos – making it the oldest known visual representation of a creation myth.
Ancient silver goblet preserves oldest known image of cosmic creation
The images hammered into the sides of a goblet found in Palestine give us an idea of what people living more than 4000 years ago imagined the creation of the cosmos looked like
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The artwork on a 4300-year-old silver goblet unearthed in the Palestinian West Bank appears to show the universe forming out of primordial chaos – making it the oldest known visual representation of a creation myth.
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
A three-legged lion has learned to hunt in a completely unexpected way
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Jacob, an 11-year-old lion, has defied expectations by surviving for years after losing a leg – now we know his success is down to an innovative hunting strategy
A comprehensive new map of Roman roads has boosted the known size of the empire’s land transport network by almost 60 per cent – and it is available for anyone to explore online.
Digital map lets you explore the Roman Empire's vast road network
Archaeologists have compiled the most detailed map yet of roads throughout the Roman Empire in AD 150, totalling almost 300,000 kilometres in length
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
A comprehensive new map of Roman roads has boosted the known size of the empire’s land transport network by almost 60 per cent – and it is available for anyone to explore online.
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
Smart new book takes an axe to the myth of human exceptionalism
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt
Do you need to fairly allocate players to teams, or sort out a pot of badly brewed coffee? Katie Steckles has a mathematical solution
The 19th-century maths that can help you deal with horrible coffee
Do you need to fairly allocate players to teams, or sort out a pot of badly brewed coffee? Katie Steckles has a mathematical solution
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Do you need to fairly allocate players to teams, or sort out a pot of badly brewed coffee? Katie Steckles has a mathematical solution
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best
What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best
The green mummified remains of a teenager buried in Italy 200 to 400 years ago have given us new insights into the preservative properties of copper
Boy's body was mummified and turned green by a copper coffin
The green mummified remains of a teenager buried in Italy 200 to 400 years ago have given us new insights into the preservative properties of copper
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The green mummified remains of a teenager buried in Italy 200 to 400 years ago have given us new insights into the preservative properties of copper
It is widely accepted that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but now researchers say our measurements of the mysterious force driving that may be wrong and that the universe began to slow 1.5 billion years ago – yet other scientists disagree
Is the expansion of the universe slowing down?
It is widely accepted that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but now researchers say our measurements of the mysterious force driving that may be wrong and that the universe began to slow 1.5 billion years ago – yet other scientists disagree
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:39 AM
It is widely accepted that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but now researchers say our measurements of the mysterious force driving that may be wrong and that the universe began to slow 1.5 billion years ago – yet other scientists disagree
High-voltage copper plates can remove up to three-quarters of frost from a surface, while using much less energy than conventional heating.
Static electricity can remove frost from windows using little energy
High-voltage copper plates can remove up to three-quarters of frost from a surface, while using much less energy than conventional heating
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:22 AM
High-voltage copper plates can remove up to three-quarters of frost from a surface, while using much less energy than conventional heating.
When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells New Scientist about his 50-year career in planetary defence
Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell you
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:39 AM
When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells New Scientist about his 50-year career in planetary defence
The battle to save the magnificent but endangered Amur tiger detailed in Jonathan Slaght's Tigers Between Empires is an inspiring look at what collaboration across borders can achieve, finds Adam Weymouth
New book tells compelling tale of the fight to save the Siberian tiger
The battle to save the magnificent but endangered Amur tiger detailed in Jonathan Slaght's Tigers Between Empires is an inspiring look at what collaboration across borders can achieve, finds Adam Weymouth
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:09 AM
The battle to save the magnificent but endangered Amur tiger detailed in Jonathan Slaght's Tigers Between Empires is an inspiring look at what collaboration across borders can achieve, finds Adam Weymouth
Reposted by New Scientist
In my latest quantum column for New Scientist I was delighted to read and reflect on a book about women in the history of quantum physics who may not have been paradigm-shifting heroes but still an integral part of how the field became established and successful www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
The forgotten women of quantum physics
Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its ince...
www.newscientist.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
In my latest quantum column for New Scientist I was delighted to read and reflect on a book about women in the history of quantum physics who may not have been paradigm-shifting heroes but still an integral part of how the field became established and successful www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman
Sperm are selfish – and so are we
A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:33 AM
A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman
There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way
AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about it
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:53 AM
There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way
Neurologically, the flexibility of the future promised by liberal democracy can be a challenge because it brings with it uncertainty. But there are solutions, say Florence Gaub and Liya Yu
Human minds abhor uncertainty. This is a problem for liberal democracy
Neurologically, the flexibility of the future promised by liberal democracy can be a challenge because it brings with it uncertainty. But there are solutions, say Florence Gaub and Liya Yu
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Neurologically, the flexibility of the future promised by liberal democracy can be a challenge because it brings with it uncertainty. But there are solutions, say Florence Gaub and Liya Yu
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life
Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past life
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life
A major settlement in Central Asia called Semiyarka dating back to 1600 BC had houses, a big central building and even an industrial zone for producing copper and bronze
Vast Bronze Age city discovered in the plains of Kazakhstan
A major settlement in Central Asia called Semiyarka dating back to 1600 BC had houses, a big central building and even an industrial zone for producing copper and bronze
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:34 AM
A major settlement in Central Asia called Semiyarka dating back to 1600 BC had houses, a big central building and even an industrial zone for producing copper and bronze
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditch
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:18 AM
We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health
3I/ATLAS, the interstellar comet passing through our solar system, might have been radically transformed by cosmic rays over billions of years, altering it so thoroughly that we may never be able to work out where it came from.
We may never figure out where interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS came from
The surface of comet 3I/ATLAS may have been so radically altered by cosmic rays that deducing its home star system would be impossible
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:54 AM
3I/ATLAS, the interstellar comet passing through our solar system, might have been radically transformed by cosmic rays over billions of years, altering it so thoroughly that we may never be able to work out where it came from.
In February, the James Webb Space Telescope will briefly be able to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 4 per cent chance of hitting the moon in 2032. Depending on what it sees, the odds of collision could drastically increase
Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon may rise to 30 per cent
In February, the James Webb Space Telescope will briefly be able to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 4 per cent chance of hitting the moon in 2032. Depending on what it sees, the odds of collision could drastically increase
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:35 AM
In February, the James Webb Space Telescope will briefly be able to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 4 per cent chance of hitting the moon in 2032. Depending on what it sees, the odds of collision could drastically increase
Expectations are low for the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, but the host’s pragmatic approach could help make progress on implementation.
COP30: Can Brazil summit get climate negotiations back on track?
Expectations are low for the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, but the host’s pragmatic approach could help make progress on implementation
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Expectations are low for the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, but the host’s pragmatic approach could help make progress on implementation.