Subscribe now
RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE Mandatory Credit: Photo by MI News/NurPhoto/Shutterstock (12361340a) Extinction Rebellion take over London's West End, UK, on August 23, 2021 on the first day of a two week planned London takeove ron 24th August 2021. Extinction Rebellion Protest In London, United Kingdom - 23 Aug 2021

Extinction Rebellion begins fortnight of climate protests in London

25 August 2021

The protest group Extinction Rebellion is campaigning for government action on climate change in the wake of this month's IPCC report


2E8WY68 Quantum particle, quantum mechanics . 3d illustration

Quantum theory continues to challenge our conception of reality

25 August 2021

It's hard to overstate just what a seismic shift quantum mechanics has brought about over the past century and its ongoing mysteries are a gift that is still giving


2GC5BGB Afidnes, Greek capital of Athens. 6th Aug, 2021. Firefighters and volunteers try to put out a fire in Afidnes, some 30 kilometers away from the Greek capital of Athens, on Aug. 6, 2021. Greek authorities said on Friday that three people have been arrested for suspected arson, as devastating wildfires continue to scorch thousands of hectares of forest land across the country.TO GO WITH

Wildfires give a window into our planet's future

25 August 2021

Directly linking wildfires to climate change is still a difficult task – but make no mistake, they are a sign of things to come, writes Graham Lawton


Mandatory Credit: Photo by Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock (12170950r) Dj Reinier Zonneveld during a performance in Paradiso. The pop stage reopens its doors at full capacity. Inside, visitors do not have to keep 1.5 meters away. Paradiso Reopens at Full Capacity, Amsterdam, Netherlands - 26 Jun 2021

Covid passes: How are they used, are they ethical and do they work?

25 August 2021

Vaccine passports are becoming part of life, despite doubts over their ethics and effectiveness. Here's what you need to know about them


A sailor in the US Navy uses a long-range acoustic device on board a boat

Sneaky US Navy feedback device could stop people being able to speak

24 August 2021

A non-lethal device developed by the US Navy aims to surreptitiously render people unable to speak by beaming their own voice back at them with a tiny delay


An Asian honeybee visits Gnetum luofense

Thieving honeybees offer a glimpse of flowers’ evolutionary origins

24 August 2021

Honeybees sometimes steal pollen without helping the plant that makes it. Now, a study of pollen theft from a type of non-flowering plant is shedding light on why the first flowers evolved


A mother performs lunges with a child on her chest in a baby carrier

It really is difficult to get fit after giving birth, study reveals

24 August 2021

One year after giving birth, only 30 per cent of soldiers were able to obtain the same level of fitness as they had pre-pregnancy


Mandatory Credit: Photo by Susan Montoya Bryan/AP/Shutterstock (10714089d) Cube of uranium is displayed, at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, N.M. The

Investigation of Nazi uranium could help stop modern nuclear smuggling

24 August 2021

Cubes of uranium salvaged from Nazi Germany's atomic bomb programme during the second world war are being analysed to confirm their origin, and the method could help law enforcement investigate illegal trafficking of nuclear material


physical forces acting in soil

Ants use soil physics to excavate metre-long tunnels that last decades

23 August 2021

3D X-ray imaging and computer simulations suggest ants have developed a behavioural algorithm that allows them to excavate tunnels by using soil physics – the technique could eventually be harnessed to develop robotic mining machines


Close up of digital data and binary code in network.

Apple's child abuse detection software may be vulnerable to attack

20 August 2021

Apple's soon-to-be-launched algorithm to detect images of child sexual abuse on iPhones and iPads may incorrectly flag people as being in possession of illegal images, warn researchers


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