What makes a good smell? Inside a multibillion dollar aromatic mystery
29 May 2019
Perfume prospectors travelling the world, AI researchers and neuroscientists are discovering the secrets of our least understood sense
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Premium
Gaia rebooted: New version of idea explains how Earth evolved for life
20 March 2019
The controversial Gaia hypothesis sees Earth as a superorganism adapted to be perfect for life. A weird type of evolution may finally show how that actually happens
Don't teach kids – I've shown their hive mind can learn on its own
31 October 2018
Educationalist Sugata Mitra's pioneering experiments suggest teaching facts doesn't work in the internet age – fostering creativity and collaboration is the key
Banana-y bread and onion beer: How yeast can trick our tastebuds
15 August 2018
Maker of beer, bread and wine, yeast is our biggest microbial friend. Now we're engineering weird new flavours with it - even lager that tastes of something
Why video-assisted referees won't stop World Cup errors
13 June 2018
The football tournament kicking off this week is introducing video replays for key calls. Human psychology means some decisions will improve – but some won't
The very first living thing is still alive inside each one of us
1 November 2017
A cellular machine so powerful that it gave rise to all of life and created our marble planet can tell us how it all began
The real clean food: How to eat well for yourself and the planet
20 September 2017
It's possible to have a diet that's both healthy and eco-friendly, but would you really want to eat it? Forget the fads, the answer is more straightforward than you think
Throwaway culture: The truth about recycling
19 July 2017
We take it for granted that recycling is the best way to dispose of waste. But is that just greenwash? New Scientist sorts through the trash so that you can make up your mind
Living with climate change: You can make a difference
21 June 2017
With climate change, individual behaviour does matter. Here's how to influence the future through how you travel, where you get your electricity and what you eat
Why be conscious: The improbable origins of our unique mind
10 May 2017
If we ask what consciousness is for, and why it evolved, we may get closer to understanding the nature of our own minds as well as those of other animals
