Search | New Scientist

TESS spacecraft in front of Earth and the moon TESS will look at the nearest, brightest stars to find planetary candidates that scientists will observe for years to come. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center As the search for life on distant planets heats up, NASA?s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is bringing this hunt closer to home. Launching in 2017-2018, TESS will identify planets orbiting the brightest stars just outside our solar system using what?s known as the transit method. When a planet passes in front of, or transits, its parent star, it blocks some of the star's light. TESS searches for these telltale dips in brightness, which can reveal the planet's presence and provide additional information about it.

Search starlight to help astronomers discover new exoplanets

4 May 2022

Comb through observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite to help find new planets, says Layal Liverpool

Help to unlock the secrets of written language by playing Glyph

6 April 2022

Spot visual patterns in humanity’s many scripts and boost the science exploring graphical communication with the online game Glyph, says Layal Liverpool

Help cancer research by playing the GENIGMA phone puzzle game

9 March 2022

DNA becomes disordered inside cancer cells, and playing GENIGMA on your smartphone will help researchers discover the dangerous forms DNA can fold into, says Layal Liverpool

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Identify local wildlife and aid research with the iNaturalist app

9 February 2022

Capture photos of wild plants and animals, identify species you come across and contribute to biodiversity and conservation research, suggests Layal Liverpool

Control review: The troubling past, present and future of eugenics

26 January 2022

In Control, Geneticist Adam Rutherford argues that eugenics isn’t just a horrific mistake from the past, but an ongoing threat and that we must stay alert to its dangers

Help discover the origins of meteor showers by spotting shooting stars

12 January 2022

Meteor showers leave clues to their origin in their wake and you can help astronomers unravel the mystery by taking part in the Radio Meteor Zoo project, says Layal Liverpool

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Snowflake spotters needed to give climate science a boost

15 December 2021

The secrets of climate change are hidden in the shapes of snowflakes, but scientists at the Snowflake ID project need your help to classify them, says Layal Liverpool

How you can get involved with the hunt for gravitational waves

10 November 2021

In the search for high-energy astronomical events like black holes colliding, the data often has glitches. You can help weed those out using the Gravity Spy platform, says Layal Liverpool

Medicine must stop using race and ethnicity to interpret test results

10 November 2021

Relying on race and ethnicity when interpreting medical test results can harm patients. It must stop, say Layal Liverpool and Jennifer Tsai

Look at fossils on your phone to help researchers uncover Earth’s past

13 October 2021

Fossilised plants tell stories of Earth’s capricious past. By participating in the Fossil Atmospheres project, you can help researchers uncover them, find Layal Liverpool