Subscribe now
New Scientist Default Image

Safety panel puts brakes on SpaceX’s plan to put humans in space

17 January 2018

An independent safety panel has recommended that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket should not carry crew until the conditions that led to a 2016 explosion are fully understood


New Scientist Default Image

Puddle puzzle

17 January 2018

My cat used to drink from the garden pond and never seemed to suffer any ill effects, and you often see dogs drinking from muddy puddles. So why do humans have to be so careful and only drink clean water?


New Scientist Default Image

Future plastic

17 January 2018

What is the ultimate fate for plastic waste in the sea? Will it form sediment that gets buried beneath the seabed and eventually turns into plastic "oil" or "coal"?


New Scientist Default Image

A tad late

17 January 2018

I was cleaning my garden pond at the end of October and came across a live tadpole. I had previously suspected that some tadpoles are late undergoing metamorphosis, but this one really missed the boat. Is this a recognised phenomenon, and what is the...


New Scientist Default Image

Cubicle count

17 January 2018

How do those running large sporting and cultural events determine how many toilets to provide? Is there an accepted ratio or does it vary, and if so by how much?


New Scientist Default Image

You must be yolking

17 January 2018

My wife recently broke three eggs into the frying pan in quick succession, and all were double-yolked. Does this mean there would have been three sets of chicken twins?


New Scientist Default Image

Playing for time

17 January 2018

How is it possible for concert pianists to play faster than the eye can follow?


heart cartoon

Feedback: eHarmony's love formula fails to woo ad watchdog

17 January 2018

The course of true love never did run smooth. Plus: dodgy science in the UK government's drone collision study, a jumbo boat sets sail, and more


group photo

Supporting young African scientists

17 January 2018

UNESCO and Merck have combined to offer opportunites for scientific collaboration and development


advertising

Planet and people: new books for Anthropocene times

17 January 2018

Fully embracing our connectedness with the biosphere will take rethinking how we see our objects and a new legal framework, argue two new books


Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop