Search | New Scientist

Cosmic smash-ups may push huge black holes away from their homes

4 June 2021

Astronomers have found 9 supermassive black holes that may have been hurled out of their homes at the centres of galaxies by dramatic cosmic collisions

Passengers wearing facemasks sit on a plane departing from Denmark

How do you travel abroad safely during the covid-19 pandemic?

4 June 2021

As countries start to open their borders to holiday-makers, confusion remains over which countries are safe, and what entrance requirements are necessary. If you plan to travel soon, here's what you should know

Sharks were almost wiped out in an extinction 19 million years ago

3 June 2021

Sharks living in the open ocean experienced a previously unknown mass extinction event about 19 million years ago that wiped out nearly 90 per cent of the predators

Right whales born in 1981 grew a metre longer than they do today

3 June 2021

Surveillance of right whales in the North Atlantic show that individuals born today will grow to be a metre shorter, on average, than whales born in the early 1980s

Puppies are born with the genetic ability to understand humans

3 June 2021

Domestication has selected dogs with genetic traits that equip puppies with the social skills to interact with humans, even at a very young age

Underwater glue made from silk can cling to surfaces like a barnacle

3 June 2021

A non-toxic underwater glue that is inspired by barnacles and made from silk is stronger than most synthetic adhesives

University students with morning lectures tend to have lower grades

3 June 2021

University students tend to get lower grades if their classes and lectures begin early in the morning, because they struggle to wake up early enough to attend them

NASA is sending two missions to Venus for the first time in decades

2 June 2021

NASA has selected two missions to Venus, called DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, to launch between 2028 and 2030, marking the agency’s first return to our sweltering neighbour since 1989

Parasitic ants keep evolving to lose their smell and taste genes

2 June 2021

When parasitic ants move into another species’ colony, they outsource foraging to the host ants – which may be why several species of parasitic ants have lost the genes for taste and smell